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LACHLAN RIVER MONITORING, EVALUATION AND RESEARCH
QUARTERLY OUTCOMES NEWSLETTER | OCTOBER – DECEMBER 2019
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LACHLAN RIVER MONITORING, EVALUATION AND RESEARCH
Welcome to the new look quarterly newsletter of the Lachlan Monitoring, Evaluation and Research
(MER) Program. This newsletter forms part of the reporting activities undertaken in the Lachlan
river system under the MER Program and provides a regular update on our monitoring activities
and observations.
In this issue we put a spotlight on our larval fish monitoring which occurs each year in spring and
early summer. We then take a look at the weather conditions we’ve experienced in the catchment
during the quarter, provide information about the watering actions that have been delivered and
report on our vegetation monitoring field trip. We also provide an introduction to our major
research project on monitoring reedbeds in the Cumbung Swamp and Adam Kereszy, our new
communication and engagement team member, entertains us with tales of engagement activities in
the catchment.
We hope you enjoy the read!
The Lachlan MER Team
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Larval Fish Monitoring
During the last quarter of the year (spring / early
summer), the monitoring team turns its attention
to larval fish. But why larval fish?
Important life stages of native fish can be linked to
flow (such as movement, spawning and growth).
Successful spawning combined with survival and
growth of larval and juvenile fish is important for
the recovery of fish populations. Environmental
flows commonly aim to enhance our native fish
populations, and this means ensuring that the
flows provide the right conditions to support those
early life history stages.
Larval Murray cod captured from a light trap
(Photos: Hugh Allan)
Most native fish spawn in late winter through to
summer, so spring is the best time to catch larval
fish. In the lower Lachlan River, our team monitors
larval fish at three sites, and visit each of these
sites five times between mid-October and mid-
December each year.
To catch these little fish
(usually about a third the
length of a matchstick), our
team use two types of fish
traps. The first, called a drift
net, is set in faster flowing
water and aims to catch
larval fish that are drifting
with the flow. A drift net
looks very similar to a wind
sock!
The other trap we use is a
light trap, which is a clear
perspex trap that uses a
glowstick as bait (little fish
are attracted to light!).
These traps are set in areas
of the river where there is
no or little flow, and targets
species whose larvae like to
live in these habitats. We
preserve our captured larval
fish for later identification
and measurement under the
microscope in the
laboratory.
In the lower Lachlan, larval fish have been
monitored each year since 2014. We have
observed some very different results between
years, which matches with some very different
flow conditions in the river between years. Murray
cod were extremely abundant in the first two years
of the project, but a fish kill associated with low
dissolved oxygen during the 2016 floods is likely to
have reduced adult numbers, which has impacted
Murray cod larval numbers since then. Over the
INDICATOR SPOTLIGHT
What have larval fish got to
do with environmental water?
Providing flows for fish depends
on a deep understanding of
fish-flow interactions.
Monitoring team member
Rhian Clear rinsing down a
drift net (Photo: Mal
Carnegie)
A light trap baited up with
a glowstick ready to be set
(Photo: Ben Broadhurst).
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past few years since the flood, Commonwealth
environmental water has been actively targeting
making conditions as ideal as possible for Murray
cod spawning and early larval growth and survival
to help recover this important species. Preliminary
results just in for the monitoring year of 2019
indicate that Murray cod larval numbers continue
to rise, a very encouraging outcome.
We can learn a lot from measuring each individual
larvae we catch. We can determine how old the
fish are, when they were spawned and even make
estimates on how quickly they are growing. We
can then link each of these pieces of information
to flow types (e.g. pulses) and can learn which
types of flow result in the best outcomes for native
fish spawning and larval fish growth and survival.
We have even taken the tiny earbones (or otoliths)
out of a number of these fish to accurately age
them and determine whether their growth is
driven by changes in food resources. Larval fish of
many species lay down rings on their earbones
daily (like the rings of a tree), so all you have to do
is count them to determine the fishes’ age.
