J. P. O’Connor

Arthur Rylah Institute for Environmental Research

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Ivor G. Stuart

Arthur Rylah Institute for Environmental Research

Frank Amtstaetter

Arthur Rylah Institute for Environmental Research

D. A. Murray

Curtin University

Thomas J. Hayden

University College Dublin

Wayne Koster

Arthur Rylah Institute for Environmental Research

Robin Hale

Arthur Rylah Institute for Environmental Research

Damien J. O’Mahony

Arthur Rylah Institute for Environmental Research

Zeb Tonkin

Arthur Rylah Institute for Environmental Research

D. Dawson

Arthur Rylah Institute for Environmental Research

Jarod Lyon

Arthur Rylah Institute for Environmental Research

Cooperative Institutions

Arthur Rylah Institute for Environmental Research

University of Melbourne

Charles Sturt University

Department of Environment, Land, Water and Planning

La Trobe University

Griffith University

Monash University

Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation

South Australian Research and Development Institute

University College Cork

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Third Survey of Public Fish Culture in the United States

The Progressive Fish-Culturist (1959)

William Hagen J. P. O’Connor

"Third Survey of Public Fish Culture in the United States." The Progressive Fish-Culturist, 21(4), p. 153

10.1577/1548-8659(1959)21[153:tsopfc]2.0.co;2

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Assessment of a vertical slot fishway in south‐eastern Australia designed to pass numerous species and size classes of fish

Ecological Management & Restoration (2019)

J. P. O’Connor Andrew Pickworth Benjamin G. Fanson Denis Lovric

Summary In the Barwon River, Australia, a tidal barrage formed a major impediment to fish movement so in 2013 a vertical slot fishway was installed. The assessment of fishways on tidal barriers is rare in Australia so to ensure the fishway was achieving its ecological objective (i.e. successfully passing the target size range of fish of 20–400 mm total length), fish were trapped at the entrance and exit on 12 occasions and the species composition, abundance and length of fish at the two locations were compared. Additionally, a section of the river downstream of the fishway was sampled to ensure fishway trapping accurately reflected the species composition wanting to use the fishway to move upstream. Eighteen species and 69,246 individual fish were caught in the fishway traps. Catch rates between locations did not differ for Common Galaxias ( Galaxias maculatus ) or Australian Smelt (Retropinna semoni ), although species‐specific catch rates were lower at the exit for Flat‐headed Gudgeon ( Philypnodon grandiceps ), Tupong ( Pseudaphritis urvillii ) and Yellow‐eye Mullet ( Aldrichetta forsteri ). Length distribution between locations only differed for Australian Smelt with small fish under‐represented at the exit location (<25 mm total length). Eight species of fish were collected downstream of the fishway that were not collected in it; however, all of these were estuarine dependent except the non‐native Common Carp ( Cyprinus carpio ). Our results indicate that vertical slot fishways are a suitable design for improving river connectivity at a low head, tidal barrages in south‐eastern Australia. The study reiterates the importance of reinstating connectivity for species with obligate marine/freshwater migratory life history traits, and the indirect benefits of increased productivity made available to upstream areas.

Smelt

Common carp

10.1111/emr.12367

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Association between temporal distribution of waterfowl on Lough Leane, Co. Kerry, Ireland and limnological characteristics of the lake

Wildfowl (1999)

A Ni Shuilleabhain J. P. O’Connor PA O’Leary

Coot (Fulica atra), Tufted Duck (Ayhtya fuligula) and Mallard (Anas platyrhyncos) were the most abundant residents on Lough Leane, Co. Kerry, Ireland, which was important to moulting Mallard and wintering Coot and Tufted duck. Coot and Mallard numbers were stable during the 3 year period of this study but Tufted duck numbers declined from a maximum average of approximately 600 to approximately 400. This 33% decline may be associated with increasing eutrophication of the lake.

Anas

Aythya

Anatidae

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Use of otolith chemistry to examine patterns of diadromy in the threatened Australian grayling Prototroctes maraena

Journal of Fish Biology (2006)

David A. Crook Jed I. Macdonald J. P. O’Connor B. Barry

Otolith chemical analyses (proton‐induced X‐ray emission and laser ablation inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry) were used to examine patterns of diadromy in Australian grayling Prototroctes maraena collected from three rivers in south‐eastern Australia. Concentrations of Sr:Ca and Ba:Ca were measured in the sagittal otoliths of 25 fish and in water samples collected on two occasions from multiple sites within freshwater, estuarine and marine reaches of the rivers. The results provide evidence of marine residency during the juvenile phase, with high Sr:Ca and low Ba:Ca in the inner region of the otoliths that were consistent across all three rivers. This general pattern was apparent for all individuals examined, suggesting that diadromous migration may be an obligate aspect of the life history. The chemical signatures of the outer regions of the otoliths were distinct between the three rivers, whilst there was no difference in the inner regions of the otoliths. This suggests that juveniles from different rivers may reside in a relatively homogenous chemical environment, such as the sea, and populations in coastal Victorian rivers may share a common marine recruitment source.

Grayling

10.1111/j.1095-8649.2006.01191.x

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Smoke on the water: Can riverine fish populations recover following a catastrophic fire‐related sediment slug?

