Family life]]> Aboriginal culture]]> Ecological sustainability]]> Traditional ecological knowledge]]> Diet]]> Fishing nets]]> Fishes--Breeding]]> Introduced fishes]]> Droughts]]> Weirs]]> Environmental flows]]> Physical characteristics (Animals)]]> Intensive farming]]> Fishing--Australia]]> Connection to Country]]>
Richard is a Ngiyampaa Aboriginal man residing in Wodonga, Victoria. Born in 1959, Richard grew up on the Lachlan River in central New South Wales with his family and currently works with the Catchment Management Authority (CMA) in the Wodonga area.

In this document, Richard discusses the changes he has observed in native and introduced fish species in the Lachlan River, and illegal fishing activities. He reflects on family life with his mob, growing up, his culture, diet, changes in water flows and levels, conservation practices, and sustainable ecological management.]]>
Lachlan River, NSW [stream]]]> Euabalong, NSW [populated place]]]> Condobolin, NSW [populated place]]]> Lake Cargelligo, NSW [lake]]]> Booberoi Creek, NSW [stream]]]> Wyangala Dam, NSW [dam]]]> Lake Cowal, NSW [lake]]]> Murrin Bridge, NSW [section of populated place]]]>
Fishes--Identification]]> Fish hatcheries]]> Fieldwork]]> Fishing nets]]> Camping]]> Diet]]> Fishes--Diseases]]> Fish traps]]> Captive breeding]]> Fishes--Breeding]]> Fishes--Migration]]> Billabongs]]> Floods]]> Fisheries]]> Physical characteristics (Animals)]]> Fishes--Monitoring]]> Scientific methods]]>
Born in 1926, Raymond Donald was a technician at the Snobs Creek Hatchery for thirty-five years. During fieldwork trips, which could last for several weeks, not only did Raymond set nets, angle for brood stock, and process fish, but he also ensured camp life on trips went well. Renowned as a great camp cook, teams would catch game to supplement the provisions they carried with them.

Raymond talks about: growing up in Eildon and living at Rhonda on the Goulburn River; working on the Goulburn River from the headwaters to the Murray; working on Trout Cod at Snobs Creek Hatchery; finding diseases in fish species; stations at Yarrawonga, Echuca, Mildura, where they trapped fish; being the first in Australia to artificially breed Macquarie Perch; migration of fish from Lake Eildon to Jamieson, Goulburn; water temperatures and spawning; plankton surveys in billabongs and flooded rivers; days before radio transmitters, tagging and tracking over twelve-hundred Golden Perch; the effect of 1956 and 1958 floods on fish species; camping and cooking bush tucker on field trips; translocating Murray cod from Lake Charlegrark; impact of European Carp on Catfish, 1970s.

Born 1947, John McKenzie initially worked at Fisheries and Wildlife, and then Freshwater Fisheries on the Murray. He was involved in early development of radio tracking, and was involved in fieldwork with Snobs Creek Hatchery.

John talks about: his work with Fisheries and Wildlife, and Freshwater Fisheries on the Murray; sampling fish for growth rates, age, stomach content; tagging and tracking native fish with radio transmitters; work with Arthur Rylah Institute; techniques and chemicals used to catch/sample fish; coexistence of Redfin and Catfish species; disconnection of billabongs from rivers; and electrofishing revolutionising sampling.

Other fish mentioned (species unspecified): galaxias, grayling.
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Fishing--Australia]]> Water quality]]> Restoration ecology]]> Stream restoration]]> Riparian restoration]]> Introduced fishes]]> Fishes--Breeding]]> Floods]]> Fishes--Diseases]]> Fish surveys]]>
Dwayne talks about fishing with his family; tagging fish; the influence of water colour on fish colour; fish parasites; his two boats; electric motors; and his dislike of nets. He says the water takes two years to clear after a flush and mentions that lure fishing is at its best when it does. He discusses the river ecosystem; bank stabilisation; re-snagging programs; the impact of Carp; carp musters and changing attitudes towards angling (catch and release). He also talks about flooding and fish breeding habits; yabbying on the Warrego River; and mentions storing yabbies with gum leaves and sighting black Yellowbellies at a place called Black Rocks.