There have been many volunteers who have
assisted in the larval fish monitoring program for
both LTIM and the current MER program. We have
had people from very different backgrounds, ages
and interests come out and assist, and we often
learn as much as they do whilst out on each
sampling trip.
It’s not all hard work, as one of our volunteers take
some time out in the shade (Photo: Ben
Broadhurst).
The earbone (or
otolith) of a Murray
cod. Bands or rings are
laid down daily, so age
of an individual can be
accurately determined
(Photo: Fish aging
services).
The Lachlan River at Hunthawang (Photo: Ben Broadhurst)
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Catchment conditions October to
December 2019
Conditions remained very dry into the fourth
quarter of 2019, with only 29 mm of rain falling at
Hillston bringing the annual total to 198 mm. Only
50 mm of rainfall was recorded at Hillston in the
second half of 2019. The long term mean annual
rainfall for Hillston is 369 mm, and 2019 was the
11th driest years on record (the driest being 1940
with only 101 mm rainfall). The majority of the rain
for the quarter was recorded in November with
22 mm rainfall recorded between the 3rd and 5th
November.
The lack of rainfall was accompanied by warmer
than average temperatures, particularly in October
and December with average daily maximums for
these months 3-4 degrees higher than the long
term average. Average daily minimums for the
quarter were slightly warmer than the long term
averages.
OBSERVATIONS AND OUTCOMES
Conditions remained very dry
between October and
December
The Lachlan River at Whealbah (Photo: Fiona Dyer)
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Watering actions
Four watering actions using Commonwealth
environmental water were delivered during the
fourth quarter of 2019. These watering actions
targeted multiple objectives and sites within the
Lachlan river system and used a total of 22,026 ML.
The four watering actions were:
1. A spring pulse which provided water to
multiple sites along the river, culminating
in the Great Cumbung (17,028 ML).
2. Water to Yarrabandai Lagoon to improve
condition and provide important refuge
habitat (400 ML).
3. A spring pulse to Booberoi Creek to
maintain the health of the creek and
provide off-river channel refuge habitat
(4,472 ML).
4. Water to the Noonamah blackbox
woodlands to maintain the health of the
black box communities and provide refuge
habitat for native animals (126 ML).
Further information about the watering actions
can be found at:
http://www.environment.gov.au/water/cewo/catc
hment/lachlan/water-use
The spring pulse that was released from Wyangala
Dam on 16 September passed through Hillston
between 10 October and 2 November, reaching the
edge of the Great Cumbung in early November.
Flows into the reed-beds commenced on
9 November and the University of Canberra
monitoring and research team were lucky enough
to be on-site to observe water arriving.
OBSERVATIONS AND OUTCOMES
Water arriving in the reedbeds of the Great Cumbung
(Photo: Fiona Dyer)
Passage of the Commonwealth environmental water spring pulse (shaded green) from Cotton’s Weir (left)
to the edge of the Great Cumbung (right). Data from Water NSW (http://waterinfo.nsw.gov.au/).
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Vegetation monitoring
Spring vegetation monitoring was conducted in the
first half of November. A number of new sites were
introduced this year under the MER Program as we
refined our sampling to better capture floodplain
and wetland sites that might receive
environmental water. This included sites in the
red-gum forests and black box wetlands around
the Great Cumbung.
The effects of water were very strongly noted in
the groundcover vegetation that was recorded.
The sites that have received water more frequently
over the past 5 years had considerably more native
groundcover present and many more species of
plants were recorded. At sites which last received
water in the 2016-17 floods, there was very little
groundcover and very few species present.
Heliotrope (Heliotropium europaeum) and sneeze
weed (Centipeda cunninghamii) recorded during
vegetation surveys (Photos: Fiona Dyer)
OBSERVATIONS AND OUTCOMES
Top: Whealbah Billabong (Photo: Fiona Dyer)
Mid: Alica Tschierschke records groundcover
vegetation at Juanbung (Photo: Will Higgisson)
Bottom: Lake Bunumburt (Photo: Fiona Dyer)
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Research
During the MER Program, the University of
Canberra, Centre for Applied Water Science will be
conducting research to develop techniques to
monitor the response of reedbeds to
environmental water.
