Bayesian network models for environmental flow decision making in the Daly River, Northern Territory, Australia

Terence U. Chan, Barry T. Hart, Mark J. Kennard, Bradley J. Pusey, Will Shenton, Michael M. Douglas, Eric Valentine, Sandeep Patel
River Research and Applications, Sept 2010
This paper reports the development and application of two Bayesian Network models to assist decision making on the environmental flows required to maintain the ecological health of the Daly River. The abundances of two fish species—barramundi (Lates calcarifer) and sooty grunter (Hephaestus fuliginosus)—were chosen as the ecological endpoints for the models, which linked dry season flows to key aspects of the biology of each species. If current extraction entitlements were fully utilized, the models showed there would be significant impacts on the populations of these two fish species.

http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/rra.1456/abstract

A Compendium of Ecological Information on Australia's Northern Tropical Rivers

Lukacs, G.P. and Finlayson, C.M. (eds) 2008. A Compendium of Ecological Information on Australia's Northern Tropical Rivers. Sub project 1 of Australia's Tropical Rivers - an integrated data assessment and analysis (DET18). A report to Land & Water Australia. Australian Centre for Tropical Freshwater Research, National Centre for Tropical Wetland Reseacrh, Townsville, Queensland.
9 reports cover the following topics: geomorphology, estuaries, hydrology, riparian vegetation, water quality, aquatic macroinvertebrates, freshwater fish, aquatic reptiles and waterbirds
http://www.environment.gov.au/ssd/tropical-rivers/triap-sp1.html

Printed copy available at NRETAS and DPI Library

Fishing the 'big rivers' in Australia's Northern territory: market diversification for the Daly River

Carson, D. Schmallegger, D.
2009 CABI (ISBN 9781845934682)
This e-book chapter is concerned with the fishing assets (including rivers, estuaries, lakes and billabongs) of the Northern Territory (Australia) and how their use might reflect on innovation in the tourism destination system. Specifically, the chapter examines the level of diversity in the fishing tourism marketplace in the Northern Territory. The research considers two aspects: the first is the diversity of trips taken to the Northern Territory which feature fishing as an activity (trip patterns); and the second is the industry response to the market in terms of the structure of the product mix and marketing strategies (industrial organization) of one of the big-river fishing destinations in the Territory's Top End. Data from the Northern Territory Travel Monitor (2000-04) are used to describe trip patterns and a case study of the Daly River is used to analyse industrial organization.

e-book: subscription access required

Fish need water too!

J. Harrison
Amateur Fishermen’s Association of the Northern Territory Inc.,

Factors contributing to a fish kill in the Australian wet/dry tropics

S. A. Townsend, K. T. Boland and T. J. Wrigley
Water research
26, 8, p1039-1044, 1992-08

The hydrological and limnological factors associated with the death of 5000 fish, comprising 18 species, in Donkey Camp Pool on the Katherine River NT after the 1987-88 wet season are discussed. On the evidence presented, the fish kill is primarily related to natural causes associated with low oxygen concentrations in the pool resulting from the displacement of pool water with cooler runoff from the Maude Creek catchments which carried a substantial organic load and had a high oxygen demand. Humic compound toxicity may have also contributed. The event highlights the potential impact of storm runoff on receiving waters in the wet/dry tropics.

Reassessment of population structure in Australian barramundi, Lates calcarifer (Bloch)

C. P. Keenan
Newsletter of the Australian Society for Fish Biology, 22, 2, 36-37

Fishery status reports 2004

P. Zeroni and L. Wood
Department of Primary Industries, Fisheries and Mines

The 2004 Report provides information on the NT’s wild harvest fisheries, the expanding aquaculture industry, recreational and fishing tourism industries, the Indigenous fishing sector, and activities with respect to aquatic pest management. An addition to the 2004 report is the inclusion of a new section providing an overview of the types and numbers of licences issued by NT Fisheries for the calendar year. With regards to the important management of the Territory’s valuable wild harvest fisheries, individual reports include information on the ecological sustainability. The Daly River is mentioned a number of times in the sections of: barramundi fishery, recreational fishing and fishing tour operators.

The occurrence of natural fish kills, and their causes, in the Darwin-Katherine-Jabiru region of northern Australia

S. Townsend
Mitt. Internat. Verein. Limnol, 24, 197-205,

Fisheries Regulations

Department of Primary Industries, Fisheries and Mines

A report that indicates the catch size and bag limits for a number of species across the Northern Territory. The topics included in the report include; General Personal Possession Limit, Managed Species, Enforcement, Barramundi Fishing Controls, Jewfish Fishing Controls, and Mud Crab Fishing Controls.

It points out the importance of regulation that no fishing is allowed in certain sections of the Daly River during October through to January.

Fishcount: a survey of recreational fishing in the Northern Territory

A. P. M. Coleman
Department of Primary Industries and Fisheries

Weber's mudskipper Periophthalmus weberi: new record for the Daly River

H. K. Larson
Northern Territory Naturalist, 20, 19-21,

Weber's mudskipper is restricted to Northern Australia and Papua New Guinea and associated with tidal fresh waters in the areas of mangrove and nipa palms. Specimens were collected in Elizabeth Creek in June 2007 during the 'Water regime dependence of fish in the wet-dry tropics'' collaborative project.

Draft conservation plan for the Daly Basin bioregion

Department of Infrastructure, Planning and Environment,

This draft plan is concerned with ensuring the protection of conservation values, such as providing breeding area, habitat and refuge for important wildlife populations, especially of fish, turtles, insects, waterbirds and crocodiles. The goal of this conservation plan is to ensure that the species, ecosystems and ecological processes present in the Daly Basin are adequately conserved.

This plan discusses the features of the Daly Basin bioregion; geology, soils, water, flora, fauna and the history of human occupation. The key threatening processes in the basin and the proposed mitigation measures are also detailed.

The informative conservation draft plan provides information on a large range of conservation issues within the study basin bioregion, also provided in the plan are control measures that have already been established and suggestions to further developing them.

Estuarine fish: flow impacts on estuarine finfish fisheries of the Gulf of Carpentaria

I. Halliday
This project aims to increase our understanding of how freshwater flows in tropical rivers affect the abundance of some key estuarine fish species. Data collection will occur in the Gulf of Carpentaria and key catchments adjoining the gulf, including the Daly river.
http://www.track.gov.au/research.html

Water regime dependence of fish in the wet-dry tropics

M. Douglas, B. Pusey, M. Kennard and S. Jackson
CDU
Relate patterns of fish diversity and activity across contrasting flow and hydraulic habitat characteristics. To support a capacity to predict effects of changes in flow regimes on fish and hence to recommend minimum flow rates. Record indigenous knowledge and values of fish and use this to inform models.

Water regime dependence of fish in the wet-dry tropics :Environmental and cultural water requirements in the Katherine and Darwin Districts

M. Douglas
CDU
Extends the project 'Water regime dependence of fish in the wet-dry tropics' to include sites in the Katherine River and in the Howard River. Sampling of fish and primary producers in the Katherine River.

Environmental flows and ecological assets: flow-ecology relationships for biodiversity and ecosystem processes

P. Davies
This research will investigate the relationships between flow and fish, habitats, foodwebs and ecosystem processes in tropical rivers. It will build on work already done as part of the "Daly river fish and environmental flows" project. The project will develop models and tools which evaluate the environmental consequences of flow alteration.
http://www.track.gov.au/research.html