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Native Fish Australia are an independent volunteer organization that cares for the long term existence of healthy native fish stocks and their environments. They operate solely from funding by membership subscriptions and donations by organizations or individuals. If you would like to obtain more information click on the link above. |
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Below is an article that was printed in the November 2003 edition of the Native Fish Australia and gives a great insight on how perhaps the Murray Cod that is indigenous to the Murray-Darling basin was stocked into the Yarra river in Melbourne, Victoria. |
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How Murray cod and Macquarie perch were possibly first introduced into the Yarra River system The following article is extract of a presentation to the Royal Society of Victoria 1857. Art VII-On the Murray River Cod, with particulars of experiments instituted for introducing this fish into the river Yarra-Yarra by Edward Wilson, Esq. (Read before the Philosophical Institute 8th April 1857) If any of those I now address will take boat at Princes Bridge, and pull up as far as the river is navigable, they will observe on most fine days, but particularly in the morning and evening, and on holidays, an almost continuous line of anglers, of all sorts, sizes, and conditions of men. The only fish these sportsmen catch consist, I believe, of a few herrings and black fish, with an occasional eel. The idea has often struck me that it is a great pity that they have not better game, and that the man would do them a great kindness, and not only them, but the countless generations who will come after them, who would put a better prey within their reach than a herring of a few inches long, or a black fish, which rarely reaches a size constituting it properly presentable at table. My thoughts naturally turned immediately upon the Murray River Cod, a fish which grows to an enormous size, is very delicate, palatable, and wholesome; but. which, from some unknown reason, is only found in those waters which flow towards the north or west; never in those flowing to the south or east. 1 could see no reason why this natural law should be irrevocable, and 1 have for a very long time desired to try the experiment whether this valuable fish would not live and thrive as well in the Yarra, as in any of the waters in which it has been so mysteriously placed. For a considerable time 1 was at a loss how to proceed. My first idea was to get them down by some rapid conveyance from the nearest point of the Loddon or Campaspe, in both which rivers they abound. But 1 did not feel justified in incurring a very heavy expense, and 1 also distrusted the length of the journey, and the probable exhaustion of the water in which it was necessary that they should be conveyed. By degrees 1 came to the conclusion that the best plan would be to trace up the tributaries of the Yarra and Murray respectively to the highest point at which those tributaries could be found united by a practicable road, and to leave to the fish themselves the duty of finding their way down to the larger stream. The King Parrot Creek, in which the fish is readily caught, and which discharges itself into the Goulburn just above Seymour, and the Plenty River which runs into the Yarra above Heidelberg, seemed to me the most suitable for the purpose, provided the road across the ranges were available for a light cart. On a recent visit to Yan Yean, 1 broached the subject to Mr. Sherwin, one of the oldest settlers in that neighbourhood, and got some very valuable information from him. And here 1 must gratefully acknowledge the services of that gentleman throughout the prosecution of my experiment. From the day 1 first mentioned it, Mr. Sherwin has entered into it with the greatest enthusiasm, has warmly cooperated with me in every way, and, residing near the immediate scene of action, has been able to render me invaluable assistance, Mr. Mc Lellan, too, a settler on the banks of the King Parrot has lent me very important aid. 1 found that there was a very passable road between the streams, of not more than seventeen or eighteen miles, and 1 immediately sent up an expedition to test the experiment fairly. That expedition was of a very modest character, consisting of a couple of men, a horse and spring-cart, with tent, water-tight box, rations, and fishing tackle-almost ludicrously inexpensive as compared with the object which 1 aimed, or as the result of combined action; although quite sufficiently costly for an individual. 1 mention this as an illustration of the ease with which things are done if we each perform our share of the task, compared with the difficulty in the case of a single individual. After sundry little mishaps, in the way of horse-losing, &c., by which all such experiments are naturally beset, 1 heard from my man, that on the 6th February he had got safely across with nineteen live fish, and had put them into the Plenty, a mile or two above the township of Whittlesea. I immediately wrote off to Mr. Sherwin, asking several questions of some interest to the successful issue of the experiment, and by way of giving you a correct idea of its progress, 1 cannot do better than introduce an occasional extract of the letters received from that gentleman. 