Mentions Darling River Weir 19A (30°13'55.0"S 145°41'49.0"E; MDBA Site ID 425037; "19-mile weir"), Ford's Bridge (NSW, -29.753215, 145.430510), Warren Reservoir (SA), Bourke Weir (-30.086914, 145.894400), Bree Weir, Black Rocks

Mention of garden worms, white sea eagles, emu, king brown snakes, carpet snakes, red belly black snakes, water lillies, gums, algae and Dace Cordina of the Cathment Management Authority ]]>
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Bushfires]]> Fishing--Australia]]> Fish populations]]> Fish stocking ]]> Fish kills]]> Fishes--Breeding]]> River engineering]]> Stream restoration]]> Fish habitat improvement]]> Water quality]]> Restoration ecology]]> Fishes--Diseases]]>
Darren has worked in the Murrumbidgee Corridor since 1988.He talks about the Murrumbidgee Rivers historical fame as a Trout Cod fishery and discusses the practice of restocking fish. He describes the decline of Trout populations, recalling a large die-off event along the Murrumbidgee, Lower Cotter and Paddy's Rivers in 1998. He also talks about Trout Cod breeding in marginal conditions.

He discusses his efforts to restore and sustain river habitats and ecosystems with the ACT Parks and Conservation Service, and National Heritage Trust (NHT). Initiatives to restore resilience to the river system included the Million Trees Program, Willow poisoning, and the construction of groynes, rock deflectors and debris clusters.

Darren also discusses the 2003 Canberra Fires, variance in water quality and some of the differences between managing mountain stream systems and flood plain systems.

Mention of Atlantic Salmon, Galaxids, Plague minnows (Gambusia holbrooki)

Mention of Fishing Act 2000 (ACT), Australian Capital Territory Parks and Conservation Service, National Heritage Trust (NHT)

Mention of Pobblebonks (Eastern Banjo Frog), Alpine Litoria lesueuri Rocky River Frogs, broad-palmed frog (Litoria latopalmata), Platypus, EHN Virus, simazine (chemical), Groynes, rock deflectors, electro fishing, Willow, phragmities, blackberries, briars, casuarinas, manna gum, cumbungi, typha, blackwoord, Red Stem Wattle, Muellerina bidwillii, Microcystis and anabaena, and spirogyra algae
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Fish populations]]> Fishes--Migration]]> Fishes--Breeding]]> Fishes--Speciation]]> Fish stocking]]> Fish kills]]> Fishes--Diseases]]> Lure fishing]]> Bait fishing]]> Fishing--Australia]]> Fishing industry]]>
Brian came to the Murrumbidgee in 1965. He talks about seasonal variations in the prevalence of fish, and their breeding and migration habits. He remarks on regional variations within species and cross-breeding (e.g. how the Clarence River Cod differs from the "Fitzroy Cod"). He discusses the annual mass death of Silver Perch and Murray Cod, speculating that its cause is a pathogenic. He also speaks about population decline, and weighing the social and ecological consequences of translocating and re-stocking fish. He offers a strong endorsement of the Native Fish Strategy and talks about his efforts to advocate for native fish in the media.

He shares his knowledge of lures; their colour, size and patterning, as well as other ways that their design replicates nature. He also talks about bait; what it's used for, where it comes from, and how it's collected.

Mention of Fitzroy Cod, Brook Trout, Atlantic Salmon, Nile Perch, Barrumundi, Midget Barrumundi, mussels, scrub worms, bardy grub, witchetty grub, wood grub (variant?), yabby, squid, pilchards, prawn, beach worms, abalone, EHN Virus, pathogens, Lernaea (parasite)

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Local history]]> Family histories]]> Environmental flows]]> Livestock]]> Traditional ecological knowledge]]> Floods]]> Fishes--Breeding]]> Blackwater]]> Siltation]]> Fish stocking]]> Artesian basins--Australia]]> Introduced fishes]]> Plants--Identification]]> Fishes--Identification]]> Irrigation]]>
First interview with Ron Heinemann, in three parts.

Ron Heinemann was born in 1922, and grew up on a sheep property in Springvale, west of Eulo, on the Paroo River. Ron’s parents moved to the area in the 1920s. He was taught to fish by his mother and cousins’ family.

Ron Heinemann talks about: 1942 and 1964 floods; Aboriginal knowledge of vegetation and floods; a black flood in 1935 which killed fish in the local water holes; how fish spawn before they die (before a flood); kangaroo and emu shooting; the 'diaries of Caiwarro Currawinyahere', written 1860-1950s, from a sheep and cattle property; siltation in Warrego River; restocking Warrego River with Murray Cod fingerlings in 1985; artesian water and basin; introduction of European Carp 1950s (originally brought to clean irrigation channels); bird life.

Mentions 'grunter' fish, however species unspecified. Also mention of: Cane grass, Mitchell grass, Flinders grass, Yapunyah tree, Hyacinth, Duck weed, Didgee tree, Lucerne.]]>

Ron Gardiner, the cousin of Ron Heinemann, was born in 1918 in Cunnamulla. Ron learned to swim in the Paroo River. In 1980 Ron moved from Paroo to Clifton, on the Condamine River.

