Size, growth and mortality of riverine golden perch (Macquaria ambigua) across a latitudinal gradient
Daniel W. Wright
A I , Brenton P. Zampatti B H , Lee J. Baumgartner C , Steven Brooks D , Gavin L. Butler E , David A. Crook F , Ben G. Fanson G , Wayne Koster G , Jarod Lyon G , Arron Strawbridge B , Zeb Tonkin G and Jason D. Thiem A C
+ Author Affiliations
- Author Affiliations
A Department of Primary Industries, Narrandera Fisheries Centre, PO Box 182, Narrandera, NSW 2700, Australia.
B Inland Waters and Catchment Ecology Program, SARDI Aquatic Sciences, PO Box 120, Henley Beach, SA 5022, Australia.
C Institute for Land, Water and Society, Charles Sturt University, PO Box 789, Albury, NSW 2640, Australia.
D Department of Agriculture and Fisheries, GPO Box 46, Brisbane, Qld 4001, Australia.
E Department of Primary Industries, Grafton Fisheries Centre, Private Mail Bag 2, Grafton, NSW 2460, Australia.
F Centre for Freshwater Ecosystems, La Trobe University, PO Box 821, Wodonga, Vic. 3689, Australia.
G Arthur Rylah Institute for Environmental Research, Department of Environment, Land, Water and Planning, PO Box 137, Heidelberg, Vic. 3084, Australia.
H Present address: Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO), Locked Bag 2, Glen Osmond, SA 5064, Australia.
I Corresponding author. Email: daniel.wright@dpi.nsw.gov.au
Marine and Freshwater Research 71(12) 1651-1661 https://doi.org/10.1071/MF20056
Submitted: 19 February 2020 Accepted: 2 June 2020 Published: 21 July 2020
Journal Compilation © CSIRO 2020 Open Access CC BY-NC
Abstract
Effective fisheries management requires fish size, growth and mortality information representative of the population and location of interest. Golden perch Macquaria ambigua is long lived, potamodromous and widespread in the Murray–Darling Basin (MDB), Australia. Using a sample spanning 13 river systems and 10° of latitude, we examined whether the maximum size of golden perch differed by latitude and whether growth and mortality varied between northern and southern MDB regions. The length, weight and age ranges of golden perch sampled (n = 873) were 52–559 mm, 2–3201 g and 0+ to 26+ years respectively, and maximum length and weight were unaffected by latitude. Length and age–length distributions represented by age–length keys varied by region, with greater variability in age-at-length and a larger proportion of smaller individuals in northern MDB rivers, which generally exhibit greater variability in discharge. Growth and mortality rates were similar between regions, and an MDB-wide von Bertalanffy growth model (L∞ = 447, k = 0.32 and t0 = –0.51) and instantaneous mortality rate (Z = 0.20) best described the data. An MDB-wide length–weight equation also provided the best fit (W = 6.76 × 10–6 L3.12). Our data suggest that the MDB can be treated as one management unit in terms of golden perch maximum size, growth and mortality parameters.
Additional keywords: age–length key, Bergmann’s rule, Murray–Darling Basin, otolith aging, von Bertalanffy growth function.
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