Austral Ecology (2008)

Jarod Lyon J. P. O’Connor

Abstract In early 2003 a series of large, wildfire‐related sediment slugs occurred in streams in the south‐eastern Australian alpine region. Back‐pack and boat‐mounted electrofishing were used to measure changes in riverine fish fauna after one particularly large sediment slug which started in an upland stream and then travelled downstream through 200 km of third and fourth order stream. Twelve impact sites and eight control sites were surveyed where there were previous data on fish populations. The sites were surveyed directly after the sediment slug had passed and then 12, 24 and 36 months after. Immediately after the sediment slug, fish abundances fell by between 95–100% at four impact sites in the upper reaches of the study area, primarily due to the effect of low‐dissolved oxygen levels. Twelve months later fish numbers were still decreased in the upper catchment but showed signs of recovery after 24 months. Further downstream, where water quality was not as severely affected by the sediment slug, the effects on native fishes were less apparent. The circumstances of these events represented a unique opportunity to obtain baseline data regarding the effects of post‐fire disturbances on fish, and their time to recovery. If fire were to occur in catchments where endangered species exist, our results suggest that actions such as translocation may be required to ensure the long‐term survival of threatened species.

Electrofishing

Fish kill

10.1111/j.1442-9993.2008.01851.x

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Citations (110)

First Tracking of the Oceanic Spawning Migrations of Australasian Short- Finned Eels (Anguilla Australis)

Research Square (Research Square) (2021)

Wayne Koster Kim Aarestrup Kim Birnie‐Gauvin Ben Church D. Dawson

Abstract Across their near-global range, anguillid eel populations have declined dramatically over the last fifty years and many species are now threatened. A critical life history phase is migration from freshwater to distant oceans, culminating in their single life-time spawning event. For many anguillids, especially those in the southern hemisphere, mystery still shrouds their oceanic spawning migrations. We investigated the oceanic spawning migrations of the Australasian short-finned eel ( Anguilla australis ) using pop-up satellite archival tags. Eels were collected from river estuaries (38°S, 142°E) in south-eastern temperate Australia. In 2019, sixteen eels were tracked for up to about 5 months, ~2620 km from release, and as far north as the tropical Coral Sea (22°S, 155°E) off the north-east coast of Australia. Eels from southern Australia appeared to access deep water off the Australian coast via two main routes: (i) directly east via Bass Strait, or (ii) south-east around Tasmania, which is the shortest route to deep water. Tagged eels exhibited strong diel vertical migrations, alternating between the warm euphotic zone (~100 to 300 m, 15 to 20°C) at night, and the mesopelagic zone (~700 m to 900 m, 6 to 8°C) during the day. Marine predators, probably lamnid sharks, tuna, or marine mammals, ended many eel migrations (at least ~30%), with many eels lost before leaving the Australian continental shelf. The long and risky marine migrations of Australasian eels highlight the need for better information on the processes contributing to eel mortality across the life cycle, including the impacts of future changes to oceanic currents, predator abundance and direct anthropogenic disturbances.

Mesopelagic zone

Diel vertical migration

10.21203/rs.3.rs-622777/v1

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More than the sum of their parts — Environmental flows increase fish movement and fishway functionality

Ecological Engineering (2025)

Matthew Jones Paul D. Moloney Robin Hale Ivor G. Stuart J. P. O’Connor

Environmental flow

10.1016/j.ecoleng.2025.107566

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Marine eco-tourism in Cape Verde: its potential for sustainable development and conservation of marine biodiversity.

S. E. Merino Simon Berrow Thomas J. Hayden D. A. Murray J. P. O’Connor

Cape verde

Marine conservation

Sustainable Tourism

Marine Biodiversity

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Prioritising the rehabilitation of fish passage in a regulated river system based on fish movement

Ecological Management & Restoration (2015)

J. P. O’Connor Frank Amtstaetter Matthew Jones John Mahoney

Summary Environmental rehabilitation budgets are often limited, and management actions need to be prioritised to achieve the best outcomes. Prioritisation can best be done when evidence informs the decision‐making process. We acoustically tagged twenty Golden Perch ( M acquaria ambigua ) in the Loddon River, Australia, and tracked their movements to gain an understanding on the requirements for fish passage at a major regulating structure, the Box Creek regulator. The movements of these fish were monitored through a network of receivers located throughout the lower Loddon River and Pyramid Creek system. Five fish moved 50–120 km upstream, four of which reached the Box Creek regulator before moving back downstream to the entrance of the Kerang Lakes system. Most long distance upstream movements were associated with an increase in river discharge. The remaining 15 fish moved <20 km, with all fish being detected at least once. This pilot study indicates that Box Creek regulator is acting as a barrier for some fish within the Loddon River system. Movement data also indicate that Golden Perch migration pathways may be influenced by river discharge. The management implications of this work includes the need to reinstate fish passage at Box Creek regulator and the potential use of environmental flows to enhance colonisation of native fish species throughout the Murray Darling Basin.

10.1111/emr.12140

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Citations (7)

Native fish entrapment in irrigation systems: A step towards understanding the significance of the problem

Ecological Management & Restoration (2007)

Alison J. King J. P. O’Connor

Summary The Australian irrigation industry diverts significant volumes of water from our rivers, and as such, may also divert and entrain riverine fish. Although it is widely acknowledged that our native fish fauna have been greatly affected by a variety of anthropogenic changes, little is known about the extent or significance of fish entrainment in irrigation systems. This paper presents results from a preliminary investigation into the diversion of fish into irrigation channels undertaken in the Goulburn‐Murray Irrigation Network, Victoria, Australia. The case study and our knowledge of the life‐history strategies of the Basin's fish fauna suggest that the loss of native fish into irrigation networks may be a substantial problem, which, up until recently, has been largely ignored. We strongly suggest that the impact of diversions on native fish populations requires urgent further investigation and quantification, through the cooperation of water management authorities and fish biologists.

10.1111/j.1442-8903.2007.00329.x

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Citations (35)