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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: Fiona.Dyer@canberra.edu.au

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.