Issue 15 A look at the Gwydir March 2021 flows

Floods that hit the Gwydir catchment in late March, 2021, brought a mixture of devastation and life to the communities and ecosystems that depend on the catchment’s rivers. As the entire Gwydir catchment was doused with heavy rainfall between March 22 and March 24, downpours quickly translated into a significant, widespread flooding event. We tracked this event, including its volume and extent, as it moved throughout the channels in the Gwydir system and beyond.

Issue 12 A turtle’s go with no flow

The Gwydir River valley is home to a diverse range of aquatic species that rely on flows of fresh water to survive and thrive. The 2019 calendar year was the driest on record and the drought saw record low rainfall which led to sustained periods of no flow. Very dry conditions combined with high temperatures and local bushfires had to place a lot of pressure on the plants and animals of the Gwydir. In this little story we’ll provide some insight into how the system responded.

Issue 11 When wetlands boom

Dr Sarah Mika is a lover of water and the life that teems in its presence. From water quality to microinvertebrates to macroinvertebrates, Sarah is passionate about the small things that make wetlands boom. In this story Sarah tells of this passsion; how it started while studying and playing in the coastal rivers of NSW and how it’s fuelled now by researching various wetlands of the northern Murray-Darling Basin for the CEWO’s Flow-MER Project.

Helping fish in the Gwydir recover from drought

Water for the environment will complement recent natural flows to support the replenishment of channels and wetlands in the Gwydir valley between late spring and summer 2020-21. These flows aim to help native fish survival by providing access to refuge habitat and food, increase connectivity within the Gwydir system and improve water quality in pools.

Issue 8 ‘Big dry’ survivors

The past five years have been challenging, to say the least, for many fish species within the Gwydir Valley, particularly regarding spawning and recruitment (aka. breeding). This has made the recent findings from the NSW Fisheries team all the more exciting. The team found that Murray cod and Freshwater catfish populations of the Gwydir Valley have had great breeding success in the past 12 months, demonstrating the resilience of both species during the ‘big dry’.

The Waterbird Lagoon is open!

The National Parks and Wildlife Service (NPWS) is pleased to announce the reopening of the ‘Waterbird Lagoon’ at the Gwydir Wetlands State Conservation Area, near Moree. Check the website nationalparks.nsw.gov.au for the latest updates. Click here for the NPWS announcement – Gwydir Wetlands Waterbird Lagoon open days.

Issue 5 Fish, flows and food

Native fish play an important role in the environment of the Murray Darling Basin. They also have a large social and cultural value to many Basin communities. How we use water in our rivers has changed their natural flow patterns and impacted native fish communities. Deciding how we use water for the environment can therefore provide major benefits to sustaining our native fish.