Two million fish to be released into Murray-Darling system

More than 2 million native fish could be released into rivers across the Murray-Darling Basin as soon as this summer, as parts of the stressed river system show signs of recovery after years of crippling drought.

The major restocking program, funded by the NSW government, will result in juvenile Murray cod, golden perch and silver perch being released into the Darling River downstream of Brewarrina.

Key catchment areas across the southern basin including the Lachlan, Murrumbidgee, Macquarie and Murray will also be restocked.

The aftermath of a massive fish kill event in the Darling River at Menindee in January 2019.Credit: Graeme McCrabb

It comes after massive fish death events in multiple locations across the basin over the past 18 months, including at Menindee on the Darling River where up to 1 million oxygen-starved fish perished in early 2019.

Agriculture Minister Adam Marshall said the state's largest-ever fish breeding program was in "full swing", and long-awaited flows into the Murray-Darling might mean the restocking could occur sooner than expected.

"While follow-up rain and water flows are still needed to ensure the river systems are suitable, if there’s enough rain through winter, we can look to start stocking the lower Darling and other systems by the end of the year," Mr Marshall said.

"Through this breeding program, we are ensuring we preserve the genetic diversity of our key native species and will be able to restock our rivers across the state.

An aerators introduces oxygen into waters of Lake Wetherell, part of the Darling River system near Menindee, in 2019.Credit: Graeme McCrabb

Mr Marshall said the government's $10 million fish rescue strategy would mean about 2.5 million native fish were bred each year.

Graeme McCrabb, a Menindee resident who raised the alarm about the fish deaths near the town in 2019, said the program was a "good start" but fish stocks could take decades to recover to previous numbers.

"This is a good thing. But it's nowhere near what a natural breeding event could add," Mr McCrabb said. "We've gone through the worst 12 to 18 months in the history of the basin. Thousands of Murray cod have died. The perch we have left are at the end of their breeding cycle."

Volunteers from around Menindee helped rescue more than 100 mature Murray cod from the stagnant Darling last summer by relocating them to healthier parts of the river fitted with aeration devices.

The rescued cod are expected to produce 100,000 fingerlings, or juvenile fish, which will be released into the waterways, while the mature cod will also be returned to their original habitats.

Mr McCrabb said the Menindee Lakes were now at about 25 per cent capacity, a significant improvement on the beginning of the year when they contained no useable water.

"The colour of the water is the milk-coffee colour the Darling should be. We're certainly past the green muck it once was," he said. "But the flows are small. We're not in an ideal position. We're just in a better position than we were."