Golden perch are a threatened fish species that live in the Murray–Darling Basin.
Golden perch are of high cultural importance for many First Nations peoples. They're also one of the main types of fish that support the recreational fishing industry.
What are golden perch?
Golden perch are a medium to large fish. They're usually less than 40 cm long and weigh about 4 kg, but can grow up to 76 cm and weigh 23 kg. They're also known as yellowbelly, callop and Murray perch.
Golden perch are mainly found in warmer, slow flowing, turbid rivers. They move around a lot, with some adult fish travelling as far as 1,000 kilometres through the river systems.
River regulation has disrupted fish migration and spawning behaviour. This disruption can be caused by obstacles like weirs and dams.
Golden perch spawning in the Darling
Golden perch often spawn in response to natural floods and the delivery of water for the environment.
In 2016, there was a large spawning event in Queensland and northern New South Wales after natural floods in the area. Fish larvae drifted down the Darling River, travelling as far south as the Menindee Lakes and lower Darling / Baaka. A 2018 survey showed 36% of all golden perch in the lower Darling spawned in this event.
Juvenile Golden Perch Lake Menindee 2017
Menindee Lakes are a known nursery for golden perch. Juvenile fish fattened up in these highly productive waters. These lake fish are bigger and fatter than their river counterparts.
The Basin community works together to time flows out of the Menindee Lakes system. This community includes:
- fish scientists
- water scientists
- river operators
- local community members.
This supports the dispersal of golden perch both into the lower Darling River and the Great Darling Anabranch.
Water delivery is important for the flows from Lake Cawndilla into the Great Darling Anabranch. Periodic flows down the dry riverbed allow fish to reach to the River Murray.
Hundreds of thousands of golden perch would become stranded without these flows. As the lakes dry out, birds will eat remaining fish.
Dispersal in the southern Basin
Golden perch that spawn in the Darling are important to the whole of the southern Basin.
Golden perch that spawned in the Darling make up a large percentage of the golden perch population in the River Murray. These fish migrate upstream to the Mid Murray. They also continue to travel downstream. In the Lower Murray, a large portion of the golden perch population were spawned in the Darling.
This highlights the importance of our work to support golden perch spawning events in the Darling River.
Monitoring golden perch populations
We track golden perch as they move through the fishways along the River Murray. They're often microchipped to track their movement and spawning behaviour. In 2021–22, scientists tracked the movement of 300 golden perch in the lower Darling / Baaka. Watch the video to see the journey some of these fish took.
Understanding their movements can help us manage flows to better support healthy populations of golden perch.