1 wrote up to ask particularly whether Mr. Sherwin had himself seen the fish put in the Plenty, whether he was certain they were the true Murray River cod, and whether when put in they swam vigorously away as if lifelike and healthy; or lingered on the surface, as is the case with a weakly diseased, or disabled fish. 1 must remark, here, that 1 asked these questions in no distrust of the man who has had charge of the experiment, for it is but justice to bear my testimony to the great zeal, intelligence, and fidelity he has exhibited throughout. But about experiments like these there should be no room left for any doubt whatever. If, as 1 believe and hope, these fish are to prove the progenitors of countless thousands, which in their own good time will make their way throughout the waters of the Yarra and all its tributaries, the circumstances of their introduction to the streams on this side of the dividing range should be unquestionable. On the 16th February Mr. Sherwin writes me in reply to my questions", 1st whether the fish are actually seen put into the river? Yes; 1 was present and assisted to put them into the river, and a large water-hole through which the river constantly flows. 2ndly. Are they really the Murray cod? Fourteen were Murray cod, and five were bream then 3rdly. When put into the water did they swim vigorously away? The majority of them did. Some appeared sickly, and after watching them a short time, five cod fish and one bream died; indeed, four were all but dead when they arrived. One bream died about four hours after they were put into the river, and three days subsequently 1 found one codfish dead in the hole and one bream in the river. There have, therefore, been seven deaths out of nineteen fish; but 1 am certain no more have died, as 1 have constantly watched both the river and the water-hole without having discovered any more either sick or dead, and 1 think that you have now living in the waters flowing to the south, nine codfish and three bream. "Mr. Sherwin goes onto say”, the latter fish is a facsimile of the fish of the same name so common in the Bay, Saltwater River, and Werribee. From the general appearance of the fish and the number of deaths, 1 was of the opinion that they had been confined too long, and advised George to make shorter trips, even though he brought fewer of them, and to feed the fish by throwing in to his pen some maggoty meat, as some or them appeared to me to be suffering from starvation more than any other cause." After sundry further misadventures from floods and other causes, leading to the loss, at the King Parrot Creek, of a good many fish, Mr. Sherwin writes me again on the 25th February:-" In my fast 1 expressed fears that the zinc box had something in it deleterious to the lives of the fish, and 1 advised certain changes; first, that a cask with a scuttle should be substituted for the cistern; and second, shorter trips by at least three days. I am happy to inform you that these have been salutary changes, as the results show. George arrived here with nine cod and three bream (after an absence of four days), which, the instant they were put into the river, darted off vigorously and disappeared. I have constantly watched the place, both above and below, and have not found any dead. On the 23rd he came down again with another supply of twenty-eight fish, eighteen of which were cod, and ten bream, all strong, vigorous, and in beautiful condition, clean and bright, having the appearance generally of only having just been captured; and when put into the river they darted off instantly and disappeared in the deep water. I have watched constantly since, but have not found any yet either sick or dead. These make a total now of forty-nine fish put into the river since the 6th, all of which 1 believe to be living and doing well. This you may easily conceive 1 looked upon as very good news ~ in fact the success of the experiment. I have little doubt that these would have been sufficient eventually to supply the waters flowing this way. But 1 was too pleased with the ease of the experiment to put a stop to it; and besides this 1 think that in all these attempts, it is very false economy to limit the operation to what may be barely sufficient for the purpose. If we attempt to supplement Nature, we ought to imitate her in one of her most striking attributes - profusion. If the thing be worth doing at all, let us take care to do it well. On the 22nd March, Mr. Sherwin writes, the last batch of fish we put into the Plenty brought the total number up to one hundred and seven, consisting of sixty-six Cod and forty-one Bream, out of which number 1 have an account of only ten deaths, namely, six Cod and four Bream. 1 have every reason to believe that we have at the present moment in the Plenty River sixty Codfish, and thirty-seven Bream, all living and doing well; and 1 think that after the batch that he will bring this evening for the reservoir, he may, as far as the supply to the southern waters is concerned, then close his labours; more particularly as the weather is beginning to break up. 1 said when 1 last had the pleasure of seeing you, that 1 read somewhere that a Codfish spawned 3,000,000 and upwards, and 1 find, on reference to a work 1 have, that a Codfish has been known to produce 3,600,000 eggs, while a Herring, weighing only four or five ounces, spawns from 21,000 to 36,000. If, therefore, only two of our ninety-seven Bream and Cod now living should spawn all right, we shall soon have all the waters flowing southward into the Bay teeming with myriads of the finest, and, for all domestic purposes, perhaps, the most useful fish in the world."
Editors note: All of the above was done by a man who never fished the Yarra and left Australia shortly after this address to the Royal Society.
Now all there is left to do is for any keen native freshwater angler who is lucky enough to be within reach of the Yarra river to head down there and try your luck at finding one of the descendants of these crudely but effectively transported fish from 140 years ago. From reports from trustworthy sources of mine, the best place to fish the Yarra if your looking for MC is around the Westerfold's Park area near Templestowe. (Melways Map ref. 33 D1). Who'd have thought that in the great suburban sprawl that is Melbourne you can fish for the mighty legend of the Murray river, the Murray Cod. GOODOO DREAMING
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