Murray cod Maccullochella peelii
Recreational species Gunbower Creek NCCMA
Key health indicators
| Survey year | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | Recent recruitment | YES | SOME | YES |
|---|---|---|---|
| Multiple size classes | YES | YES | YES |
| Mature fish present | YES | YES | YES |
Monitoring Results
| Monitoring year | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fish per 1km of waterway | 4.36 | 4.27 | 6.73 |
| Largest fish by length (cm) | 110.9 | 113 | 110 |
| Largest fish by weight (g) | 27400 | 19000 | 25200 |
| % of the catch that is legal size | 5 | 12 | 14 |
Interpretation
Key Result: The abundance of Murray cod was similar in 2017 and 2018 with multiple size classes of fish caught, including young-of-year and mature fish. An increase in the abundance of Murray cod was observed in 2019. A healthy Murray cod population may be attributed to increased stocking and a new flow regime implemented in 2013 (Stuart et al. 2019), enhancing the survival of young-of-year fish, regardless of whether they result from stocking or natural breeding.
Stocking: In 2016, 20,000 Murray cod were stocked; 55,000 stocked in 2017; 100,000 in early 2018 and 50,000 in late 2018. Murray cod stocking started in Gunbower Creek in 2001, with 20,000 stocked in most years until 2016. The exceptions to this are 2012 and 2014 when 120,000 and 80,000 Murray cod were stocked, respectively.