Environmental crisis looms as Murray cod virtually disappear from NSW Lower Darling

The NSW Fisheries survey was undertaken after a major blackwater event in March that killed millions of fish, mainly bony herring, but also perch and Murray cod. Photograph: Samara Anderson/AAP

Murray cod – a native fish classified as a vulnerable species – have virtually disappeared from the New South Wales’ Lower Darling, pointing to an environmental crisis following 2019 and 2023 fish kills in that part of the river.

A survey by NSW Fisheries undertaken in May has revealed the scale of the impact on fish populations, showing attempts at repopulating the river after the 2018-19 drought appear to have failed.