Conservation & Research
Since 1977, Uarah Fisheries (then known as Uarah Warm Water Fish Hatchery) is proud to have contributed greatly to restocking programs in New South Wales and Victoria, producing over 2 millions of silver and golden perch fingerlings and over 1 million Murray Cod fingerlings, annually since the 1980’s.
Our origins are entrenched in conservation - purposefully established in the 1970s to save and revive declining wild populations of Murray Cod.
The Murray cod is undoubtedly Australia’s most culturally important fish. It was critical to the lifestyle, diet and mythology of the Indigenous Australian tribes living along the Murray River, and played a central role in the creation story of the Murray River and its other fish species.
The most prevalent creation story involves a gigantic Murray cod, known as Ponde, fleeing down a small creek away from Ngurunderi, a master hunter. The Murray cod’s urgent movements widen the river and create its famous bends and billabongs. When finally speared at Lake Alexandrina, the hunter divided and threw pieces of the Murray cod back into the water, naming them for the fish they would become – golden perch, bony bream, silver perch and so on – before throwing the head last of all, which he told to “keep on being Ponde“.
After European settlers discovered the river systems of the Murray-Darling Basin in the early 1800’s, Murray cod also became an important and popular food source for ordinary Australians – especially from the 1850’s through to the 1950’s. Sadly, however, it was overfished almost to the point of extinction during this time. Eventually, as awareness grew of the dire condition of Murray cod populations, voluntary bans on commercial fishing and size restrictions were introduced, and consumers gradually turned away from incorporating Murray cod into their diets. However, it was not until the late 1970’s before conservation efforts to save and revive wild populations of Murray cod began in earnest with the establishment of government restocking programs and the development of the native fish breeding industry. Indeed, it was for this purpose that Uarah Fisheries was established in 1977. Today, recreational fishing for Murray cod continues under heavy restrictions. Murray cod are one of the most prized recreational fishes in Australia, and are extremely sought-after by renowned fine dining restaurants in Australia and around the world.
Since 1977, we have contributed greatly to the annual restocking programs in New South Wales and Victoria, annually producing over 1 million Murray cod fingerlings since the 1980’s.
The Murray cod is listed as a critically endangered species by the International Union for Conservation of Nature, and as a vulnerable species by the Australian Society for Fish Biology and under Australian law, as per the Environmental Protection of Biodiversity and Conservation Act 1999 (Cth).
Murray cod had suffered severely from commercial overfishing from the mid 1800’s, with government records showing drastic declines in numbers from the late 1800’s to the 1950’s. While commercial fishing has now ceased, recreational overfishing is still a problem. Habitat destruction has also affected the feeding and breeding of Murray cod, while irrigation and water regulation practices regularly decimate Murray cod larvae populations. Furthermore, dams and weirs provide physical impairments to fish movement in the river, and invasive species such as Redfin are known to prey on Murray cod larvae, and can potentially introduce viruses and diseases into wild populations. Conservation efforts for Murray cod commenced in the 1970’s and continue to this day, helped by restocking programs that release Murray cod fingerlings into strategic areas of the Murray-Darling Basin. These fish are bred and raised in specialised hatcheries, notably including Uarah Fisheries, and state-funded programs in New South Wales and Victoria.
We also have supported restocking programs for silver and golden perch, annually producing a combined over 4 million fingerlings since the 1980’s.
Golden perch populations have suffered due to dams, weirs and other manmade obstructions blocking migration flows, and interfering with the historical flooding of the Murray-Darling Basin that was intrinsically important to the golden perch’s lifecycle. Indeed, research suggests that, prior to the modern settlement of Australia, huge shoals of golden perch roamed the entire lowland and slope reaches of the Murray-Darling Basin, unimpeded by manmade barriers.
Alarmingly, the number of manmade barriers in the Murray-Darling Basin was estimated to be around 4,000 in 2007 by the Murray-Darling Basin Authority. Conservation efforts for golden perch commenced in the 1970’s and continue to this day, helped by restocking programs that release golden perch fingerlings into strategic areas of the Murray-Darling Basin. These fish are bred and raised in specialised hatcheries, notably including Uarah Fisheries, and state-funded programs in New South Wales and Victoria.
Even today, the majority of golden perch aquaculture is focused on fingerling production for restocking programs, though some commercial fish farms have begun producing golden perch table fish non-intensively, in outdoor ponds. However, research is currently being undertaken by the Queensland government into the feasibility of producing golden perch intensively.
The silver perch is listed as a critically endangered species under Australian law, as per the Environmental Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 (Cth). Though once prevalent throughout the Murray-Darling Basin, silver perch populations have undergone a rapid and drastic decline since the 1970’s – almost to the point of extinction in the wild. Based on modern estimates, silver perch have disappeared from 87 per cent of its former range.
Much like golden perch, manmade barriers like dams and weirs, as well as river management practices, obstruct the migratory tendencies of silver perch and have removed the conditions that they require to breed. Meanwhile, competition for food with introduced species and the introduction of foreign pathogens are also suspected of having a drastic effect on silver perch populations.
Conservation efforts for silver perch commenced in the 1970’s and continue to this day, helped by restocking programs that release silver perch fingerlings into strategic areas of the Murray-Darling Basin. These fish are bred and raised in specialised hatcheries, notably including Uarah Fisheries, and state-funded programs in New South Wales and Victoria.
Silver perch are a highly-suitable table fish aquaculture species due to their rapid growth and high survival rates. Currently, the majority of silver perch table fish aquaculture is conducted in outdoor, earthen ponds rather than in intensive RAS environments. In comparison to Murray cod and golden perch, silver perch is also comparatively simpler to raise due to its omnivorous diet and ready acceptance of artificial feed. As a result, silver perch table fish is produced in significantly higher volumes than Murray cod or golden perch.
Keep up to date
See our latest conservation efforts by heading over to our blog, or reach out to us if you have any other research, conservation or restocking programs you might want to chat with us about!
