Western region << BACK TO CONTENTS Wimmera anglers get involved You can give the CMA 100 millilitres of water and what they can get out of that sample with this eDNA is mind-blowing. Cutting-edge technology is revealing the behavioural patterns of native fish in Wimmera waterways, helping us to better understand how environmental flows benefit the fish. The Wimmera CMA was an early adopter of environmental DNA (eDNA) technology to monitor platypus movements. It is now using the technology to better understand fish populations in a joint project between Wimmera Anglers Association and Wimmera CMA. eDNA is DNA collected from water or soil, rather than directly sampled from plants or animals. It is a non-invasive way to test for the presence or absence of particular plants or animals. Volunteer anglers took eDNA samples from more than 17 kilometres of the lower Wimmera River near Dimboola. This allowed them to measure the presence or absence of species including golden perch and catfish and to measure the effects of water for the environment on those fish. Along the way, they also noted some good fishing spots! “It’s really fascinating,” said Wimmera Anglers Secretary Barry Williams. “You can give the CMA 100 millilitres of water and what they can get out of that sample with this eDNA is mind-blowing.” The encouraging sampling results were backed up at the 2017 Horsham Fishing Competition, where for the first time more native fish were caught than carp. Top to bottom: Angling is a way of life on the Wimmera, by Wimmera CMA; Greg Fletcher of Wimmera CMA with Kelvin Robinson of Horsham Angling Club taking part in the river environmental DNA sampling, by Wimmera CMA 55 | Victorian Environmental Water Holder
59 Publizr Home