How fish kills affected traditional (Baakandji) and non-traditional communities on the Lower Darling–Baaka River
Iain Ellis
A H , William (Badger) Bates B , Sarah Martin C , Graeme McCrabb D , John Koehn F G , Peter Heath E and Derek Hardman B
A New South Wales Department of Primary Industries, PO Box 363, Buronga, NSW 2739, Australia.
B Barkandji Native Title Prescribed Body Corporate, 107 Gaffney Lane, Broken Hill, NSW 2880, Australia.
C OASYS Outback Archaeological Systems, PO Box 272, Broken Hill, NSW 2880, Australia.
D Lot 1530 McInnes Road, Menindee, NSW 2879, Australia.
E New South Wales Department of Primary Industries, PO Box 62, Dareton, NSW 2717, Australia.
F Applied Aquatic Ecology, Arthur Rylah Institute for Environmental Research, Department of Environment, Land, Water and Planning, 123 Brown Street, Heidelberg, Vic. 3084, Australia.
G Institute for Land Water and Society, Charles Sturt University, PO Box 789, Albury, NSW 2640, Australia.
H Corresponding author. Email: iain.ellis@dpi.nsw.gov.au
Marine and Freshwater Research 73(2) 259-268 https://doi.org/10.1071/MF20376
Submitted: 24 December 2020 Accepted: 10 June 2021 Published: 13 September 2021
Journal Compilation © CSIRO 2022 Open Access CC BY-NC-ND
Abstract
In the summer of 2018–19 mass fish kills occurred in the Lower Darling (Baaka) River in south-eastern Australia. The fish kills received national and international attention and have been the focus of numerous government agency and independent assessments. Although fish kills have previously been recorded in the Lower Darling region, the size and rapid succession of the 2018–19 ‘Menindee’ fish kills made them unprecedented in the Murray–Darling Basin, placing significant pressure on the native fish community. Although the deaths of millions of fish were documented, the significant negative effect that the fish kills had on local communities, particularly the traditional Baakandji people, was largely ignored. The social and cultural aspects of such events can have major non-economic effects on local communities. In this paper we document heart-felt feelings conveyed by local community members. Their sense of loss, despair and helplessness is compounded by frustration regarding water management and policy decision making in the Murray–Darling Basin. However, these tragic events have increased understanding of traditional Baakandji connection to the river and its fish and, together with local recovery efforts, now provide prospects for enhanced community and agency cooperation to improve the health of the lower Darling Baaka River and restore its native fish populations.
Keywords: Australia, cultural values, fish deaths, Indigenous, recreational, social, water management.
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