A bit of help for a school project.

[red_devil94 4]

Hi guys, I mentioned about a month ago that as part of the Year 11 curriculum for Geography we do a research project that accounts for nearly 50% of our grade. I chose to do my project on improving the sustainibility of Murray Cod in the Murray River, after all what a shame it would be for this great native fish to die out. Part of the requirements is surveying members of the public, so if some of you great people could take 5 minutes to answer a few quick questions you would make a young lad very happy indeed. Do you regularly fish in the river Murray?How often do you fish in the Murray?How long have you fished in the Murray?Do you ever target Murray Cod?Have you ever caught a Murray Cod, or seen one caught?How many Cod do you think there are today compared to ‘pest’ species in the river? (highlight)Very Few Few Average Plenty Abundant.Do you feel that Murray are fine, endangered or critically endangered?Do you think the necessary steps are being taken to improve their numbers and maintain the species?How big do you think the impact on Murray Cod is from the introduced species such as carp or redfin?What do you think the biggest threat to native Murray Cod is?Do you think the South Australian government is doing enough to ensure the Murray Cod’s survival?What sort of methods and actions would you like to see employed by authorities to boost the numbers of Murray Cod?On a scale of 1-10 how important is immediate action to increase fish numbers?

[Mr_Willy 3]

Do you regularly fish in the river Murray? Yes I doHow often do you fish in the Murray? Depending on season - as much as once a week when the fish are on - at least once a monthHow long have you fished in the Murray? Since I was 5 - fished with lures targetting Murray Cod for 5 or 6 yearsDo you ever target Murray Cod? Most definitelyHave you ever caught a Murray Cod, or seen one caught? Yes caught a few myself, seen plenty of others caughtHow many Cod do you think there are today compared to ‘pest’ species in the river? (highlight)Very Few Few Average Plenty Abundant.I would say few when compared with 'pest' species, but I think there are a lot more Cod in the river than most people would realise, and with the current water conditions it is only going to get better.Do you feel that Murray are fine, endangered or critically endangered? Murray Cod? I think they are between fine and endangered - but I think the current water flow will do more to help them than anything the government can doDo you think the necessary steps are being taken to improve their numbers and maintain the species?Slowly they are getting there - I think the total catch and release was a long time coming and will only help - the ban that was in place recently I don't think would help mainly because there are those out there who do the wrong thing and the ban meant not many people were on the river in peak season so those who wanted to do the wrong thing could get out there with less chance of being caught.How big do you think the impact on Murray Cod is from the introduced species such as carp or redfin? Very little - they are both food for the Cod anyway. The lack of natural flow is having the biggest impact - I was once told by the Inland Fisheries Manager at PIRSA that what the Cod need is flow as it disperses their larvae over a bigger area which means more survive - without the flow they all stay in the one area and only very few survive as they are competing for a limited food source.What do you think the biggest threat to native Murray Cod is? Lack of flow and the over regulation of that flow - and the lack of control that SA has over that flow - numbers are very strong interstate.Do you think the South Australian government is doing enough to ensure the Murray Cod’s survival? I think stocking would be a way to ENSURE the survival, but I think the measures they are putting in place now will definitely assist, but I think stocking is the way of the future and it is obviously helping interstate....What sort of methods and actions would you like to see employed by authorities to boost the numbers of Murray Cod? Stocking.On a scale of 1-10 how important is immediate action to increase fish numbers? 7 - the current high flows and the making the fishery total catch and release will definitely help and it will be interesting to see what happens in the next 3-4 years once we see the full effects of the increasing flow - whether the numbers improve which I think they will and without nets in the river for the first time with increased flow the recruitment of Murray Cod should be strong and the nets won't clean out all of the smaller fish.Good Luck with the project. Perhaps contacting Johno McPhail at PIRSA for more information on what they are doing and the information they have on the Cod might help your project.

[brenton 637]

Good on you Willy. cheers brenton

[weaver 271]

