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Marine and Freshwater Research Marine and Freshwater Research Society
Advances in the aquatic sciences
EDITORIAL

Mass fish kills catalyse improved water and fisheries management

Craig A. Boys https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6434-2937 A B E , Thomas S. Rayner A B , Simon M. Mitrovic C , Katherine E. Doyle B , Lee. J. Baumgartner https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1237-5163 B and John D. Koehn https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0913-1133 B D
+ Author Affiliations
- Author Affiliations

A New South Wales Department of Primary Industries, Port Stephens Fisheries Institute, Taylors Beach Road, Taylors Beach, NSW 2316, Australia. Email: craig.boys@dpi.nsw.gov.au; tom.rayner@dpi.nsw.gov.au

B Institute for Land Water and Society, Charles Sturt University, PO Box 789, Albury, NSW 2640, Australia. Email: kadoyle@csu.edu.au; lbaumgartner@csu.edu.au

C School of Life Sciences, University of Technology Sydney, Ultimo, NSW 2007, Australia. Email: simon.mitrovic@uts.edu.au

D Applied Aquatic Ecology, Arthur Rylah Institute for Environmental Research, Department of Environment, Land, Water and Planning, 123 Brown Street, Heidelberg, Vic. 3084, Australia. Email: john.koehn@dse.vic.gov.au

E Corresponding author. Email: craig.boys@dpi.nsw.gov.au

Marine and Freshwater Research 73(2) i-iii https://doi.org/10.1071/MF21346
Submitted: 6 December 2021  Accepted: 14 December 2021   Published: 19 January 2022

Abstract

Mass fish kills capture the world’s attention and their frequency is increasing worldwide. The sudden death of many millions of native fish in the Darling–Baaka River in Australia in 2018–19 was a catalyst for the 11 articles in this special issue. Collectively, they advance our understanding of how to manage these events, dealing with: ecological impacts and recovery; technologies and approaches for prediction, preparedness and response; and the role of the public in preparing and responding to these catastrophic events.


References

Australian Academy of Science (2019). Investigation of the causes of mass fish kills in the Menindee Region NSW over the summer of 2018–2019. (Australian Academy of Science: Canberra, ACT, Australia.) Available at www.science.org.au/fish-kills-report [Verified 30 November 2021].

Baldwin, D. S., Boys, C. A., Rohlfs, A.-M., Ellis, I., and Pera, J. (2022). Field trials to determine the efficacy of aerators to mitigate hypoxia in inland waterways. Marine and Freshwater Research 73, 211–222.
Field trials to determine the efficacy of aerators to mitigate hypoxia in inland waterways.Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar |

Boys, C. A., Baldwin, D. S., Ellis, I., Pera, J., and Cheshire, K. (2022). Review of options for creating and maintaining oxygen refuges for fish during destratification-driven hypoxia in rivers. Marine and Freshwater Research 73, 200–210.
Review of options for creating and maintaining oxygen refuges for fish during destratification-driven hypoxia in rivers.Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar |

Davie, A. W., and Pera, J. B. (2022). The Fish Health Risk Indicator: linking water quality and river flow data with fish health to improve our predictive capacity around fish death events. Marine and Freshwater Research 73, 193–199.
The Fish Health Risk Indicator: linking water quality and river flow data with fish health to improve our predictive capacity around fish death events.Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar |

Ellis, I., Bates, W. B., Martin, S., McCrabb, G., Koehn, J., Heath, P., and Hardman, D. (2022). How fish kills affected traditional (Baakandji) and non-traditional communities on the Lower Darling–Baaka River. Marine and Freshwater Research 73, 259–268.
How fish kills affected traditional (Baakandji) and non-traditional communities on the Lower Darling–Baaka River.Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar |

Hughes, L. (2003). Climate change and Australia: trends, projections and impacts. Austral Ecology 28, 423–443.
Climate change and Australia: trends, projections and impacts.Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar |

Koehn, J. D. (2022). Key steps to improve the assessment, evaluation and management of fish kills: lessons from the Murray–Darling River system, Australia. Marine and Freshwater Research 73, 269–281.
Key steps to improve the assessment, evaluation and management of fish kills: lessons from the Murray–Darling River system, Australia.Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar |

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Advancing the science and practice of fish kill investigations.Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar |

New South Wales Department of Primary Industries (2020). Fish Kills in NSW 2019–2020. Available at https://www.dpi.nsw.gov.au/fishing/habitat/threats/fish-kills-2019-2020 [Verified 30 November 2021].

Pera, J. B., Davie, A. W., Rohlfs, A.-M., and Mitrovic, S. M. (2022). Simulating the potential effects of a carp virus fish kill on water quality and phytoplankton in lentic environments. Marine and Freshwater Research 73, 178–194.
Simulating the potential effects of a carp virus fish kill on water quality and phytoplankton in lentic environments.Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar |

Sheldon, F., Barma, D., Baumgartner, L., Bond, N., Mitrovic, S., and Vertessy, R. (2022). Assessment of the causes and solutions to the significant 2018–19 fish deaths in the Lower Darling River, New South Wales, Australia. Marine and Freshwater Research 73, 147–158.
Assessment of the causes and solutions to the significant 2018–19 fish deaths in the Lower Darling River, New South Wales, Australia.Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar |

Stocks, J. R., Ellis, I. M., van der Meulen, D. E., Doyle, J. I., and Cheshire, K. J. (2022). Kills in the Darling: assessing the impact of the 2018–20 mass fish kills on the fish communities of the Lower Darling–Baaka River, a large lowland river of south-eastern Australia. Marine and Freshwater Research 73, 159–177.
Kills in the Darling: assessing the impact of the 2018–20 mass fish kills on the fish communities of the Lower Darling–Baaka River, a large lowland river of south-eastern Australia.Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar |

Stuart, I. G., and Sharpe, C. P. (2022). Ecohydraulic model for designing environmental flows supports recovery of imperilled Murray cod (Maccullochella peelii) in the Lower Darling–Baaka River following catastrophic fish kills. Marine and Freshwater Research 73, 247–258.
Ecohydraulic model for designing environmental flows supports recovery of imperilled Murray cod (Maccullochella peelii) in the Lower Darling–Baaka River following catastrophic fish kills.Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar |

Thiem, J. D., Baumgartner, L. J., Fanson, B., Sadekov, A., Tonkin, Z., and Zampatti, B. P. (2022). Contrasting natal origin and movement history informs recovery pathways for three lowland river species following a mass fish kill. Marine and Freshwater Research 73, 237–246.
Contrasting natal origin and movement history informs recovery pathways for three lowland river species following a mass fish kill.Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar |

Vertessy, R., Barma, D., Baumgartner, L., Bond, N., Mitrovic, S., and Sheldon, F. (2019). Independent Assessment of the 2018/19 fish deaths in the lower Darling. pp. 1–99. Murray–Darling Basin Authority and Australian Government, Australia.

Zampatti, B. P., Fanson, B. G., Baumgartner, L. J., Butler, G. L., Brooks, S. G., Crook, D. A., Doyle, K., King, A. J., Koster, W. M., and Maas, R. (2022). Population demographics of golden perch (Macquaria ambigua) in the Darling River prior to a major fish kill: a guide for rehabilitation. Marine and Freshwater Research 73, 223–236.
Population demographics of golden perch (Macquaria ambigua) in the Darling River prior to a major fish kill: a guide for rehabilitation.Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar |