Murray cod Maccullochella peelii
Recreational species Goulburn River GBCMA
Key health indicators
| Survey year | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | Recent recruitment | YES | YES | 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 | 12.44 | 5.21 | 9.20 |
| Largest fish by length (cm) | 72 | 72.5 | 102.2 |
| Largest fish by weight (g) | 5500 | 5278 | 18000 |
| % of the catch that is legal size | 8 | 11 | 6 |
Interpretation
Key Result: Fewer Murray cod were captured in 2018 than in 2017 and 2019. The lower abundance in 2018 is possibly due to high water levels reducing the efficiency of electrofishing. However, young-of-year fish, multiple size classes and mature fish were caught in all years - a sign of a balanced population structure. Genetic analysis has indicated that young-of-year fish are the result of natural breeding occurring in the waterway, rather than stocking (ARI unpublished data).
Stocking: In 2016, 54,000 Murray cod were stocked; 102,000 in early 2017; 50,000 in late 2017; 40,000 in late 2018; and 21,000 in early 2019. These stockings occurred below Lake Nagambie (where Report Card sampling is located).