Arabic version: عودة سمك الموراي كود إلى بحيرة بوني

According to ABC News, around 600 mature Murray Cod were returned to Lake Bonney at Barmera in South Australia’s Riverland last week, in a reintroduction intended to revive the native fish population after it disappeared from the lake years ago. The lake is connected to the River Murray.

The project was driven by RecFish SA and supported by the state government and the newly established Recreational Fishing Authority. RecFish SA chief executive Asher Dezsery said water-quality problems, the lake’s separation from the river and fish kills had removed cod from Lake Bonney. He said the released fish, some up to a metre long, were mature broodstock rather than fingerlings and could create an “instant fishery”.

Charles Sturt University ecology associate professor Paul Humphries said Murray Cod defined the Murray-Darling Basin and connected systems. He said the fish could improve the lake’s water, structure and water quality as habitat engineers, while also playing a major role in the natural food chain. However, he said the release alone was unlikely to solve the large carp population, although cod may prey on small carp.

Ngintait elder Norman Wilson said Lake Bonney and Murray Cod were culturally significant. He hoped some cod would move into the river system, while believing they would return to breed. Berri Barmera Council mayor Ella Winnall said the release gave locals and visitors another reason to spend time at the lake and could support recreational fishing tourism. Fishing for Murray Cod is prohibited during the breeding season; South Australia’s catch-and-release season resumes on January 1, 2027.