The reedbeds of the Great Cumbung are an
important asset in the Lachlan catchment. They are
listed in the Directory of Important Wetlands in
Australia and specifically mentioned in the MDBAs
Basin-wide environmental watering strategy,
which specifies key objectives to maintain the
current extent and increase periods of growth for
stands of common reed and cumbungi in the Great
Cumbung (MDBA 2014). The Great Cumbung has
been targeted with environmental water over the
past five years, receiving environmental water
from whole of system watering events that deliver
water to this terminal wetland system. Over the
past five years, monitoring of the site has primarily
involved the use of satellite imagery to track the
progress of water but has not directly monitored
the response of the reeds.
Using a range of new technologies, including
drones and high-resolution satellite data, Dr Will
Higgisson from the University of Canberra is
leading the research to develop techniques to
monitor the reedbeds that are practical and cost
effective. This research aims to determine:
• What are the key indicators of condition
for reedbeds that can be measured easily
and cost effectively using remotely sensed
techniques?
• What is an appropriate monitoring
program for stands of common reed and
cumbungi and their response to watering?
The research commenced at the end of 2019 and
will involve on-ground field-based data collection
and data collection from drone imagery using a
multi spectral camera and satellite multi spectral
imagery. Field and drone-based data collection will
involve regular monitoring of fixed locations within
the central reedbeds between October and March
for two years.
RESEARCH
The reedbeds of the Great Cumbung 31 July 2019. Photo taken from a drone by Mal Carnegie
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Stories from monitoring and community
events in the Lachlan catchment
Adam Kereszy, fish biologist at large
One of the most important lessons to learn when
sampling plants or animals is to never become too
complacent about what you’ll find. Even if you’ve
sampled an area a hundred times, there’s always a
chance something unusual might turn up.
It was a lesson I’d forgotten - again - when
navigating south into a brisk wind on Lake
Cargelligo in September 2019. The lake is shallow -
generally three metres can be considered a deep
section - so when a change comes in from the
south or south-west it quickly turns from a serene
backwater into a choppy facsimile of Botany or
Port Phillip Bay on a bad day.
It was routine fish sampling with a new twist,
because it was sponsored by a local not-for-profit
group (the Cargelligo Wetlands and Lakes Council)
who had recently obtained the lease on the island
in the middle of the Lake for conservation
purposes. The idea was to sample close to the
island to find out what was lurking in their patch.
But that wasn’t the only twist on this particular
occasion. A coach-load of Year 4 school students
from Sydney were also in Lake Cargelligo for a few
days, so the sampling was timed to coincide with
their visit.
Sure enough, as the tinny clanged away at the
stumps and I wrestled with fyke nets in the messy
water, the banks were lined with enthusiastic
young minds, all hollering questions I couldn’t
actually hear due to the accelerating wind. I
nodded and chuckled at what seemed appropriate
times, tied off the nets extra-securely and found
some dry clothes as quickly as possible. It was one
of those times when I really thought I’d be
disappointing the onlookers the following day - I
was actually hoping for a carp and a turtle to show
them.
On cue, the youthful crowd resumed their
positions on the bank the next day, even though it
was cold and grey and even worse than the prior
evening. I emptied small native fish like gudgeons
and hardyhead into a bucket and then a mini-
aquarium to show them the details. There was talk
of fish cakes and taking some home to Sydney, so
as they pointed and exclaimed I headed back into
the water to retrieve the big nets.
As I struggled back to shore I could feel the familiar
bump of entrapped turtles and fish against my legs
- ah well, at least there’d be something. If there’s a
part B to the ‘don’t get too complacent’ rule it’s
‘don’t get too excited’ - after all, you’ve done this a
hundred times before - right? But as I heaved the
net on to the sandy shoreline and looked down I
broke part B in an instant too, because there,
squirming amongst the carp and turtles, was a
really big, grey-green mottled fish, and I knew
straight away that we’d hit an unlikely jackpot.
