Ecological weekends monitoring flood effects
Ecological weekends monitoring flood effects
Following major flooding, the Down The Track team is back monitoring Lake Cargelligo's big backyard
Collaborations
The issue
Major floods damaged roads and infrastructure in the Lachlan catchment in late 2022. The Down The Track youth group at Lake Cargelligo resumed their ecological monitoring program on a hot weekend in February to check on any biological effects.
The solution
Participants used boats to access the island in the middle of the Lake (Robinson Crusoe Island) where they identified plants with Thomas Munro from the Biodiversity Conservation Trust in Dubbo. Then they set aquatic sampling gear to retrieve the following morning before making camp.
The impact
Carp of all sizes dominated all of the aquatic samples. This suggests that this invasive species is likely to capitalise on flooded rivers and wetlands in the Murray-Darling Basin rivers. Unfortunately, the overwhelming presence of carp is also likely to have a negative effect on aquatic vegetation, turbidity and native fish within Lake Cargelligo and other areas in the Lachlan.
Key facts
- Ecological samples were taken at Lake Cargelligo following flooding.
- All aquatic samples were dominated by carp.
- Carp were found in all size classes from small juveniles to large adults.
- Flooding provides ideal conditions for carp recruitment in a catchment like the Lachlan.