Fish in Australia
Encyclopedia
There are many species
of fish in Australia, and fishing
is a popular Australian activity. Most of Australia's fish species are marine. More than 4400 species of fish inhabit Australia's waterways. 70% of Australia's freshwater fish have affinities with tropical Indo-Pacific marine species that have adapted to freshwater.
is used to stock freshwater reservoirs for recreational fishing. Its white flesh is delicate, mild-flavoured, and relatively boneless, making it a popular (and sometimes expensive) which can be prepared in many ways.
The Flathead
is a popular sport and table fish found in all parts of Australia. Dusky Flathead are found in estuaries and coastal bays, from Cairns in Queensland to the Gippsland Lakes in Victoria.
The South Australian cobbler
Gymnapistes marmoratus (Cuvier 1829), often just called "Cobbler" in Australia, is a brown-coloured fish that lives in estuaries in southern Australia, both on the eastern (New South Wales) and western (Western Australia - near Perth) coasts. Its dorsal fin's spines are venomous.
The Cobbler
Cnidoglanis macrocephalus is an eeltail catfish found along the coasts of Australia, favouring shallow protected waters near river mouths. It is also known as "Deteira", "Estuary Catfish", and "South Australian Catfish".
"Flake"
is a term used in Australia to indicate the flesh of any of several species of small shark
, particularly Gummy Shark
.
The Queensland Lungfish
is native to the Burnett and Mary River systems of south-east Queensland, but has been introduced into other nearby rivers, including the Brisbane River.
The most important freshwater system in Australia is the Murray-Darling Basin which drains approximately 13% of the continent and is home to some of Australia's most significant freshwater fish species including the iconic Murray Cod, Australia's largest.
Australian freshwater fish have not fared well since European settlement of Australia in 1788. The majority of Australian freshwater fishes are poorly understood and are under threat due to human activities such clearing of riparian vegetation and siltation associated with agricultural practices, snag removal, overfishing, river regulation through dams and weirs, introduced fish and diseases. Two native fish populations that may have been separate species or sub-species, Richmond River Cod and Brisbane River Cod, have already been lost, and a number of other species are listed as endangered or critically endangered.
Murray Cod
inhabit a wide variety of habitats, from cool clear streams with a rocky substrate in upland areas to large slow flowing, meandering rivers in the extensive alluvial lowland reaches of the Murray-Darling. Murray Cod in previous decades (particularly in the late 19th and early 20th centuries) were caught in enormous numbers by both recreational anglers and professional fishermen.
Other types of Australian freshwater fish:
is quite popular in Lake Burley Griffin
with the most common species
being the illegally introduced Carp
. The lake has been stocked annually with a variety of introduced and native species and over 1.26 million fish have been released since 1964 . Annual monitoring is carried out to determine fish populations. The 2001 survey only returned Carp
and Redfin Perch, both introduced species, and native Golden Perch
. However a number of less common species also inhabit the lake, including native Murray Cod
, Western Carp Gudgeon
and Silver Perch
, as well as introduced Goldfish
, Gambusia
, Rainbow trout
and Brown trout
.
There have been many changes to the fish populations in the lake as well as stocking practices since it was first filled. Stockings of introduced Trout
have been abandoned as the lake has proved to be a warm, eutrophic habitat that is not suited to the survival of introduced Trout species.
Regular stocking since the start of the 1980s have established reasonable populations of Golden Perch and highly elusive Murray Cod; native fish that were indigenous to the Molonglo River
before the lake was built. Today Golden Perch and Murray Cod are the only fish stocked in the lake. Murray Cod are remarkable as freshwater fish for the extreme sizes they achieve and this is particularly the case for Lake Burley-Griffin; specimens to approximately 38 kg have been recorded and there is no doubt there are a few even larger Murray Cod in the lake.
Through natural breeding the introduced Redfin Perch
has become a prominent fish species in the lake. The Redfin numbers cycle due to regular onslaughts of Epizootic Haematopoietic Necrosis (EHN) Virus, a mysterious endemic virus that is highly lethal to juvenile Redfin. After an onslaught of EHN Virus, the remaining Redfin achieve very large sizes over the next few years due to reduced food competition. During these periods of reduced competition Redfin can grow up to 50cm, unusually large for this species. These large Redfin offer excellent fishing.
