Youth river health conference to help NSW DPI save Trout cod

More than 150 students and teachers from across NSW will be working with NSW Department of Primary Industries (DPI) to help save the endangered trout cod at the upcoming Murray Darling Basin Commission Youth River Health Conference.

Children and teachers attending the 2005 Wagga Wagga Youth River Health Conference will be helping to plant native trees and taking part in other environmental works on the banks of Tarcutta Creek at the Borambola Sport and Recreation camp where the conference is being held.

The conference taking place on 18 to 19 August, is a State-wide version of the International River Health Conference, Australia’s only environmental event ‘for kids and by kids’.

Conference convenor Arron Wood said this was a chance for years 5 to 11 students to have their say about the environment.

“Students from The Rock Central School will do a presentation about trout cod and habitat rehabilitation,” he said.

Creek improvement works to take place at the conference are part of an Environmental Trust funded project to rehabilitate the habitat of the trout cod in the Murrumbidgee River system.

Jenny Fredrickson Conservation Management Officer DPI Fisheries Management said trout cod was once abundant and widespread in the southern Murray-Darling river system including tributaries of the Murray River, the Murrumbidgee and the upper half of the Macquarie River.

“Unfortunately trout cod populations have dramatically declined since European settlement and it is now listed as endangered in NSW, ACT and Victoria. The only remaining natural trout cod population exists in the Murray River between Yarrawonga and Tocumwal.

“With the support of fishing licence funds, the DPI freshwater stocking program has also established a reproducing population in the Murrumbidgee River near Narrandera.

“A translocated population also exists in Seven Creeks in northern Victoria.

“It will be great to have the children attending the Youth River Health Conference helping with tree planting on the Tarcutta Creek site to improve stream bank vegetation and help control erosion,” she said.

Other habitat rehabilitation works to occur through DPI’s project at Tarcutta include a range of restoration activities including restoring fish passage, weed control, fencing to exclude stock, erosion control and placement of instream woody debris for habitat and fish nesting sites.

“We are trying very hard to get the message out to the community that improved habitat management means improvements in fishing and fish populations,” Ms Fredrickson said.

The trout cod is a large deep-bodied fish, which looks very similar to Murray cod and normally grows to about 50 centimeters and 1.5 kilograms.

It is illegal to catch and keep, buy, sell, possess or harm trout cod without a specific permit, licence or other appropriate authority.

For further information on the conference take a look at www.riverhealth.com or contact Cathy Oke on (03) 9329 3736.

MEDIA CONTACT: SARAH CHESTER ON (02) 6036 2110 OR O417 207 669.

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