<< BACK TO CONTENTS Fish recovery Fish populations are benefiting from the delivery of water for the environment. For instance, during the Millennium Drought from 1997–2009, there were concerns about Australian grayling in the Yarra River. Flows to the Yarra and Tarago rivers in autumn — known as freshes — are timed to support the breeding requirements of Australian grayling. They provide the natural cue for the fish to migrate downstream to spawn. “Australian grayling spawn in the freshwater reaches of the system before their eggs and larvae drift out to sea. The juveniles then spend about six months in the sea before migrating back upstream,” Melbourne Water Senior Environmental Water Resources Planner Cheryl Edwards said. Water for the environment delivered in the region in 2016–17 included the largest-ever release in the Werribee River in November, which resulted in Australian grayling being detected in the Werribee River for the first time. Australian grayling are not the only fish to benefit from the flows. River blackfish also respond well, and the flows in the Yarra help Macquarie perch to breed by clearing debris from its spawning grounds — pebble beds known as riffle habitats. Left to right: Maroondah reservoir, by Bob Padula; Watering at Banyule Billabong, by Keith Chalmers; Werribee River, by Melbourne Water Reflections – Environmental watering in Victoria 2016–17 | 40
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