Carp are best pursued in the lake with a small hook baited with tinned corn kernels and little or no lead weight. Redfin are best pursued with the various small soft plastic jigs in worm and fish shapes. Golden Perch and Murray Cod are best pursued with live yabby baits or deep-diving lures and spinnerbait
s. Golden Perch are not too difficult to catch but the Murray Cod are extremely, frustratingly elusive. Lures are best used in areas of medium depth that have weedbeds, rocks and drop-offs as fish-attracting structure,
The Golden Perch and Murray Cod in this food-rich lake develop high levels of fat and a muddy taste in their flesh, which make them poor eating. Anglers are encouraged to release these native fish and retain the introduced species for eating, particularly Redfin which are excellent table fish.
is a fish found in Port Phillip, Melbourne, Australia.
Apart from the Morwong, there are many more, more abundant fish species to be found in Port Phillip Bay. Of these, the flathead is arguably the most abundant, making up the bulk of recreational boat anglers catches. The most highly prized fish, the Snapper, is another species to be found here and makes characteristic seasonal appearances in the bay.
Rounding off, mullet, garfish, Australian Salmon as well as a host of other less abundant fish can be found in Port Phillip Bay.
The party is known for the motto I FISH & I VOTE
Species
In biology, a species is one of the basic units of biological classification and a taxonomic rank. A species is often defined as a group of organisms capable of interbreeding and producing fertile offspring. While in many cases this definition is adequate, more precise or differing measures are...
of fish in Australia, and fishing
Fishing
Fishing is the activity of trying to catch wild fish. Fish are normally caught in the wild. Techniques for catching fish include hand gathering, spearing, netting, angling and trapping....
is a popular Australian activity. Most of Australia's fish species are marine. More than 4400 species of fish inhabit Australia's waterways. 70% of Australia's freshwater fish have affinities with tropical Indo-Pacific marine species that have adapted to freshwater.
Types of fish
In Australia, the BarramundiBarramundi
The Barramundi , also known as Asian Seabass, is a species of catadromous fish in family Latidae of order Perciformes. The native species is widely distributed in the Indo-West Pacific region from the Persian Gulf, through Southeast Asia to Papua New Guinea and Northern Australia. Known in Thai...
is used to stock freshwater reservoirs for recreational fishing. Its white flesh is delicate, mild-flavoured, and relatively boneless, making it a popular (and sometimes expensive) which can be prepared in many ways.
The Flathead
Flathead (fish)
A flathead is one of a number of small to medium fish species with notably flat heads, distributed in membership across various genera of the family Platycephalidae. Many species are found in the Indo-Pacific, especially most parts of Australia where they are popular sport and table fish...
is a popular sport and table fish found in all parts of Australia. Dusky Flathead are found in estuaries and coastal bays, from Cairns in Queensland to the Gippsland Lakes in Victoria.
The South Australian cobbler
South Australian cobbler
The South Australian cobbler, Gymnapistes marmoratus, often just called "cobbler" in Australia, is a brown coloured fish that lives in estuaries in southern Australia, both on the eastern and western coasts...
Gymnapistes marmoratus (Cuvier 1829), often just called "Cobbler" in Australia, is a brown-coloured fish that lives in estuaries in southern Australia, both on the eastern (New South Wales) and western (Western Australia - near Perth) coasts. Its dorsal fin's spines are venomous.
The Cobbler
Cobbler (fish)
Cnidoglanis macrocephalus is a species of catfish of the family Plotosidae, and is the only species of the genus Cnidoglanis...
Cnidoglanis macrocephalus is an eeltail catfish found along the coasts of Australia, favouring shallow protected waters near river mouths. It is also known as "Deteira", "Estuary Catfish", and "South Australian Catfish".