Hi guys' date=' I mentioned about a month ago that as part of the Year 11 curriculum for Geography we do a research project that accounts for nearly 50% of our grade. I chose to do my project on improving the sustainibility of Murray Cod in the Murray River, after all what a shame it would be for this great native fish to die out. Part of the requirements is surveying members of the public, so if some of you great people could take 5 minutes to answer a few quick questions you would make a young lad very happy indeed. Do you regularly fish in the river Murray? YesHow often do you fish in the Murray? twice aweekHow long have you fished in the Murray? 18 yearsDo you ever target Murray Cod? yesHave you ever caught a Murray Cod, or seen one caught? yesHow many Cod do you think there are today compared to ‘pest’ species in the river? (highlight)Very Few Few Average Plenty Abundant.Do you feel that Murraycod are fine, endangered or critically endangered? Hard question to answer as it is very broad. depends on where you are on the river, I would say endangered in some parts and fine in others, Just because you dont see cod or cod caught doesn't mean they are not there. Don't know how many i have caught from areas where others have said there is stuff all and seen others do the same, Crtically endangered would mean there is one per 10k's IMO but in reality there is one on every snag, rock etc.Do you think the necessary steps are being taken to improve their numbers and maintain the species? Yes, longer closed seasons, no cod to be removed from water, no trolling during the close season and the chowilla section of the river is now closed to all cod fishing due to it being a known breeding site.How big do you think the impact on Murray Cod is from the introduced species such as carp or redfin?Hard to say, when they are hatchling - fingerling size they would be preyed upon by these species but once over 50cm the only thing they have to worry about is Man and bigger cod. I must add though that redfin numbers in the river are debatable where as carp numbers are high.In a nutshell i would say there are less redfin then cod in the SA section of the river. What do you think the biggest threat to native Murray Cod is? Man and his arrogance!Do you think the South Australian government is doing enough to ensure the Murray Cod’s survival? Yes i think they are doing the best they can with what information they have.What sort of methods and actions would you like to see employed by authorities to boost the numbers of Murray Cod? Better education on the river as a whole and what destruction we as man do to it, better education on the river and its quality means better water for the natives to multiply, Also a ban on wake boats in some areas would be good as i believe eggs and fry are getting pounded by the waves and killing them off during NOV/DEC which is when cod spawn and eggs/hatchlings are around. On a scale of 1-10 how important is immediate action to increase fish numbers?

I would say 5, Numbers are reasonable but like i said depends where you are, there are high populations in some areas of small and big fish, areas of only big fish and other areas i haven't caught them in yet but know they are there but in what numbers is anyones guess. Stocking would have open up another can of problems and should be used as a last resort. There are enough cod here to get the high numbers back and seeing that there is no professional fishery for cod anymore where tonnes of cod were taken annually the numbers should improve naturally IMO.Here's a few questions of mine.Does your study involve the whole MDB or just South australia?How many cod do you think there is in the Murray?Do you think they are seriously endangered?

[spog777 1]

Do you regularly fish in the river Murray? ......yesHow often do you fish in the Murray?.......monthlyHow long have you fished in the Murray?.......40 yearsDo you ever target Murray Cod? .........not for many years Have you ever caught a Murray Cod, or seen one caught?....yesHow many Cod do you think there are today compared to ‘pest’ species in the river? (highlight)...Very Few Few Average Plenty Abundant.Do you feel that Murray are fine, endangered or critically endangered?....improving-fineDo you think the necessary steps are being taken to improve their numbers and maintain the species?...noHow big do you think the impact on Murray Cod is from the introduced species such as carp or redfin?...redfin-nil. Carp-plentyWhat do you think the biggest threat to native Murray Cod is? Water QualityDo you think the South Australian government is doing enough to ensure the Murray Cod’s survival? NoWhat sort of methods and actions would you like to see employed by authorities to boost the numbers of Murray Cod?continue catch and release, restocking regularly ,target carp, On a scale of 1-10 how important is immediate action to increase fish numbers? the rivers running perfect for breeding and we've only got a small window of a couple of years to get it on the go

[red_devil94 4]

WOW :woohoo: Thanks guy's thats a bit help, you gave much more detail and explanation than I could of ever hoped or imagined for. And an extra big thanks to Mr_Willy for providing a contact, thats an amazing help, credit to you!

[red_devil94 4]

Here's a few questions of mine.Does your study involve the whole MDB or just South australia?How many cod do you think there is in the Murray?Do you think they are seriously endangered?

I decided to to confine my study just to the lower parts of the river. I am undecided whether or not on the exact limit but I am considering just the section of river between the Murray mouth up to the first Loch 1 at Blanchetown or extend it further upstream towards the border. Obviously the smaller area, the easier it is to cover the topic in more detail under the word count.I honestly wouldn't have a clue as to a particular number of fish, I'm only in the early stages of my research. No, not seriously endangered. I think the situation was looking pretty bad a few years from what I've heard, but now the increased flows (as has been mentioned) is improving breeding conditions and protection should mean improving conditions for Cod. I have always thought that unless there is some kind of significant environmental disaster that the authorities would always be ready to take drastic action to save the species, and if the authorities didn't some kind of environmental group would form to save them. I think they are still facing threats and are requiring some sort of protection but nothing that cannot be achieved with a little bit of effort.

[Mango 0]

Spog777 ?????"How big do you think the impact on Murray Cod is from the introduced species such as carp or redfin?...redfin-nil. Carp-plenty"Nill?!! You cannot be serious! My guess is that you submitted an answer based purely on emotion.The redfin is a highly efficient predator....

