Wimmera Catchment Management Authority is again calling on the community to participate in a research project involving a popular native fish – yellowbelly.

Wimmera CMA is inviting Wimmera River users visiting areas around Horsham, Dimboola and Jeparit weirs to become citizen-science monitors over the next few weeks.

The CMA is specifically encouraging anglers to note any signs of fish spawning or fish aggregation.

Yellowbelly, also known as golden perch, are sought after by anglers and the subject of widespread stocking programs across south-eastern Australia. At the moment, they are in extremely good health across the Wimmera catchment.

It is the second year of a project Wimmera CMA initiated last November after the Victorian Fisheries Authority noted a small massing of fish in the river following a 200 megalitre (ML) water for environment release.

Pictured - Campbell Stasinowsky from Cams One Last Cast caught some big Yellowbelly in the Wimmera River on 3 October.

Several years earlier, in November 2021, yellowbelly spawned in the Wimmera River just below Horsham weir after spring rains in the upper catchment delivered a pulse of around 500 ML of water per day over four days.

An annual Native Fish Report Card monitoring survey the following April detected higher numbers of juvenile Yellowbelly, indicating a successful breeding event. This was an unusual occurrence because yellowbelly rarely breed in the Wimmera River.

Wimmera CMA CEO David Brennan: “If we can replicate the conditions for yellowbelly to breed naturally, it will be a game changer and will influence the use of water for the environment”.

This year CMA staff have monitored water temperatures and are planning a combined delivery of 400-500 ML a day of water for the environment in early and mid-November. This will then be reduced to 40ML a day. The delivery will depend on water temperatures warming up to the right level.

Wimmera CMA is inviting people to provide photographs and information about what they see.

They can contact the office on (03) 5382 1544, send an email to wcma@wcma.vic.gov.au or submit details online via Wimmera CMA website.

Mr Brennan said the release of water might impact some users below Horsham weir for two to three days, with water levels potentially inundating one of the walking tracks. It may also cause some inundation of low-level river crossings along the length of the river.

He said that these would be the last high flows for some time, with water for the environment flows being managed more conservatively due to the dry climatic conditions. He encouraged people to follow Wimmera CMA’s social media accounts for updates.