"Flake"
Flake (fish)
Flake is a term used in Australia to indicate the flesh of any of several species of small shark, particularly Gummy shark. The term probably arose in the late 1920s when the large-scale commercial shark fishery off the coast of Victoria was established. Until that time, shark was generally an...
is a term used in Australia to indicate the flesh of any of several species of small shark
Shark
Sharks are a type of fish with a full cartilaginous skeleton and a highly streamlined body. The earliest known sharks date from more than 420 million years ago....
, particularly Gummy Shark
Gummy shark
The gummy shark, Mustelus antarcticus, is a shark in the family Triakidae. It is a slender grey shark with white spots along the body and flat plate-like teeth for crushing its prey. It has a maximum length of between 157 cm and 175 cm . It feeds on crustaceans, marine worms, small fish...
.
The Queensland Lungfish
Queensland Lungfish
The Queensland lungfish, Neoceratodus forsteri is the sole surviving member of the family Ceratodontidae and order Ceratodontiformes. It is one of only six extant lungfish species in the world...
is native to the Burnett and Mary River systems of south-east Queensland, but has been introduced into other nearby rivers, including the Brisbane River.
Freshwater Fish
The Australian continent, which is larger than the continental United States, has relatively few freshwater fishes, only some 280 species or so. A large proportion of these species are endemic to Australia. Australia is unique in that the Percicthyidae (Temperate Perches) family and other families suspected in reality to lie within it (eg Gadopsidae, Nannopercidae) have risen to prominence in and dominate many of its freshwater systems, in contrast to the Northern Hemisphere where freshwater fish faunas are overwhelmingly dominated by the Cyprinidae (Carp) family. (Not a single Cyprinid species is native to Australia. Unfortunately due to the illegal introduction of Carp (Cyprinus carpio) the Cyprinidae family is now present in a destructive form in Australia.) The Galaxiidae have also risen to unusual prominence in Australia, with the bulk of the world's Galaxias species found in Australia and its neighbouring land mass New Zealand.The most important freshwater system in Australia is the Murray-Darling Basin which drains approximately 13% of the continent and is home to some of Australia's most significant freshwater fish species including the iconic Murray Cod, Australia's largest.
Australian freshwater fish have not fared well since European settlement of Australia in 1788. The majority of Australian freshwater fishes are poorly understood and are under threat due to human activities such clearing of riparian vegetation and siltation associated with agricultural practices, snag removal, overfishing, river regulation through dams and weirs, introduced fish and diseases. Two native fish populations that may have been separate species or sub-species, Richmond River Cod and Brisbane River Cod, have already been lost, and a number of other species are listed as endangered or critically endangered.
Murray Cod
Murray Cod
The Murray cod is a large Australian predatory freshwater fish of the Maccullochella genus and the Percichthyidae family. Although the species is a called cod in the vernacular, it is not related to the northern hemisphere marine cod species...
inhabit a wide variety of habitats, from cool clear streams with a rocky substrate in upland areas to large slow flowing, meandering rivers in the extensive alluvial lowland reaches of the Murray-Darling. Murray Cod in previous decades (particularly in the late 19th and early 20th centuries) were caught in enormous numbers by both recreational anglers and professional fishermen.
Australian Bass
The Australian Bass, Macquaria novemaculeata, is a species in the family Percichthyidae that occurs in coastal waterways along the east coast of Australia. Australian Bass are a small to medium fish with a moderately deep, elongated body and are laterally compressed. Australian Bass are keenly fished for as they are valued as sportsfish, being fast and powerful for their size.Other types of Australian freshwater fish:
- Australian GraylingAustralian graylingThe Australian grayling is a primarily freshwater fish found in coastal rivers in Tasmania and south-eastern Australia. In past decades it has also been known as the “cucumber mullet” or “cucumber herring,” for its cucumber-like odor.-Description and Diet:The Australian grayling is a streamlined...
- Australian SmeltAustralian smeltAustralian smelt, Retropinna semoni, is a small, pelagic silvery freshwater fish found in large numbers in waters of the south eastern Australian mainland.-Distribution:Widely distributed through the south eastern part of the Australian mainland...
