Ecology Australia Pty Ltd

We have a new movement record for an EA tagged fish - 1,250 km - which eclipses our previous record by ~380 km! Native fish such as golden perch and silver perch are known for large movements (100's of km), particularly in response to higher flows. This golden perch was tagged at a site on the Murray River (Lock 8) by EA’s aquatic ecologists in April 2023 during LMW TLM fish monitoring surveys, before embarking on an epic 1,250 km journey to Berembed Weir on the Murrumbidgee River. Although well shy of the reported all-time record for this species (a whopping 2,300 km!), it’s still a very impressive effort that highlights the critical importance of fishways for facilitating such journeys and tagging of fish to improve our understanding of their movements. Unfortunately, the timing of this trip remains a mystery because the sneaky fish avoided detection by the PIT reader systems installed on multiple fishways. This suggests that the movement occurred during the period that the PIT systems were removed for safe keeping. Many systems were not back online by late 2023 following removal to avoid flood damage during the late 2022/early 2023 flooding event. Thankfully, we now have this valuable movement information because angler Jamie Lindsay caught the fish, rang the number printed on the orange external dart tag, and provided all the details. Awesome work, Jamie! Thanks very much for calling the details in and thanks also for releasing the fish (most of our tagged golden perch are retained by anglers), so that it may continue its journey and hopefully reveal some further information in the future. Further information: https://buff.ly/3zW3JJT Acknowledgements: Murray Darling Basin Authority, Mallee Catchment Management Authority, The Living Murray, Infofish Australia Pty Ltd., Jamie Lindsay Photo credit: Jamie Lindsay

For the past few weeks, our teams have been hard at work with platypus surveys. Capture rates have been great, with one team processing a whopping 11 platypus in one night! Other teams captured 10 at one site and 6 at another, with one team capturing 2 pairs of male/female platypus in the same nets on their first night round!

On Sunday 22 September, it was World Rivers Day. Our ecologists work in and around waterways across Victoria, from the Glenelg to the Goulburn, and the Murray to the Yarra. Monitoring the health of our rivers is a central part of the work we do, and we're passionate about protecting all our waterways and the flora and fauna they sustain.

It's International Day of Sign Languages! Ecology Australia is proud to have a Deaf staff member, and incorporates Auslan (Australian sign language) interpreters in both in-house and client meetings as required. #inclusivity #Auslan #accessibilityawareness #accessibilitymatters

Today is International Microorganism Day, and while our work at Ecology Australia typically doesn't include microorganisms, these microscopic critters play an important role in the ecosystems we study. Microorganisms are invisible to the naked eye, but they are essential to maintaining healthy environments, both inside (e.g. aiding our digestion) and outside (e.g. decomposing organic matter).

While most people generally associate fungi with the wetter seasons of autumn and winter, they are still active in spring, like these gems - Australian black morel (Morchella australiana) and hygroscopic earthstar (Astraeus hygrometricus) - which were spotted in their full glory out near Bendigo. Fun fact: the earthstar unfurls its arms when wet! #NationalBiodiversityMonth #fungi #ConnectingwithNature #GetIntoNature #ConnectingwithCountry (Photos: Alice Ewing)

Over the last four years our aquatic ecologists have tagged over 1,650 fish in north-western Victoria to assist with long-term monitoring of fish movements. Grab a cuppa and have a read about it on Finterest: https://buff.ly/4egKj11

Our botanists recently found this dwarf silver-wattle (Acacia nanodealbata) while undertaking riparian vegetation assessments near Mount Macedon. Dwarf silver-wattle is a Victorian endemic species and is also listed as vulnerable. This species is recognisable by its distinctly short and crowded pinnules. Keep an eye out for it next time you’re in the bush around Mount Macedon, Creswick, Healesville, Warburton, or the Otway Ranges! #NationalWattleDay #GetIntoNature #ConnectingWithNature #ConnectingWithCountry

These stunning blue fungi are Mycena interrupta, also known as pixie’s parasol. Often found in colonies, in wet habitat, growing on the side of fallen logs and branches. They also occur in New Zealand, New Caledonia and Chile! Photos Alice Ewing

When handling platypus, it's important to not only be quiet and gentle, but also to only expose the parts of the animal that need to be measured or checked, such as their bill. This ensures they feel comfortable and safe during the process and aren't stressed when released. It also presents plenty of photo opportunities when they peek out of the bag! #PlatypusMonth #CutenessOverload