Flow-MER Fish Larvae

Fish larvae counts from light traps and drift nets collected as part of the Commonwealth Environmental Water Office's (CEWO) Flow-MER program in the Murray-Darling Basin.

Spawning of both native and introduced species was measured by collecting eggs and fish larvae using drift nets and light traps during the known spawning period at five Selected Areas (Edward/Kolety–Wakool River System, Goulburn River, Lachlan River System, Lower Murray River, Murrumbidgee River).

Bongo tow nets, rather than drift nets, were used to sample pelagic fish in the Lower Murray River due to very slow flow velocities.

The CEWO’s Flow-MER program examines the contribution of Commonwealth environmental water to the environmental objectives of the Basin Plan 2012 (Basin Plan) and is assisting the CEWO to demonstrate environmental outcomes and adaptively manage the water holdings. For more information and reporting using these data see https://www.dcceew.gov.au/water/cewo/monitoring/mer-program.

This Flow-MER data set includes and extends the long-term data collected at the same sites during the Long Term Intervention Monitoring (LTIM) project (2014-2019).

Acknowledgement

The Commonwealth Environmental Water Office and Flow-MER program acknowledge the First Nations peoples as the Traditional Owners and Custodians of the lands, waterways and skies of the Murray-Darling Basin. We respect their continuing connection to culture and Country, and we thank them for their knowledge and science and the values reflected in these data.

Citation

CEWO (2024) Fish Fish Larvae. Flow-MER Program. Commonwealth Environmental Water Office, Australian Government Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water. Sourced on from https://data.gov.au/data/dataset/flow-mer-fish-larvae on [date-sourced].