[Mango 0]

Red-Devil,If i may. I wish to indulge in some of my own thoughts too:-)I fished a lot of course fishing matches on the Murray and lakes (Bonney, Albert & Alexandrina) during the early 90's through to the late 90s.As we fished for a total bag weight, naturally the species targeted was, in the main, carp as they are abundant.Following the floods in the early and mid 90s the carp population was noticeably reduced in the later 90s as was reflected in bag weights.We even saw greater numbers of juvenile Golden Perch and Cod taking baits such as shrimp when varying baits. Not so much the Silvers though in my experience.A couple of theories here;1- Flooding washed the carp downstream and many out of the mouth (I have seen evidence of this on Sugars beach recently, but to no great extent).2- The floods afforded natives access the natural floodplains promoting breeding followed by the subsequent generation knocking off many carp fry.In my opinion I think a little of both of the above, with a heavy slant towards natives breeding during flooding and the offspring knocking off carp fry.Either way. The point I am making is, that i am a believer that water flows are a major contributor to the success of natives. The cod included. The coming years will hopefully ring true to this after the recent high water levels.Cheers Neil

[sbarnden 397]

Spog777 ?????"How big do you think the impact on Murray Cod is from the introduced species such as carp or redfin?...redfin-nil. Carp-plenty"Nill?!! You cannot be serious! My guess is that you submitted an answer based purely on emotion.The redfin is a highly efficient predator....

Redfin are a highly efficient predator which could prey on young cod but the larger ones would be fairly safe.Carp have a big impact on Murray Cod. Since the massive decline in natives they are one of the main prey species keeping them fed! Without all those little carp around the place there would be a lot of hungry cod indeed since the natives crashed due to river mismanagement. Other than that carp have very little impact on Murray Cod.

[Mango 0]

Red-Devil,The real important bit that i forgot to mention was;Great to see a youngster getting involved with such a healthy interest.Good luck with your project.Cheers Neil

[weaver 271]

Here's a few questions of mine.Does your study involve the whole MDB or just South australia?How many cod do you think there is in the Murray?Do you think they are seriously endangered?

I decided to to confine my study just to the lower parts of the river. I am undecided whether or not on the exact limit but I am considering just the section of river between the Murray mouth up to the first Loch 1 at Blanchetown or extend it further upstream towards the border. Obviously the smaller area' date=' the easier it is to cover the topic in more detail under the word count.I honestly wouldn't have a clue as to a particular number of fish' date=' I'm only in the early stages of my research. No, not seriously endangered. I think the situation was looking pretty bad a few years from what I've heard, but now the increased flows (as has been mentioned) is improving breeding conditions and protection should mean improving conditions for Cod. I have always thought that unless there is some kind of significant environmental disaster that the authorities would always be ready to take drastic action to save the species, and if the authorities didn't some kind of environmental group would form to save them. I think they are still facing threats and are requiring some sort of protection but nothing that cannot be achieved with a little bit of effort.[/quote'']Mouth to lock one is a whole different ball game and only time will tell how the recent flows have helped.

[spog777 1]

Mango i was looking at the enviromental impact rather than predatorial one. 40 years ago we were fishing the murray and it was full of reddies and cod-which were in turn full of reddies. We caught monster cod back then and the decline mainly started to show once carp settled in. ergo i think reddies are only a minor pest and not the major problem for river species

[sbarnden 397]

Mango i was looking at the enviromental impact rather than predatorial one. 40 years ago we were fishing the murray and it was full of reddies and cod-which were in turn full of reddies. We caught monster cod back then and the decline mainly started to show once carp settled in. ergo i think reddies are only a minor pest and not the major problem for river species

Carp are a direct correlation but not necessarily a direct causation though. Lot of people misunderstand correlation and causation.Carp do well in rivers when there is low flow, few snags, high algae growth and plenty of mud.Murray cod do well in rivers where there is sustained periods of high flow, lots of snags and low algae growth and mud.Since the river has been managed flow levels have dropped massively, snags have been all but eliminated, farming practices has drastically increased the silt load and algae growth (and carp play a role in re-suspending sediments but its nowhere near as much as what a lot of people believe) coupled with the fishing practices that have only recently (relative to a Cod's lifespan) been stopped that decimated their numbers.Given the La Nina event we just had and associated flooding, the re-snagging efforts that are going on in the river and the introduction of more fish ladders and natural water flows I think we can expect to see a decrease in carp numbers, a comeback of many native species and hopefully a lot more cod.

[red_devil94 4]

Lost internet access for a week, so thats why I have'nt returned to the discussion recently. A lot of good points have been brought up and debated and your opinions will be extremely useful to me, even if you didn't realise it. I have discovered alot the murray and the fish it contains in the last few weeks through research and this forum.I used to think Cod were on the brink of critical endangerment and that Carp were a hugely massive problem in this. Mainly because of you guys I now think differently and I am very greatful for your help and enlightenment

[Piranha 76]

Although cod are in good numbers now I believe their not out of trouble, from what iv'e seen their size class is the biggest issue, the majority of cod in the lower locks are metre plus fish which require optimal conditions for spawning, those conditions havent been around for well over 10 years but thankfully this year conditions have been excellent for spawning of all natives.I think the reasons for the size class issue is a combination of poor flow caused by lack of rain and on a lesser note river flow regulation, that combined with lax fisheries regulation (size limits) of the species over the last 10 years.lets hope we get some good recruitment this year good luck with your project Red Devil