HISTORY OF THE MURRAY COD

Many of us who are lucky enough to fish the Murray-Darling Basin do have a rather open passion for Australia's largest freshwater fish, the Murray Cod. I grew up in the western suburbs of Melbourne and didn't really get exposed to fishing and camping on the many magnificent waterways along the Murray-Darling Basin until I was a young adult. I remember vividly the first time I saw a Murray Cod, this magnificent fish was big, well big in my mind and I was amazed and marvelled at it's ability to grow to such a huge size. And what even amazed me more is that they actually can be found in the rivers and lakes of the Murray-Darling basin. Surely a fish of this size could only be found in the open sea's of some tropical fisherman's paradise, or that must have been my initial thoughts as a naive city boy learning how to survive a long week-end on the banks of the Murray river. The stories told by the old timers that shared our camps and the old photo's in the history books had enticed me into learning more about this so called "Legend" of the Murray and the more I delved into it's history, habitat and folklore the more I was hooked. The Murray Cod is the dominant predator in this river system and to think over 200 yrs ago before European settlement this fish was in such large numbers and of such great sizes it would have been impossible to imagine the plight we find the Murray Cod and all of our native fish species in today. I often think back to what it would have been like to be out casting into the snags 200 yrs ago, you couldn't imagine what it would be like, there would be any number of large 50lb plus Murray Cod just laying in wait for an easy feed or ready to hassle the next intruder into his domain. At a guess I'd reckon if the fishing would have been that good and the early settlers had the use of the same gear we had these days I'd reckon lure fishing would be outlawed, heaven forbid. But alas, tis all nothing but a pipe dream and in reality we who are the settlers of this fine country have a responsibility to try and undo some of the things our community before us has done to diminish such a majestic river system, the Murray-Darling Basin.

Sadly since European settlement the Murray Cod population of old has diminished and even disappeared in some parts of the river system and will seemingly never re-emerge to the great numbers and sizes it once used to have. The causes or reasons as to why the Murray Cod have reduced in numbers are wide and varied and in my honest opinion there is not one single issue that we can blame. The initial pressures placed on the Murray Cod populations would have been from an uncontrolled commercial fishing industry initially in the late 1800's and into the early 1900's as thousands of tonnes of Murray Cod were netted and harvested every year for the markets in Sydney, Melbourne, Adelaide and other main regional districts in south eastern Australia. One thing we as a country did not do well in our first one hundred years or so was to learn how to conserve and sustain our natural resources. And, as the colonies grew larger and agriculture settled further out away from the main settlements a huge demand for water was emerging with a need to provide a seemingly unlimited supply of water to area's that needed it to propagate pastures and fields. Over the time of European settlement a massive network of irrigation channels, river barriers and water impoundments were constructed to enable water to be re-directed or kept in storage for the purpose of farming and town water supply and with this came diabolical environmental problems like salinity, interrupted natural water flow and seasonal flooding restrictions and a massive cooling of the natural water temperatures due to the construction of deep dams. This has caused massive impacts on the land and to the river system and has many government authorities and departments working on ways to alleviate these problems of massive proportions. With the increase in population which was made up from mainly European origins came introduced species of fish for sport and for the table which in hindsight has added further pressure to the Murray-Darling Basin's environmental problems. Introduced fish species like European Carp, Trout, English Perch and mosquito fish have further added to the problems compounding the natural health of the Murray-Darling Basins eco-system. The introduced species although not a direct threat to the Murray Cod sure has made short work of the many native fish species in the cooler and southern higher reaches of the Murray-Darling Basin but none the less is still a villain in the degradation of this river system. The European Carp however is a much more sinister villian and is widespread in just about all waterways in the south eastern parts of mainland Australia. European Carp have found our waterways to be ideal to proliferate its species and breeds in enormous numbers. Their feeding habits cause many waterways to muddy up as they feed and remove vital vegetation from the bottom of the waterways and further add to erosion and water quality. Due to the immense numbers of Carp in our waterways the competition for food and existence is felt by all other creatures that rely on our waterways for survival.

