10,000+ Murray Cod Perish in Murray-Darling River

Photo credit: Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development

There’s nothing that angers fishers more than a fish kill. As passionate West Aussie fishers, we have not been immune to fish kills that have resulted in losing large numbers of important recreational species in recent memory.

The most recent kill though, is outside of WA, but should act as a reminder to everyone that appropriate management is required for all of our waterways if we are to avoid what is currently taking place in the Murray-Darling system in Victoria and New South Wales.

Thousands of iconic Murray cod have perished as water levels have dropped to critical levels following water extraction for many uses throughout the system.

Management that provides a balance between competing uses is critical to ensuring environmental flows that sustain our pastime. Although we don’t have river systems as large as the Murray-Darling in WA, the same principle applies to protect our trout, marron and redfin fisheries, which attract tens of thousands of fishers to the south-west region each year.

To learn more about the Murray-Darling fish kill see the following links:

https://www.mdba.gov.au/managing-water/drought-murray-darling-basin/fish-death-events-lower-darling

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2018-12-20/ten-thousand-fish-dead-as-darling-river-water-quality-worsens/10635730

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2019-01-21/murray-darling-fish-kill-independent-report/10730774

Continue Reading

May 30, 2023

Spotting sharks on your sounder to help reduce bite-offs

“The taxman”, “the men in grey suits” or just plain old “bloody sharks.” Whatever you call them, sharks biting off your prized catch as you bring it into the boat can be the bane of many fishers’ fishing trips…

Read More

May 05, 2023

West coast demersal $10m support package – a golden opportunity to support better decisions that cannot be missed

As the dust settles on the new fishing rules for west coast demersals, Recfishwest says the Government has got to get right the way $10 million of public money is spent on supporting the fishery. The Government…

Read More

May 05, 2023

Scott’s south coast gems

The south coast is a delightful part of the world, especially at this time of year. Autumn truly is the time to enjoy everything it has to offer, with the best weather of the year featuring still, warm day days and…

Read More

May 05, 2023

Jurien Bay FADs fire up, bringing great new fishing options to the Mid-West

The sportfishing action in Jurien Bay has cranked up since the deployment of four FADs off the coastline!  It is great to see fishers reap the benefits of catches from FADs across WA, with Recfishwest and local…

Read More

May 04, 2023

A tale of two jetties

All too often, we see prized fishing jetties desperately needing TLC and restoration abandoned, left to rot or demolished as the red tape around who is responsible in managing and maintaining them puts them in the…

Read More

May 04, 2023

Partners playing a huge role in helping us make fishing better in WA

Outside of our core funding contribution from recreational fishing licence fees via DPIRD, a growing range of valued partners are helping us do more for West Aussie fishers in 2023. Without additional support for…

Read More