Many factors have contributed to the deterioration of fish habitat and native fish populations. These include changes to water flow, thermal pollution and the introduction of alien fish species. An expert panel convened by the Murray-Darling Basin Commission (MDBC) in 2001 estimated that present levels of native fish communities in the Basin are about 10 per cent of those pre-European settlement. Without intervention, populations are likely to fall to near five per cent in the coming 40 to 50 years.

To address this crisis, the Native Fish Strategy (NFS) was developed. Rehabilitation of aquatic ecosystems is fundamental to achieving the Strategy’s objectives and, therefore, a holistic approach to implementation is essential. The NFS provides direction for investment in on-ground management activities and associated research. It is a working document for the next decade and expected to be the basis for future strategies. Implementation of native fish management actions involves government agencies, regional catchment organisations and a wide range of community groups. Aesthetic, conservation, cultural, recreational and commercial values will all be taken into account.

The NFS has been developed and enhanced through extensive consultation with agencies, interest groups and individuals, particularly in regional areas. Various government organisations, through representatives on the MDBC’s technical groups, have contributed. It was circulated for expert consultation and is now a very inclusive document that shows the way ahead, as conceived by the key partners in the Basin.

Implementing the driving actions of the NFS requires a targeted and sustained effort by governments, catchment management organisations and communities. It is imperative to define the actions and associated responsibilities required within each catchment.

State governments have the prime responsibility for managing rivers. Many of the in-stream interventions needed to improve conditions for fish in rivers will require funding from the States. This will also be so for any interventions on State-owned land. However, in the case of the Murray and lower Darling Rivers, the MDBC has specific responsibilities (e.g. management and operation of structures for water supply) and can provide direct resources (both human and financial) to achieve resource management outcomes, as well as recommending policies to be adopted for the wise management of those rivers by all relevant jurisdictions.

In order to facilitate the uptake and implementation of the Native Fish Strategy, both an Investment Plan for the Basin and an Implementation Plan for the River Murray have been developed. The Investment Plan is guided by the Integrated Catchment Management (ICM) Policy principles relating to investment:

• the economic, environmental and social benefits of the investment must be greater than the costs
• government investment will be used to stimulate private investment, and to prevent unacceptable levels of resource degradation
• alternative investments will be considered and evaluated
• joint-venture partnerships with the community will be the preferred government investment approach
• on-ground investment will be supported by strong institutional arrangements, knowledge, sound planning, and adequate monitoring, evaluation and reporting systems.

2.1   Linkages with other Basin initiatives

The targets for the NFS will be formulated so they are consistent with the Sustainable Rivers Audit (SRA), the ICM Policy Statement and ‘The Living Murray’initiative. Targets for river health and fish populations will be coordinated with monitoring, which will be undertaken for the SRA.

2.1.1  Integrated Catchment Management

The NFS has been developed and will be implemented within the context of the MDBC’s ICM Policy. This policy reflects a commitment by the community and governments to do all that needs to be done to manage and use the resources of the Basin in an ecologically sustainable manner.

The partnership approach implicit in ICM depends on the commitment of individual landholders, Indigenous communities, Landcare groups, catchment management organisations, waterway managers, urban and rural community groups, local, State and Commonwealth Government agencies, as well as the MDBC. A substantial reallocation of funding will be needed by governments and the community to implement the NFS.

2.1.2  The Living Murray

Implementation of the Native Fish Strategy on the River Murray will be highly dependent on the outcomes of ‘The Living Murray’ initiative, and on decisions regarding development and maintenance or upgrading of structures on the river. The Living Murray Environmental Works and Measures Program is designed to implement structural and operational changes in the River Murray System to achieve positive ecological outcomes. The benefits of this Program to the River Murray System will include:

• improved fish passage and habitat
• improved floodplain health
• better management of the Murray Mouth, Coorong and Lower Lakes
• increased capacity to enhance flows to deliver ecological outcomes and improved water quality for all river users.
• As part of improving fish management, The Living Murray Environmental Works and Measures Program is funding the ‘Sea to Hume Dam’ fishways program.

2.1.3  Sustainable Rivers Audit

The SRA has been developed to monitor the environmental health of the Basin’s rivers and provide more information to resource managers and the community on the location and extent of degradation. The Audit is seen as a logical extension of the Cap on Diversions and a means of providing a stronger scientific base for debate in relation to ecological, environmental and social considerations associated with water management in the Basin.

The SRA involves regular measurement and reporting on river health, and the reports are independently audited. The health of fish populations is used as one of the outcome-based indicators of river health, with measures of current fish populations compared to a baseline reference condition to give a general assessment of fish health. Over time, the SRA reports will reflect the impact of management initiatives (such as the Native Fish Strategy) on the direction and rate of change in the health of fish populations.

The SRA will provide consistent, Basin-wide information on the health of rivers to enable and enhance sustainable land and water management by: developing a common reporting framework using comparable information, through time and across catchments; and reporting against a consistent and scientifically robust set of river health indicators.

The SRA is proceeding to implementation of three themes: fish, macroinvertebrates and hydrology. A cost sharing arrangement has now been agreed by partner governments which includes funding for further development of indicators in the following thematic groups: physical form, riparian vegetation and floodplain health. Fifty per cent of the program will be paid for within the Murray-Darling Basin Commission budget, and the States and Australian Government will contribute an additional 25 per cent each. The outcomes of the Pilot Audit have now been publicly released by way of five technical reports, one covering each thematic group of indicators trialed in the Pilot.