- Climbing galaxiasClimbing galaxiasThe Climbing galaxias or the Koaro , is a fish of the family Galaxiidae found in Australia, New Zealand and nearby islands. The name Climbing galaxias is used in Australia, and Koaro in New Zealand...
- Common GalaxiasCommon galaxiasThe common galaxias or the inanga , is a species of fish from the galaxiid family that is very widespread in the southern hemisphere. It is a slim narrow fish with a forked tail and as an adult it lives in freshwater rivers and lakes. Common galaxias grows to a length of 40 to 120 mm, but can grow...
- Eastern Freshwater CodEastern freshwater codEastern freshwater cod, Maccullochella ikei, also known as eastern cod, are a large and striking predatory freshwater fish of the Maccullochella genus and the Percichthyidae family, that occur in the coastal Clarence River system of north-eastern New South Wales...
- Eel-tailed CatfishEel-tailed CatfishThe eel-tailed catfish, Tandanus tandanus, is a species of catfish of the family Plotosidae. This fish is also known as dewfish, freshwater catfish, jewfish, and tandan.-Distribution:...
- Estuary perchEstuary perchThe estuary perch, Macquaria colonorum, is an Australian species of the Percichthyidae family.It is very similar to and very closely related to its sister species the Australian bass, Macquaria novemaculeata...
- Flathead galaxias
- Garfish (HalfbeakHalfbeakThe halfbeaks are a geographically widespread and numerically abundant family of epipelagic fish inhabiting warm waters around the world. The family Hemiramphidae is divided into two subfamilies, the primarily marine Hemiramphinae and the freshwater or estuarine Zenarchopterinae...
) - Golden PerchGolden perchThe golden perch, Macquaria ambigua, is an Australian native freshwater fish, primarily of the Murray-Darling river system. It is not a true perch of the genus Perca....
- InangaCommon galaxiasThe common galaxias or the inanga , is a species of fish from the galaxiid family that is very widespread in the southern hemisphere. It is a slim narrow fish with a forked tail and as an adult it lives in freshwater rivers and lakes. Common galaxias grows to a length of 40 to 120 mm, but can grow...
- Macquarie PerchMacquarie perchThe Macquarie perch is an Australian native freshwater fish of the Murray-Darling river system. It is a member of the Percichthyidae family and is closely related to the golden perch ....
- Mary River CodMary River codMary River cod are a Maccullochella cod found in the coastal Mary River system of southern Queensland, Australia...
- Mountain GalaxiasMountain galaxiasThe mountain galaxias species complex is a group of freshwater Galaxiid fish found all over southeast Australia. They form a cryptic species complex.-Classification:These fish were originally designated as a single species, Galaxias olidus, despite:...
- Queensland LungfishQueensland LungfishThe Queensland lungfish, Neoceratodus forsteri is the sole surviving member of the family Ceratodontidae and order Ceratodontiformes. It is one of only six extant lungfish species in the world...
- RainbowfishRainbowfishThe rainbowfish are a family of small, colourful, freshwater fish that are found in northern and eastern Australia and New Guinea and in the Southeast Asian islands....
- RetropinnidaeRetropinnidaeRetropinnidae is a family of bony fish that contains the southern hemisphere smelts and graylings. They are quite closely related to the northern smelts , which they greatly resemble, but not to the northern graylings . Species from this family are only found in southeastern Australia and New Zealand...
- River BlackfishRiver BlackfishThe river blackfish, is an Australian native freshwater fish of the Murray-Darling river system, found from southern Queensland through to central Victoria. It is also found in some eastern and southern flowing coastal rivers...
- Salamanderfish
- Short-finned EelShort-finned eelThe short-finned eel, Anguilla australis, is one of the 15 species of eel in the family Anguillidae. It is native to the lakes, dams and coastal rivers of south-eastern Australia, New Zealand, and much of the South Pacific, including New Caledonia, Norfolk Island, Lord Howe Island, Tahiti, and...
- Sleepy CodSleepy codThe sleepy cod, Oxyeleotris lineolatus, is a medium-sized freshwater fish, native to tropical regions of northern Australia.Sleepy cod generally weigh up to 3 kg. They are very common in waterways across northern Australia. They are plain brown coloured fishes. They are sedentary in nature...
