Five years after being rescued from the drought-ravaged Macquarie-Wambuul River, and cared for in the NSW Government’s Narrandera Fisheries Centre native fish hatchery, 18 large and mature Murray Cod were returned to their home waters last week.

The Warren Star was present for the release of some of the rescued fish at the boat ramp at Bob Christensen Reserve on Thursday, March 27.

Of the 250 fish originally rescued from the river in November 2019, 25 Murray Cod and 35 Golden Perch were taken back to the Narrandera hatchery. The remaining fish were either provided to other hatcheries for their broodstock programs, or relocated to safer sections of the river.

Over the past five years, these 60 broodstock have produced more than one million Murray Cod fingerlings as part of the NSW Government’s native fish stocking program. More than 250,000 fingerlings have since been released at various sites along the Macquarie-Wambuul River, including Wellington, Dubbo, Narromine, Trangie, and Warren.

The Murray Cod broodstock, some more than a metre long and weighing up to 15kgs, have now been returned to the rescue area, with hopes they continue to add to wild spawning events. They are considered the state’s largest freshwater sportfish, according to Minister for Agriculture and Regional NSW, Tara Moriarty.

Return of fish stock to Country

Just as the original rescue effort in 2019 was made possible through extensive collaboration between government and the various communities along the Macquarie-Wambuul River, some of those originally involved in the Warren rescue efforts gathered to celebrate the “Return to Country” of the rescued fish locally last week.

Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development (DPIRD) Fisheries staff joined representatives from the Gunningbar Creek Fishing Club for the release at Bob Christensen Reserve.

“There were lots of passionate people who helped rescue these fish in the first place,” explained Lachie Jess from Narrandera Fisheries Centre hatchery.

“These fish were stuck at the tail end of the Macquarie in very low water with low oxygen. They were stressed,” Lachie said.

“They’re [now] back where they came from, where they were born and bred, and they can live out their lives happily in the river,” he added.

“For us to be trusted with these fish and to use them in such important breeding programs is very rewarding for us and especially rewarding to be able to remove them and get them back to where they came from in such good condition,” he added.

Guy Arrows from the Gunningbar Creek Fishing Club described the returning Murray Cod as having been “on a really good wicket” at the Narrandera hatchery, and appeared to have “put on some chub” during their stay.

Local efforts acknowledged

In the initial rescue effort in 2019, DPIRD Fisheries staff had collaborated with traditional owners, local landholders, recreational fishers, and volunteers from Inland Waterways OzFish and the Sofala Central Acclimatisation Society to source fish from different parts of the struggling drought-stricken waterway.

Gunningbar Creek Fishing Club members were involved in those efforts. Club members Tom Saunders and Guy Arrows acknowledged the efforts of “a few special locals” for their actions in supporting the Fisheries’ rescue mission.

“[They] walked this river and found the holes these fish were in. It took them months, so it wasn’t a short process,” Guy explained.

Recalling the very stark drought conditions at the time, which he described as “horrendous”, the Macquarie-Wambuul was severely impacted, he said.

“At that time, there wasn’t a blade of grass [and] you could see from one side of the river to the other without [any water] in between. Just sticks and dirt. No animals,” he said.

“It was really sad in 2019 to see some fish dying, and it was good to have the community back on board and doing heaps to get this [rescue] happening.

“We did three fish rescues, saved hundreds of fish, turtles, mussels and a lot of other things in the environment that needed rescuing,” Guy added.

Five years on, conditions are totally different now in the river, allowing the safe release of the returned fish to their original marine environment.

“With better river management, we might be able to avoid [having to do this again] in the future,” he concluded.

Fantastic results

Dubbo realtor and long-time fishing enthusiast, Matt Hansen, was unable to attend the Warren release in person last week due to illness.

A member of NSW Recreational Fishing Advisory Council and the Ministerial Fisheries Advisory Council, Matt applauded the work undertaken during and since the drought to save the fish stock and replenish the recovering river.

"The fish rescues back in 2019 achieved fantastic results in helping save these iconic native fish from the impacts of an intense drought,” he said.

“To see these fish returned back to their home waters marks the culmination of an outstanding collaboration between local fishos and DPIRD Fisheries,” he added.

“Knowing that these fish produced literally millions of juveniles during their time at Narrandera hatchery – with the juveniles being stocked back into the river in recent years – makes all the work we did back in the drought even more significant.

“I hope the returned rescued fish will continue to contribute to stocks in the Macquarie River for many years to come."

Minister Moriarty was equally impressed with her department’s efforts in assisting locals with the fish rescue.

“The NSW Government is pleased to be able to return these rescued native fish back to their home waters in the State’s Central West – a great example of the government working with local communities to deliver results for inland fisheries,” she said.

“The DPIRD Native Fish Stocking Program plays a vital role in not only improving recreational fishing opportunities but also delivers conservation outcomes, employment and subsequent economic benefits that have grown in response to the activity over many years,” the minister concluded.