All is not lost however as we, as a very young nation are starting to realise the wrongs of our past and are showing more commitment to finding solutions to these environmental problems, but sadly, I am a realist and common sense tells me that we will never see again the great numbers that the Murray Cod that were once found in the Murray-Darling Basin. The many restocking programs that are restocking large numbers of fish back in to the Murray-Darling Basin are making some inroads into the growing populations but this is not the be all and end all solution to the plight of the Murray Cod. The problems that are being encountered with re-stocking programs are with the bio-diversity and the diminishing gene pool of the Murray Cod which can have a negative effect on its populations with too many fish released into the river system with the same genetic make-up. Hopefully with extra funding being used to help restore our river our hatcheries can get more breeders to keep the gene pool diversified.

We will always have the problem of man made obstacles in our waterways which hinder upstream migration, large dams that hold back natural flooding and release mega litres of cold water in the warmer times of the year. The biggest positive to come along out of all this is finally we are seeing the Government putting in millions of dollars into programs and research like "The Native Fish Strategy" which is being managed by the Murray Darling Basin Commission and are ensuring all barriers along the MDB get fish ways put in them, re-snagging and many more worthwhile projects that hopefully will dramatically improve our freshwater native flora and fauna of the MDB. Then there is the added pressures of exotic or noxious fish like the European Carp that have found our waterways as home and breed readily in their hundreds of thousands. There is allot of work to be done in all these area's and no solution will be found quickly if ever, but we as individuals have the power in our hands to help change things around and make a difference.

Some of the the easiest ways to help the Murray Cod would be to start to understand the reasons for catch & release fishing practices. C&R is not as popular as it should be but there is a trend starting to emerge with many people starting to acknowledge its benefits and the feeling it can give when you catch one of these majestic creatures, take a photo and then release back into the water to fight another day. I personally can not forget and have a vivid image printed in my mind the first time my son hooked up to a 20lb plus Murray Cod on the Murray River at Barmah forest. We were camped with many friends and my son just happened to be casting from the boat that was tied off in front of the camp when he cried out, "I'm on Dad". To my amazement and to the rest of my fellow campers all stood up and rushed the bank to watch. There were all sorts of advice being thrown my son's way from we adults who have not had much fish action in the few days we were there, so we were all keen to see this one be brought in. After a little struggle my son managed to get the fish close to the bank and I jumped knee high in the water and gently picked it up and passed it to my son who was now screaming at me to get the camera. I took a few snaps of one of the happiest boys in the world and then without any words being spoken he calmly stepped out of the boat and walk into the shallows and nursed it back into the water slowly moving it back and forth until the Murray Cod realized it was allowed to swim off with a couple big swipes of his tail. There was great uproar from many of my "Adult" friends in camp that were shocked to see this big fish being allowed back in the water and couldn't understand why. I reckon my young fella gave the adults a lesson they all could learn from and this showed me what unique moments you can have when you come face to face with the "Legendary" Murray Cod and I will cherish that moment forever.

Catch & release is a great way to show you have a great respect for your sport and environment but this does not mean that if you keep a legal size Murray Cod you don't do the same. I know many C&R fisho's who do keep the odd one and some only C&R Murray Cod and keep other fish like Golden Perch. It's purely a "personal choice" thing and I do not believe C&R practices should be forced on to people as this will only delay our cause. I proudly promote C&R as an option and speak of it's benefits. If a Murray Cod is to be kept ensure it's of legal size and complies to the state's fishing regulations. Another popular belief that is becoming fashionable is to set yourself your own personal "slot size limit", that is to say that you choose to only keep Murray Cod that are between the size of 50cm to 60cm only and this will further help the larger Murray Cod and give them a chance to continue on breeding. The other reason for keeping fish this size is mainly due to the fact that above this size they are not very good food for the table as they are too fatty and this does ruin the taste even once the fat is taken off prior to cooking. If you do take you catch home try and keep your table fish (Murray Cod) between 50cm & 60cm and you will have a good quality and a very nice presentation to offer the family. The same approach should be taken with Golden perch and you will not only have a good meal but will give the larger fish a chance to keep the ongoing breeding cycle. If some or all of these suggestions are taken on board as a personal set of rules you will be doing a great deal in enhancing the sustainability of future native fish populations. Remember, it's all a personal choice thing and something that the individual needs to decide for themselves. I think one of the best pieces of advice that can be passed on is what a good friend of mine always told me. He said, "never feel guilty of fishing within the states fishing regulations and always be honest to your self and be confident that you are part of the solution and not the problem." These are words that keep coming back to me when I think of the future of recreational fishing. One way of being part of the solution is to do something positive toward sustainable fishing, i.e. C&R, self imposed "slot size limits", get involved with organisations that add benefit to fishing, donate time/money or teach a junior on the aspects of sustainable fishing.

