Native Fish Awareness Week, an initiative of the Murray-Darling Basin Commission, is off to an electrifying start in Narrandera on Monday 19 May.

An electrofishing demonstration is being held at the Buckingbong boat ramp at 9am. There’s plenty of room, but arrive early to get a good vantage point of the river.

"Electrofishing is the least stressful way we can collect fish for research," says Dr Lee Baumgartner, a research scientist at Narrandera Fisheries Centre.

Electrofishing is one of the ways that staff at NSW Department of Primary Industries survey and monitor native fish populations in the Murray-Darling Basin.

"We put an electric current into the water which stuns the fish for a few minutes: we then transfer them to holding tanks where they recover quickly."

After the display the action moves to Narrandera Fisheries Centre from 10am - 12noon at the John Lake Centre, Buckingbong Road.

"The tour of the Narrandera Fisheries Centre includes our special touch tanks where you can hold yabbies, shrimp, turtles and other aquatic animals. There will also be hands-on video microscope displays, fish dissections showing the latest fish research, and you can even learn how to tell the age of a fish!"

Seating at the John Lake Centre is limited, so to avoid disappointment, register your interest for the Native Fish Strategy presentations and demonstrations at the John Lake Centre early by calling the Narrandera Fisheries Centre on (02) 6959 9021.

"The morning’s activities are part of Native Fish Awareness Week which runs from 19 - 23 May. The Week aims to promote community awareness of and participation in the improvement of habitat for native fish." said Adrian Wells, Chair of the Community Stakeholder Taskforce of the Native Fish Strategy.

For a full list of dates and locations of events, or more information on the Native Fish Strategy, visit the MDBC website www.mdbc.gov.au/NFS/, or contact Sam Leone MDBC Media Liaison on 0407 006 332.

To arrange an interview with the Native Fish Awareness Week participants, or for more information on the specific events, phone:

Media contact: for Native Fish Awareness Week Caitlin Howlett 0407 492 456