As I panted and knelt down to support the weight I
started calling to anyone who’d listen ‘hey - get a
camera…we’ve caught a monster cod!’. Cradling
the metre-long fish, I battled trying to get my arms
THE LACHLAN DIARIES
“……..there, squirming
amongst the carp and turtles,
was a really big, grey-green
mottled fish, and I knew
straight away that we’d hit an
unlikely jackpot…….”
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underneath it and maintain a grip - cod are slimey
no matter what size, but especially in sleety rain
when you’re already soaked to the bone.
The excitement was infectious. The students, their
teachers and especially the five or six locals were
now all huddled, all shouting and all vying for the
best place to aim an i-phone. It certainly was a
beautiful fish. It doesn’t matter how many cod you
catch, they’re always exciting. Their broad heads
and thick fins combined with their amazing
appearance contribute to them being one of the
most valued fish in the Basin. Adding to the
excitement was the fact that we hadn’t sampled
only one - another cod nearly as big was still
waiting in the fyke net.
Murray cod are generally assumed to be a riverine
fish - as opposed to a shallow-lake fish - in the
Basin. They wait in ambush in snags in deep holes,
attain a large size and are long-lived. It makes
sense that they prefer permanent, deep rivers to
fickle shallow lakes, but luckily, both for me and
the Year 4 cohort from Sydney, at least two large
cod obviously decided that Lake Cargelligo suited
them just fine.
Commercial carp fishers in Lake Cargelligo have
similarly caught the occasional adult cod as by-
catch in recent times, and for the last few years
recreational fishers throughout the mid-Lachlan
have reported healthy numbers of healthy cod.
Given that Murray cod have been so negatively
affected by river regulation, by over-fishing and by
commercial fishing in the Basin, it’s encouraging to
realise that their populations are recovering in the
Lachlan, and interesting to find that they - like all
our native species - are using the centrally-located
Lake Cargelligo as a refuge area.
“……..we’ve caught a
monster cod ………”
Adam Kerezsy carefully cradles a monster cod from Lake Cargelligo. (Photo: Robin Carter)
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The following summary provides information about the contracted activities undertaken between October
and December 2019 as part of the Lachlan Monitoring, Evaluation and Research (Lachlan MER) Project.
Activities that will be undertaken between January and March 2020 are listed as upcoming activities.
ACTIVITIES PROGRESS TO DATE UPCOMING ACTIVITIES
Monitoring activities
Ecosystem type • Data collection complete and suggested
Australian National Aquatic Ecosystems (ANAE) types for all sites included in the Monitoring and Data Management System (MDMS).
• No more data collection required
Fish (river) • No sampling during quarter • Adult fish sampling to commence in February
Fish (larvae) • Larval fish sampling conducted between October and December
• Data processing, QA/QC and data entry
Water quality and stream metabolism
• Loggers downloaded and serviced • Loggers will be downloaded and serviced in late February/early March
Vegetation diversity • Spring vegetation diversity sampling
completed • Data processing
Evaluation activities
Monitoring data entry • Data entry continuing • Data entry continuing
Research activities
Research • Initial site selection and piloting of data collection
• Two rounds of data collection from site
• Data and image processing
• Further data collection
• Assessment of sites and data collection to date
Communication and engagement
Selected Area Working Group (EWAG and TAG meetings)
• Participated in water quality TAG teleconference
• Attend Hay EWAG Meeting
Project team teleconference • Liaised with theme leaders as draft technical reports were being compiled
• None
Other Stakeholder Engagement
• Booberoi Creek Weekend • Robinson Crusoe Island Down the Track Weekend
ACTIVITY SUMMARY
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The Commonwealth Environmental Water Holder (CEWH) is responsible under the Water Act 2007 (Cth) for
managing Commonwealth environmental water holdings. These holdings amount to more than 2,700
gigalitres (as at July 2019) of water entitlements across the Murray-Darling Basin. The holdings must be
managed to protect or restore the environmental assets of the Murray-Darling Basin, and other areas where
the Commonwealth holds water, to give effect to relevant international agreements.
