Iam two rivers joined together and am 2,310 miles long. I am located in Inland Victoria and flow through New South Wales and southern Queensland.” “I am two rivers joined together and am 2,310 miles long. I am located in Inland Victoria and flow through New South Wales and southern Queensland.” “Help me I am disappearing, if you really care save me!” There are many things making the river unhealthy and causing it to disappear such as: Overfishing native fish Overfishing native fish Alien fish e.g Carp Alien fish e.g Carp Salinity ( salt ) Salinity ( salt ) Overuse of the rivers water Overuse of the rivers water These are some of the things you can do to help save the Murray-Darling river : Save water around your home Save water around your home Join a club ( e.g. Greening Australia Join a club ( e.g. Greening Australia

In the last 50 years populations of native fish species in the Murray Darling river have decreased in numbers. Native fish are indicators of overall river health. The decline in their numbers is a warning to us that the river is unhealthy & at risk. This is contributed by a number of factors including: Poor water quality (salinity) Poor water quality (salinity) Removal of snags (logs branches Removal of snags (logs branches and fallen trees) important to breeding and fallen trees) important to breeding feeding & protection. feeding & protection. Overstocking of introduced (alien fish) Overstocking of introduced (alien fish) species spreading disease. species spreading disease. Thermal pollution associated with the Thermal pollution associated with the release of cold water from dams. release of cold water from dams. Giant Murray Cod The callop Fishing Limits Over fishing native fish ( Murray Cod– minimum size =50cm per bag limit of 2 per person per day. Callop minimum size =-33cm bag limit of 6 per person per day.

Carp are one of the introduced or ‘alien fish’ species that are found in the Murray darling river. They are sometimes called European carp, but they actually come from Central Asia. Since their introduction,carp have become the most common fish in the Murray Darling Basin’s rivers and wet lands. Female Carp can produce over ONE MILLION eggs several times a year.

Salinity is basically the amount of salt in the water. Technically, it is a measure of the concentration of dissolved salts in solution ( measured as milligrams per litre units). The salt in the Murray darling Basin is not the same as the salt on your table at home! The natural features of the Basin, being flat terrain with low rainfall and high evaporation, combine with land uses such as irrigation and removal of deep rooted trees to concentrate salt in the soil and ground water in the Murray Darling Basin.

Overuse of the water makes the river unhealthy. It leads to erosion and poor water quality. Overuse of water such as irrigation, building of dams and pollution from factories stop the river from flowing naturally. This leads to an unhealthy river and this affects everything that lives in and off the river.

Install a water efficient shower head: A water efficient shower head conserves water by not letting all of the water come out at once. It comes out slowly. Be water wise in your garden: To be water wise in your garden you can use a trigger nozzle at the end of your hose.It just lets enough water out at a time. Check for leaks: If you don’t check for a leak and you have one you could be wasting a lot of water when you don’t need to. Compost,compost: When you pour water on soil it just goes through it,but if you use compost it holds all of the water so the plant can take as much as it needs.

To help save the Murray-Darling you can join groups called Trees for life, Greening Australia, Land care, Wetland Care Australia and the Australian Conservation Foundation. All of these groups and clubs are helpful to the environment and the Murray-darling river. They help make the world a better place.