- Trout CodTrout CodThe trout cod or bluenose cod, Maccullochella macquariensis, is a large predatory freshwater fish of the Maccullochella genus and the Percichthyidae family which was originally found in the south-east corner of the Murray-Darling river system in Australia...
- Two-spined blackfishTwo-spined blackfishThe two-spined blackfish, Gadopsis bispinosus, is an Australian native freshwater fish. It is a speciated, more specialised upland variant of the river blackfish, Gadopsis marmoratus....
- Western Carp GudgeonWestern Carp GudgeonThe western carp gudgeon, Hypseleotris klunzingeri, is a carp gudgeon of the Eleotridae family. Carp gudgeons are small perciform fish found in the Australian Murray-Darling river system, mainly in lowland environments, but some have been observed in upland environments...
Australian Capital Territory
FishingFishing
Fishing is the activity of trying to catch wild fish. Fish are normally caught in the wild. Techniques for catching fish include hand gathering, spearing, netting, angling and trapping....
is quite popular in Lake Burley Griffin
Lake Burley Griffin
Lake Burley Griffin is an artificial lake in the centre of Canberra, the capital of Australia. It was completed in 1963 after the Molonglo River—which ran between the city centre and Parliamentary Triangle—was dammed...
with the most common species
Species
In biology, a species is one of the basic units of biological classification and a taxonomic rank. A species is often defined as a group of organisms capable of interbreeding and producing fertile offspring. While in many cases this definition is adequate, more precise or differing measures are...
being the illegally introduced Carp
Common carp
The Common carp is a widespread freshwater fish of eutrophic waters in lakes and large rivers in Europe and Asia. The wild populations are considered vulnerable to extinction, but the species has also been domesticated and introduced into environments worldwide, and is often considered an invasive...
. The lake has been stocked annually with a variety of introduced and native species and over 1.26 million fish have been released since 1964 . Annual monitoring is carried out to determine fish populations. The 2001 survey only returned Carp
Carp
Carp are various species of oily freshwater fish of the family Cyprinidae, a very large group of fish native to Europe and Asia. The cypriniformes are traditionally grouped with the Characiformes, Siluriformes and Gymnotiformes to create the superorder Ostariophysi, since these groups have certain...
and Redfin Perch, both introduced species, and native Golden Perch
Golden perch
The golden perch, Macquaria ambigua, is an Australian native freshwater fish, primarily of the Murray-Darling river system. It is not a true perch of the genus Perca....
. However a number of less common species also inhabit the lake, including native Murray Cod
Murray Cod
The Murray cod is a large Australian predatory freshwater fish of the Maccullochella genus and the Percichthyidae family. Although the species is a called cod in the vernacular, it is not related to the northern hemisphere marine cod species...
, Western Carp Gudgeon
Western Carp Gudgeon
The western carp gudgeon, Hypseleotris klunzingeri, is a carp gudgeon of the Eleotridae family. Carp gudgeons are small perciform fish found in the Australian Murray-Darling river system, mainly in lowland environments, but some have been observed in upland environments...
and Silver Perch
Silver Perch
Silver perch is a medium sized freshwater fish endemic to the Murray-Darling river system in south-eastern Australia. The scientific name comes from an aboriginal name for the species recorded by Major Mitchell on his 1832 expedition. It is not a perch, being a grunter in the family Terapontidae...
, as well as introduced Goldfish
Goldfish
The goldfish is a freshwater fish in the family Cyprinidae of order Cypriniformes. It was one of the earliest fish to be domesticated, and is one of the most commonly kept aquarium fish....
, Gambusia
Gambusia
Gambusia is a large genus of fish in family Poeciliidae . Gambusia contains over 40 species, most of which are principally found in freshwater habitats, though some species may also be found in brackish or saltwater habitats. The type species is the Cuban gambusia, Gambusia punctata)...