Monitoring and evaluation are critical for supporting effective and efficient use of Commonwealth
environmental water. Monitoring and evaluation also provides important information to ensure the CEWH
meet their reporting obligations. Between 2014 and 2019, the Commonwealth Environmental Water Office
(CEWO) has undertaken monitoring and evaluation of the ecological outcomes of environmental watering
through the Long Term Intervention Monitoring Project (LTIM Project). At the same time, the CEWO has
undertaken research which seeks to improve the science available to support environmental water
management in the Murray-Darling Basin through the Murray-Darling Basin Environmental Water
Knowledge and Research Project (EWKR Project).
The Monitoring, Evaluation and Research Program (MER Program) builds on the work of the LTIM and EWKR
Projects to undertake monitoring, evaluation and research activities within seven Selected Areas and at the
Basin-scale between 2019 and 2022. One of the seven Selected Areas is in the Lachlan river system and a
team of researchers, agency staff and contractors led by the Centre for Applied Water Science at the
University of Canberra are monitoring, evaluating and conducting research in the catchment.
This newsletter forms part of the reporting activities undertaken in the Lachlan river system under the MER
Program. It will be produced quarterly and highlights the activities, observations and outcomes that have
occurred in the river system in relation to environmental water.
In conducting the monitoring evaluation and research project in the Lachlan river system, the project team
as well as the Commonwealth Environmental Water Office respectfully acknowledge the traditional
custodians of the land on which this work is conducted, their Elders past and present, their Nations of the
Murray-Darling Basin, and their cultural, social, environmental, spiritual and economic connection to their
lands and waters. The Lachlan River flows through the lands of the Nari Nari, Ngiyampaa, Waradjuri and Yita
Yita Nations, and we acknowledge these people as the traditional owners of the land on which this
publication is focused.
More information can be found at:
https://www.environment.gov.au/water/cewo/monitoring/ltim-project
https://www.environment.gov.au/water/cewo/monitoring/ewkr
https://www.environment.gov.au/water/cewo/monitoring/mer-program
ABOUT THIS DOCUMENT
INQUIRIES REGARDING THIS DOCUMENT SHOULD BE ADDRESSED TO:
Dr Fiona Dyer
Phone: 02 6201 2452
e-mail: [email protected]
This document was prepared by Fiona Dyer, Ben Broadhurst and Adam Kerezsy (Dr Fish), with assistance from Will
Higgisson and Alica Tschierschke.
Cover Photo: Larval Murray Cod captured from the Lachlan River (Hugh Allan).
Document history and status
Version Date Issued Reviewed by Approved by Type
Draft 1 28 January 2020 Fiona Dyer DRAFT
FINAL 25 March 2020 Internal Project Team
CEWO
Fiona Dyer FINAL
Distribution of copies
Version Type Issued to
FINAL Electronic Commonwealth Environmental Water Office
Copyright © Copyright Commonwealth of Australia, 2020
‘Lachlan River, Monitoring, Evaluation and Research, Quarterly Outcomes Newsletter’ is licensed by the Commonwealth of Australia for use under a Creative Commons By Attribution 3.0 Australia licence with the exception of the Coat of Arms of the Commonwealth of Australia, the logo of the agency responsible for publishing the report, content supplied by third parties, and any images depicting people. For licence conditions see: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/au/
Disclaimer
The views and opinions expressed in this publication are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect those of the Australian Government or the Minister for the Environment and Energy. While reasonable efforts have been made to ensure that the contents of this publication are factually correct, the Commonwealth does not accept responsibility for the accuracy or completeness of the contents, and shall not be liable for any loss or damage that may be occasioned directly or indirectly through the use of, or reliance on, the contents of this publication.