Effective engagement of the Native Fish Strategy is delivered by coordinated and contextual effort

Hames, Fern; Townsend, Anthony M.; Ringwood, Greg; Clunie, Pam; McPhail, Jonathan

doi:10.1111/emr.12099

Cited by 8 publications

(14 citation statements)

References 14 publications

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“…The NFS facilitated the exchange of information among scientists and managers and promoted fish as an important biota that the community could relate to (see Hames et al . ). It also directly contributed to environmental flow research and monitoring activities, including the spawning, recruitment and lateral movement of fish before and after the B‐M 2005/2006 EWA (see case study; Jones ; King et al .…”

Section: Water Management In the Mdbmentioning

confidence: 97%

See 1 more Smart Citation

Flows for native fish in the Murray‐Darling Basin: lessons and considerations for future management

Koehn¹,

King²,

Beesley³

et al. 2014

Eco Management Restoration

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Summary Increased regulation and extraction of water from rivers has contributed to the decline of fishes, and the use of environmental water allocations (EWAs) is now a key rehabilitation measure. Major reform of water policy in the Murray‐Darling Basin (MDB), Australia, has recently provided significant EWAs to improve ecological outcomes. Conflict over water buybacks, the value of the water and the need to maximise environmental benefits and minimise risks of unwanted outcomes has increased the expectation for science to underpin and justify such actions. Recent research has focussed attention on the need to understand fish–flow relationships. The Native Fish Strategy for the Murray‐Darling Basin 2003–2013 (NFS), while not specifically targeted at water policy reform or water delivery, has provided fish ecology research and flow restoration experimentation and contributed considerable new scientific knowledge to support flow management. It has contributed to a substantial and positive change in environmental watering for fish, with native fish targets now regularly incorporated into watering objectives. This study documents changes to water management in the MDB, summarises current knowledge of flow‐related fish ecology in the MDB, highlights the benefits and risks of some water management practises and provides recommendations for future management and research. A major recommendation is the need for a coordinated, cross‐jurisdictional approach to flow restoration for native fish, ensuring that the best available science is being used in all watering allocations. We caution on the use of environmental works such as regulators to artificially inundate floodplains and suggest that such approaches should be viewed as large‐scale experiments with the significant risks posed to fish needing to be recognised, adequately monitored and adaptively managed.

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Section: Water Management In the Mdbmentioning

confidence: 97%

“…The NFS has undertaken a wide range of activities that create community support for MDB fishes (Hames et al . ), and many of these could assist the promotion of the benefit of environmental flows.…”

Section: Future Directions and Challengesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Flows for native fish in the Murray‐Darling Basin: lessons and considerations for future management

Koehn¹,

King²,

Beesley³

et al. 2014

Eco Management Restoration

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…); and engagement of a wide array of stakeholders (Hames et al . ). In particular, it coincided with an increased connection between fish and natural resource management issues and the more traditional water resource management responsibilities within the MDB (see timeline; Fig.…”

Section: Development Of the Nfsmentioning

confidence: 97%

“…2014a; Hames et al . ). These activities included the employment of Native Fish Coordinators in each jurisdiction, the development of the Community Stakeholder Taskforce (CST), annual Native Fish Forums that exhibited new knowledge generated by research projects and the establishment of Native Fish Awareness Week.…”

Section: Key Achievementsmentioning

confidence: 97%

Laying the foundations for fish recovery: The first 10 years of the Native Fish Strategy for the Murray‐Darling Basin, Australia

Koehn¹,

Lintermans²,

Copeland³

2014

Eco Management Restoration

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The Native Fish Strategy aimed to return fish populations in Australia's largest (1 million square kilometre) river basin from an estimated 10 to 60% of pre‐European settlement levels after 50 years of implementation. While funding for implementation of this programme has now ceased (despite native fish remaining in a poor state), the achievements of the Strategy's first 10 years provide a solid basis for implementing the work necessary to rehabilitate native fish populations in the future.

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“…) and engagement of a range of stakeholders (Hames et al . ), including recreational fishers, in ‘bringing back native fish communities’ (Barwick et al . ).…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

The future for managing fishes in the Murray‐Darling Basin, south‐eastern Australia

Koehn¹,

Copeland²,

Stamation³

2014

Eco Management Restoration

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Effective engagement of the Native Fish Strategy is delivered by coordinated and contextual effort

Cited by 8 publications

References 14 publications

Flows for native fish in the Murray‐Darling Basin: lessons and considerations for future management

Flows for native fish in the Murray‐Darling Basin: lessons and considerations for future management

Laying the foundations for fish recovery: The first 10 years of the Native Fish Strategy for the Murray‐Darling Basin, Australia

The future for managing fishes in the Murray‐Darling Basin, south‐eastern Australia

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