Rescue efforts of Murray Cod and Golden Perch during the devastating 2019 drought are paying off. 

What started off with 250 rescued Murray Cod has led to over 250,000 Murray Cod fingerlings being released along the Macquarie River, including in Narromine, Trangie, and Warren. 

The fish were brought back to hatcheries to be part of the broodstock program. 

The most recent release were 19 mature Murray Cod at the Warren Weir on Thursday 27 March who spent the last five years at the Narrandera Fisheries Centre.

“Murray Cod are our largest freshwater sportfish, which provide significant socio-economic benefits, especially in regional NSW where recreational fishing is a key tourism and economic driver," Minister for Agriculture and Regional NSW Tara Moriarty said. 

“The DPIRD Native Fish Stocking Program plays a vital role in not only improving recreational fishing opportunities but also delivers conservation outcomes, employment, and subsequent economic benefits that have grown in response to the activity over many years."

 The drought choked the life from the Macquarie River. Photo: supplied.

The rescue efforts are crucial to keeping native fish population numbers up when Blackwater events put a dent in their population. 

A Blackwater event is when the water quality, including oxygen levels, drops to the point where the fish are unable to survive. 

They occur when flooding washes organic material into waterways where bacteria consume it and raise the dissolved carbon levels. 

Matt Hansen, Member of the NSW Recreation Fishing Advisory Council said the black water event killed "thousands upon thousands" of Murray Cod. 

"It was heartbreaking to see go to a cease-to-flow pattern where fish are going upside down because they're starving for oxygen," Mr Hansen said. 

Mr Hansen said that although the rescue efforts have been largely successful, the problem will keep reoccurring as long as native fish don't have free passage throughout the Macquarie River. 

"One of the main problems we have in the Murray Darling Basin is barriers to fish passage, such as culverts, weirs, and bridges that block the system.

"It's like choking the arteries of the body." 

The barriers are preventing fish from migrating to other areas and repopulating them. 

"Golden Perch can travel 2,000 kilometres on a flood event and repopulate areas where we've lost them but they can't do that if there's eight or ten barriers in the way." 

"There are thousands of barriers to fish passage in the Murray Darling Basin and we need to address those barriers so that fish can move around like on a highway."

Ultimately, nothing is as successful as natural breeding due to sustaining genetics, less labour intensity, and it's more cost-effective. 

"Having a healthy river system where fish do it on their own is what we want," Mr Hansen said. 

"Opening the Murray Darling Basin is critical so that when we lose fish in one area, the stronghold can repopulate the areas the fish that we've lost."