, Rainbow trout
Rainbow trout
The rainbow trout is a species of salmonid native to tributaries of the Pacific Ocean in Asia and North America. The steelhead is a sea run rainbow trout usually returning to freshwater to spawn after 2 to 3 years at sea. In other words, rainbow trout and steelhead trout are the same species....
and Brown trout
Brown trout
The brown trout and the sea trout are fish of the same species....
.
There have been many changes to the fish populations in the lake as well as stocking practices since it was first filled. Stockings of introduced Trout
Trout
Trout is the name for a number of species of freshwater and saltwater fish belonging to the Salmoninae subfamily of the family Salmonidae. Salmon belong to the same family as trout. Most salmon species spend almost all their lives in salt water...
have been abandoned as the lake has proved to be a warm, eutrophic habitat that is not suited to the survival of introduced Trout species.
Regular stocking since the start of the 1980s have established reasonable populations of Golden Perch and highly elusive Murray Cod; native fish that were indigenous to the Molonglo River
Molonglo River
The Molonglo River rises on the western side of the Great Dividing Range of eastern Australia in the state of New South Wales. Its source is on the other side of the mountain range from where the Shoalhaven River rises, in Tallaganda state forest at ~1200 metres altitude...
before the lake was built. Today Golden Perch and Murray Cod are the only fish stocked in the lake. Murray Cod are remarkable as freshwater fish for the extreme sizes they achieve and this is particularly the case for Lake Burley-Griffin; specimens to approximately 38 kg have been recorded and there is no doubt there are a few even larger Murray Cod in the lake.
Through natural breeding the introduced Redfin Perch
European perch
The European perch, Perca fluviatilis, is a predatory species of perch found in Europe and Asia. In some areas it is known as the redfin perch or English perch, and it is often known simply as perch. The species is a popular quarry for anglers and has been widely introduced beyond its native area,...
has become a prominent fish species in the lake. The Redfin numbers cycle due to regular onslaughts of Epizootic Haematopoietic Necrosis (EHN) Virus, a mysterious endemic virus that is highly lethal to juvenile Redfin. After an onslaught of EHN Virus, the remaining Redfin achieve very large sizes over the next few years due to reduced food competition. During these periods of reduced competition Redfin can grow up to 50cm, unusually large for this species. These large Redfin offer excellent fishing.
Carp are best pursued in the lake with a small hook baited with tinned corn kernels and little or no lead weight. Redfin are best pursued with the various small soft plastic jigs in worm and fish shapes. Golden Perch and Murray Cod are best pursued with live yabby baits or deep-diving lures and spinnerbait
Spinnerbait
A Spinnerbait refers to any one of a family of fishing lures that get their name from one or more metal blades shaped so as to spin like a propeller when the lure is in motion, creating varying degrees of flash and vibration that mimics small fish or other prey...
s. Golden Perch are not too difficult to catch but the Murray Cod are extremely, frustratingly elusive. Lures are best used in areas of medium depth that have weedbeds, rocks and drop-offs as fish-attracting structure,
The Golden Perch and Murray Cod in this food-rich lake develop high levels of fat and a muddy taste in their flesh, which make them poor eating. Anglers are encouraged to release these native fish and retain the introduced species for eating, particularly Redfin which are excellent table fish.
Victoria
A MorwongMorwong
Morwongs are perciform fishes comprising the family Cheilodactylidae. Most of the almost 30 species are found in temperate and subtropical oceans in the Southern Hemisphere, but three are restricted to northwest Pacific off Japan and China, and C. vittatus is restricted to Hawaii...
is a fish found in Port Phillip, Melbourne, Australia.
Apart from the Morwong, there are many more, more abundant fish species to be found in Port Phillip Bay. Of these, the flathead is arguably the most abundant, making up the bulk of recreational boat anglers catches. The most highly prized fish, the Snapper, is another species to be found here and makes characteristic seasonal appearances in the bay.
Rounding off, mullet, garfish, Australian Salmon as well as a host of other less abundant fish can be found in Port Phillip Bay.
Fishing Party
The Fishing Party is a minor federal political party in Australia, that never won a seat in a federal election. The party has branches in several states. It is headquartered in Singleton NSW. It is also known in Australia as the bogan partyThe party is known for the motto I FISH & I VOTE