There has been a quiet revolution taking place in a lake near Kerang for the past couple of years, all with the survival of one of Australia’s most endangered fish in mind.   

Since 2014, the North Central Catchment Management Authority (CMA) has been delivering water to the salty Lake Elizabeth to create suitable habitat and conditions for Murray hardyhead, a nationally listed endangered native fish.   

North Central CMA is working with the Department of Environment, Land, Water and Planning, the Victorian Environmental Water Holder, Parks Victoria and Goulburn-Murray Water to improve and monitor Lake Elizabeth and relocate Murray hardyhead to the wetland.   

“There are few populations of this species surviving in the Murray Darling Basin. We are assisting DELWP in their efforts to prevent its extinction in Victoria by providing environmental water to two sites in the catchment,” North Central CMA Environmental Flows Officer Amy Russell said.   

“Once widespread, Murray hardyhead are only found in three locations in the Swan Hill and Kerang areas, including nearby Round Lake, near Lake Boga. In fact, there are less than 10 known populations remaining in the basin, and therefore the world.   

“The Kerang Lakes are diverse and Lake Elizabeth previously supported Murray hardyhead. The lake’s elevated salinity and abundant plant life provides us with an opportunity to create beneficial conditions yet again.”   

The delivery of water over the past few years has also been a boon for birdlife, with large numbers of blue bill, pink-eared, and musk ducks and grey teal being recorded.   

“Translocation of the hardyhead into Lake Elizabeth has been going well and we will continue to bolster numbers. We will be monitoring to confirm if the population has been established in the lake,” DRELWP Biodiversity Officer Mick Dedini said.   

“Managing the salinity and levels of the lake is extremely important. We need to ensure the levels are high enough to keep predators such as carp and mosquito fish from flourishing, but not too high for the Murray hardyhead to survive.”   

Water delivery will continue to both Lake Elizabeth (up to 1,200ML) and Round Lake (400ML) in the coming months, as part of a wider Central Murray Wetlands water delivery program.   

Up to 1,200ML will flow into McDonalds Swamp from mid-August, with the purpose of promoting a diverse range of habitat types to support waterbirds, frogs and turtles, and to stimulate growth and recruitment of aquatic and fringing native vegetation.   

Up to 1,700ML will be delivered to Richardson’s Lagoon as a top-up to help maintain habitat to help waterbirds feed, nest and breed. Up to 600ML will also be delivered to the private Wirra-Lo Wetland Complex, to bolster vegetation that responded well to last season’s watering.                     

North Central CMA Environmental Water Manager Louissa Rogers said the Central Murray Wetlands played an important role for the rest of the Murray-Darling basin.   

“These wetlands are not managed in isolation, but are managed with the entire landscape in mind,” she said.  

“As well as helping the Murray hardyhead, we are trying to create a mosaic of different habitats to attract different waterbird species at different times of the year.   

“A lot of natural wetlands across the basin have been lost over the years, and we need to manage a range of habitat types to ensure a high diversity of waterbirds have access to food and nesting habitats and that migratory birds have enough food is available to sustain their migration to the northern hemisphere, as well as promote vegetation and tree growth.   

“Environmental water improves the health of rivers and wetlands, which increases recreational benefits for those who live beside, or visit, waterways.” 

The environmental water releases are prioritised by the Victorian Environmental Water Holder (VEWH) in line with its Seasonal Watering Plan 2016-17. The VEWH Seasonal Watering Plan 2016-17 is available from www.vewh.vic.gov.au, with regular watering updates posted on the North Central CMA website www.nccma.vic.gov.au.

For further information please contact: 

Communications Officer, North Central CMA
PO Box 18, Huntly VIC 3551

t: 03 5448 7124
e: info@nccma.vic.gov.au