NSW.BiodiversitySep 3, 2025

Making dead rivers and mass fish kills

"Most if not all of the fish in this waterway to Geelong's south-west have died, and the river itself appears to be in its death throes...Fish in the Anglesea River near Geelong are dying in large numbers as acidity levels in the river soar, making it inhospitable for aquatic life, according to authorities".
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2025-09-04/anglesea-river-fish-kill-event-water-environment/105720596
#rivers #coal #mining #legacy #MassMortality #MassFishKills #water #extraction #extractivism #ecosystem

After repeat Anglesea River fish kills over 25 years, locals and experts are stumped

The Anglesea River — a tourism drawcard on the Surf Coast and place of pride for locals — has seen repeat fish kills in recent years, with both residents and experts at a loss as to restore the river's health.

ABC News
BellingenNSWJul 17, 2023

With less than a year to go, the Murray-Darling Basin Plan is in a dreadful mess. These 5 steps are needed to fix it
"The Murray-Darling Basin covers about a seventh of the Australian land mass: most of New South Wales, parts of Queensland, South Australia and Victoria, and all of the Australian Capital Territory. It includes the Murray River and Darling River/Baarka and their tributaries...."

https://theconversation.com/with-less-than-a-year-to-go-the-murray-darling-basin-plan-is-in-a-dreadful-mess-these-5-steps-are-needed-to-fix-it-209328
#freshwater #ecosystems #rivers #wetlands #MassFishKills #biodiversity #NSW #irrigation #extraction #transparency #accountability #trust #environment #MurrayDarling #water

With less than a year to go, the Murray-Darling Basin Plan is in a dreadful mess. These 5 steps are needed to fix it

Projects have not been delivered. States are bickering. If the Albanese government is to uphold its election promise to deliver the Murray plan, hard tradeoffs are needed.

The Conversation
BellingenNSWJun 16, 2023

Unsustainable extraction at the Murray-Darling Basin: First the gold, then Murray cod.

"Commercial fishing was largely responsible for the decline in Murray cod stocks over many decades. But the decline was hastened by dispossession of Aboriginal peoples, habitat destruction, the construction of dams and barriers, changes to river flows, the introduction of alien fishes and declining water quality."
"Across all jurisdictions, stocks are much lower than prior to European colonisation."
Extract from The Life and Times of the Murray Cod, CSIRO Publishing, 2023.

https://theconversation.com/hungry-gold-miners-created-victorias-murray-cod-fisheries-and-were-still-dealing-with-the-consequences-206768

#Extractivism #rivers #mining #InexhaustibleResources #fish #MassFishKills

Hungry gold miners created Victoria's Murray cod fisheries – and we're still dealing with the consequences

Less gold in the mines. Unrest in the camps. And a new fishery for the giant Murray cod which decimated their population. The 19th century gold rush has left a bad environmental legacy.

The Conversation