Ron Gardiner talks about: history of the Eulo bridge, built in 1928; history of families and people in the area; abundance of Yellowbelly fish at Caiwarro; black flood at Five Mile hole; abundance of crayfish yabby and shrimp post-flood; saving sheep stock; two times the Paroo River reached the Darling; how vegetation requires rain to survive after a flood to remove silt; salty and freshwater bores; mud springs in Eulo; introduction of European Carp; concerns about irrigation; the relationship between the Warrego and Paroo Rivers.]]>
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Floods]]> Siltation]]> Riparian restoration]]> Fish stocking]]> Camping]]> Irrigation]]> Introduced fishes]]> Lure fishing]]> Bait fishing]]> Family life]]> Weeds]]> Billabongs]]> Fishes--Breeding]]> Tournament fishing]]> Fishes--Identification]]>
In the interview, Jason covers the changes in the river including silting, the declining frequency of floods, his work in land care and regeneration with the Catchment Management Authority (CMA), the fishing techniques he employs, occurrences of illegal fishing and the continually changing laws, issues with Carp, and the interesting prevalence of Cod over Yellowbelly. He also discusses: the impact of irrigation on water levels, fish migration and breeding; translocating Catfish into dams and the hardiness of the species; a 'red carp' and 'mirror carp' species, the latter with large scales.]]>
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Wetlands]]> Fishes--Breeding]]> Fisheries]]> Communities]]> Fieldwork]]> Environmental flows]]> Water temperature]]>
Born in 1960, John grew up in Melbourne, visiting with extended family around the Mildura area. He worked at Snobs Creek as a technician, becoming an expert in breeding Murray Cod. When the research side of Snobs Creek was relocated he took a job with Fisheries Department of Primary Industries to stay in the Alexandra area. He discusses in depth cultural changes in fishing and recreational activities from his perspective as a field naturalist.

John talks about: memories growing up fishing; fishing techniques; changes in fish species around Myall and Mildura; fishing techniques; types of bait; changes in the Murray’s flows and depths; changes in Murray Cod numbers; his work with Fisheries; environmental flows; de-snagging at Hume; anabranches between Hume and Mulwala; changes in water temperature; bush tucker. Mention of Bardi grub, turtle, platypus.
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Fishes--Identification]]> Plants--Identification]]> Fishes--Breeding]]> Endangered species]]> Fish stocking]]> Droughts]]> Captive breeding]]> Environmental flows]]>
Todd, a landholder in the Murray Bridge area, breeds a variety of flatheaded gudgeon fish species in tanks in his garage, including the endangered Purple Spotted gudgeon. Todd’s broodstock facility includes twenty-five Southern Purple Spotted gudgeons, the last known population in the southern half of the Murray-Darling Basin – removed from a wetland during the 2007 drought. Similar facilities exist in Adelaide, and at a few Adelaide schools.

Todd talks about captive breeding programs; the types of stresses fish suffer; the lifecycle of fish kept at the facility; various methods to ensure fish survival in wild; theories behind their decline; water plant species.

Other fish species mentioned: Midgley's gudgeon.]]>
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Fishes--Identification]]> Fishing boats]]> Fishing regulations]]> Licenses]]> Water--Law and legislation]]> Fishing nets]]> Family histories]]> Family life]]> Irrigation]]> Water quality]]> Dams]]> Weirs]]> Fishes--Migration]]> Salinity]]> Fishes--Breeding]]> Floodplains]]> Fishing industry]]> Environmental flows]]>
Born in 1942, John held a commercial licence between 1956 and 1997. He discusses his family history in commercial fishing since 1918, three generations. His grandfather was also a boat maker. He tells the story of how ‘Squabbily Creek’ at Murtho Forest came to be named by his father Raymond Charles ‘John’ Aston. In those days, buying a fishing reach meant buying good will, not the water. John talks extensively about professional fishing as a family business, and gives a sense of the long hours of labour the whole family put into making fishing nets and boats. Professional fishing has an important memory status amongst people who live along the river.

John talks about: fishing licenses, and the licence system introduced in 1922; fishing equipment; fishing practices, since 1920s; changes in fishing materials and the introduction of synthetics, 1960s; changes in water levels from irrigation; impact of Dartmouth Dam on River Murray flow; Hume Dam levels; flows from the Darling; water colour and clarity; three distinct water colours (in the Murray, Lachlan/Murrumbidgee, Darling); changes to water levels with the building of weirs and locks, late 1920s; objects he has found in the guts of Murray Cod; 1956 flood; 1992 flood – ‘a complete change of fish’; Chowilla Floodplain, 1991-1993; movement of wildlife in floods; salt from irrigation. (Mention of 'bream' fish, unspecified).
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