Brian Lawrence is well known to those of us who have worked in fisheries management. Last Friday he had his farewell at the Murray-Darling Basin Authority after 32 years working to ‘bring back native fish’. Before leaving, he sent Finterest two documents that he found as he was clearing out his papers. He thought they might be of historical interest and wanted to share them with others. We wish Brian all the very best and will miss not having him as our ‘fish champion’!
A history of joint action by the managers of the water and the fish of River Murray
This paper outlines the interactions between the managers responsible for the water resources of the River Murray and the managers responsible for the fish of the River Murray. Over the past 80 years, the frequency and quality of interactions has varied greatly. Throughout these interactions, there have been some key ingredients of success in jointly acting to manage these resources. This paper documents some of those key ingredients in order to help joint action in the future.
Follow the link to read this paper Joint action by water and fisheries managers
A History of Fishway Policy on the River Murray – 1928-1988

Fishway at Lock 2, Waikerie, SA. Source: http://www.mdba.gov.au/media-pubs/basin-news/sea-to-hume-fishway-launched-in-sa. Photo by SA Water
The obstruction to fish migration resulting from the construction of weirs along the River Murray have been the subject of negotiations between fisheries and water management agencies since 1928. This paper documents the various experimental fishways established from 1928-1988 and the considerable progress in this area, culminating today in the Sea to Hume program in South Australia.
Follow the link to read this paper History of Fishway Policy with Figures

Sophie Van Dijk

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