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Movements of golden perch, Macquaria ambigua, in the Murray River, south eastern Australia.

J. P. O’Connor, D. J. O’Mahony and J. M. O’Mahony

Arthur Rylah Institute for Environmental Research, Department of Sustainability and Environment Victoria
Email: Justin.O’Connor@nre.vic.gov.au

A two year radio tagging study was undertaken to investigate the movements of golden perch in the Murray River, Australia. Fifty one golden perch were radio tagged in the study. All fish undertook movements that were typically less than 3 km for most of the study period. However in one year of the study (2000) there was an increase in the distance of fish movement during spring/summer which coincided with increasing water temperature and river discharge. Eighteen fish were tracked during this period of which ten travelled downstream (between 11 and 290 km) before most returned upstream, four fish travelled upstream (between 13 and 35 km) before most returned downstream and four fish undertook movements that were typically less than 3 km. However, during spring/summer 2001 only three of the 27 radio tagged fish undertook large distance movements when water temperature followed a similar magnitude and timing as the 2000 study period but river discharge did not and was lower than the flows that occurred in the same period in 2000. We suggest that the long distance movements undertaken by golden perch are associated with a reproductive strategy. A revised model for fish migration in golden perch is proposed.

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