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Long Gully Fire and the Eastern Freshwater Cod Habitat

At the end of 2019, prolonged drought impacts and then widespread bushfire, followed by subsequent rainfall, saw some of Australia’s most precious and unique waterways destroyed.

OzFish and Landcare Australia have joined forces to help threatened species which suffered from the Black Summer fires thanks to the Landcare Australia Aquatic Wildlife Habitat Bushfire Program.

Reinvigorating the Riparian Zone

The Timbarra River aka the Rocky River is a mostly perennial stream of the Clarence River catchment and is located in the Northern Tablelands district of NSW .During the bushfires of November 2019 this area was heavily impacted destroying the habitat of the threatened species Eastern freshwater cod (Maccullochella Ikei).

The utter destruction of this habitat due to the fires has created new issues such as woody weeds, erosion in gullies, and the decimation of old-growth trees and riparian zone.

OzFish Unlimited and Landcare Australia have joined forces with landowners on the lower Rocky River Road to implement a bushfire recovery program to eradicate cats claw creeper over a 1 kilometer stretch of river and reinvigorate the riparian zone back for the cod habitat.

The Long Gully fire started on the 5th of September 2019 after a lightning strike. Due to the severe drought and the remoteness of the area, it burnt 74,000 hectares of bush and farmland, destroying 44 houses and damaging 22 more. It also sadly claimed the lives of two residents. The fire burned for months in the remote and mountainous terrain of the Rocky River in the Clarence catchment of the Northern Rivers.

Cats Claw Invasion

The aftermath of the fires and the rain events in 2019/2020 has seen a major outbreak of weeds in the area especially the cats claw creeper (Dolichandra unguis-cati), a woody vine that invades forests and riparian zones killing trees and understory plants.

The combined effects of these events have been incredibly detrimental to the habitat of the Eastern freshwater cod and many other aquatic species in the region.

Using an innovative approach, more than 400 jewel beetles have been introduced to provide a low risk, natural and cost-effective approach to combating the invasive vine as it is known to exclusively eat the plant.

Green and Gold

These waterways are the breeding ground of the last wild populations of the endangered Eastern freshwater cod.

These beautiful green and gold coloured fish were once prevalent throughout the entire Clarence system. Poor land management and environmental practices have seen them declined to the point of near extinction.

A breeding program was established to reintroduce the species back into its natural environment with populations of wild fish now appearing.

LATEST NEWS

Beautiful Beetle To The Rescue For Fire Impacted Waterways

More than 400 jewel beetles (Hylaeogena jureceki) have been released into bushfire impacted areas on the Rocky River with the help of OzFish volunteers to assist fish habitat restoration. They are set to fill their stomachs and eat away at the invasive cats claw creeper which has been overwhelming natives trying to rejuvenate after the fires. The release location was scorched during the Black Summer bushfires and is located where a wild population of endangered Eastern Freshwater Cod is known to be surviving.

Find Out More

The Landcare Australia Aquatic Wildlife Habitat Bushfire Program is funded by the Australian Government’s Wildlife and Habitat Bushfire Recovery program.