To wrap this section up and to give a final word I hope we all can learn and start thinking differently with conservation of our native fish stocks, we can all make a difference and all work towards the same goals. In the end we all would be securing a future for our siblings and ensuring a sustainable fishery that is to be enjoyed, cared for and above all not fished to extinction. Australian's value their recreation and therefore I am confident we can all work together and help "Revive a Legend".

Farewell Freshwater Pros

A small article from the Institute Of Freshwater Anglers spring/summer 2001 "Freshwater Fisher" newsletter

contributed by Terry Maloney, South West Anglers Assoc.

August 31st 2001 brought down the curtain on the Commercial take of native fin fish from NSW rivers and streams. This brought an end to many years of lobbying and negotiation, and many conflicts between the Pro's and the recreational fisher. This end has been made possible by the funds allocated from the Freshwater Licence Trust.

While most recreational fishers were probably dancing in the streets on September 1st, perhaps we should take time to remember the this commercial fishery has a history dating back 150 some years and has contributed in many was to the history of the inland history of NSW.

The explorer Charles Sturt was perhaps the first European to notice the abundance of fish in the Murray region. In 1838, in what is known now as the Millewa forest, he saw a group of Aboriginals that in his words were "fishing with astonishing success". In 1855 Joseph Rice a failed miner from Bendigo, established what is to be believed to be the first commercial inland fishery in Australia at the Moira lakes on the Murray River. Fisherman initially formed a co-operative known as the Lake Moira Fishing Company; it the Murray River Fishing Company by the early 1860's.

Rice had first settled in the area in 1853 and at first was concerned about the local conflict with the local Aborigines, but soon formed a relationship with them and then exploited the skill of the native fisherman. A number were employed by the Co-op, but having little use for money were often rewarded with alcohol. this practice landed him in hot water with the Melbourne and Albury press, and also a magistrate at Deniliquin. However Rice survived and he and his family operated the Co-op for over 50 years.

Rice's weir on the Broken Creek is named in his honor.

Fishing became a profitable exercise, with Cod making a shilling a pound, it was estimated that by 1862 the company was grossing up to 10,000 pounds ($20,000) per year. By 1864 fisherman were looking at the live trade of fish and as an example sent 150 Murray Cod and 50 Golden Perch to the Melbourne Acclimatisation Society for shipment to England and also to Tasmania. History shows that the exercise was not all that successful. Up to the mid 1860's most of the fishing occurred in the Moira Lakes and the Murray river from Picnic Point to Barmah. By 1869 the company was buying from independents and the annual catch was pushing up towards 160 tonnes of fish. This equates to some 32,000 fish a 5kg (11lb) each.

However the fishery could not sustain this pressure and by the early 1890's this had reduced to 35 tonnes, Golden Perch also replaced the Murray Cod as the most plentiful. Melbourne, Bendigo and the local trade at Echuca purchased most of the catch, however the ability to transport the fish without refrigeration was a bigger problem than the availability of fish.

In 1880 a Royal Commission inquired into the fishery in NSW, however the inland fishery was not considered all the important. Provisions were however made for the establishment of Fisheries Inspectors. Deniliquin Council annoyed by the delays, pushed the Fisheries Commission and Osbourne Wiltshire (about 1883) and then John Manton (1888) were appointed as Assistant Fisheries Inspectors. They were also forest Rangers, but could possibly be considered the first of the Inland Inspectors.

The early 1900's saw the first serious attempts to study native fish and interstate conferences between 1900 and 1936 saw the adoption of the absolute closure on the taking of Murray Cod for Sep/Oct/Nov by professionals to protect spawning stock. Statistics 1883-1938 suggested that catch levels were declining, however these were not considered alarming. As early as 1938 speculation was that there was a connection between declining fishstocks and river regulation.

Commercial catch data suggests that the distribution of most native fish species have declined since the 1930's until a noticeable increase in Murray cod over the past year or so. This combined with the ability of fish farms to supply the market place has seen the final curtain fall on a colourful century and a half of commercial fishing in the inland of NSW.

Information from; Moira Lake - A case study of the deterioration of a River Murray resource, D.J.Leslie NSW Inland Commercial Fishery Newsletter. With special thanks to Howie Davison (Inland commercial fisherman).

Article contributed by Terry Maloney, South West Anglers Assoc.