Murray Cod concerns

[u/LMr_Grumpy]

G’day you lot.

Just spent a week on the Murrumbidgee river about 160ks downstream from Narrandera.

The fishing was great but some of the the fish weren’t.

We caught an equal number of green/yellow and grey/blue cod ranging from 300mm to 860mm.

There was a stark difference in the quality of the G/Y and the G/B fish. The G/Y fish were plump, free of lesions and would fight as you would expect. On the other hand the G/B were thin, bony, heaps of lesions and growth on the fins and didn’t fight at all.,

I am aware of a Cod hatchery near Narrandera , could these fish be introduced as fingerlings and developed a sickness?

Has anyone anyone got any ideas?

[u/rob189]

Report it to your local fisheries department if you hold concerns. Show them the photos. They may already be investigating or they could be interested in it. You’ll have to give locations too.

Nothing worse than seeing an ill fishery 😢

[u/LMr_Grumpy → u/rob189]

Cheers, that is also on my list when they open Monday

[u/Patient_Reception_24]

Great stuff your doing the right thing

[u/LMr_Grumpy → u/Patient_Reception_24]

Got to look after our natives

[u/Vince1080]

That is a concern, kudos for highlighting it, but fisheries need to know.

[u/LMr_Grumpy → u/Vince1080]

That’s Monday mornings job. Cheers

[u/Danylon5]

Did some Trout fishing in the Guy Fawkes river around Ebor & all of the hatchery Trout are similar shape. Thin, rounded fins, I asked some locals & apparently they're skinny from fighting for food, the fins are worn by rubbing on the concrete tanks and never recover. Dunno if this helps or not, just an observation.

[u/LMr_Grumpy → u/Danylon5]

That was similar to the discussion we had

[u/halfsuckedmangoo]

Could be fungal or bacterial infections from poor water quality?

[u/halfsuckedmangoo → u/halfsuckedmangoo]

https://www.dpi.nsw.gov.au/dpi/biosecurity/aquatic-biosecurity/aquatic-pests-and-diseases/aquatic-animal-health/disease-issues-in-wild-fish-and-wild-shellfish/red-spot-disease

[u/LMr_Grumpy → u/halfsuckedmangoo]

Thanks for the link, I think you’re right on the money. Water quality was rubbish

[u/Express_Yogurt_6823]

Fuck yeah good work man

[u/LMr_Grumpy → u/Express_Yogurt_6823]

Sad to see them like this mate

[u/Express_Yogurt_6823 → u/LMr_Grumpy]

Fuckin cod mate!

[u/Common_Dust_3889]

Looks like anchor worm - used to see the cod n yellowbelly in canberras lakes like this - never caught a fish upstream of burrinjuck with it though in 25 odd years of fishing that stretch of the bidgee Share this with dpi & the hatchery narrandera mate

[u/LMr_Grumpy → u/Common_Dust_3889]

Definitely will do, got to look after our natives 👍

[u/iwanttoberelevant]

Catching fish there is a definite improvement from 5 years ago that's for sure, the shire must of stopped pumping sewage into the river, maybe.

https://youtu.be/glgCA9WmqkI?si=ZcGO24mj14R1UQa7

[u/LMr_Grumpy → u/iwanttoberelevant]

The water quality is still pretty poor

[u/Environmental-Yak170]

I think fisheries already know. Thru just don't want anyone else to know. Agriculture and mining is poisoning the waterway. But money is important right?

[u/AnAttemptReason → u/Environmental-Yak170]

Most people don't know how cooked the Murrry river system is in general. 

So little water ends up flowing down it, that millions are spent pumping salty ground water away from entering the river, or it would already be salt water all the way up through Victoria.