An Aboriginal "totem" lost to a generation is making a comeback in South Australia's River Murray region after the release of dozens of Murray crayfish into the river for the first time in 40 years.
River regulation, overfishing, and pollution over the last four decades led to the decline in the crayfish population in the lower part of the river system, prompting the Murraylands and Riverland Landscape Board and Nature Trust Glenelg to take action.
As part of the project around 200 crayfish will be released across this year with ongoing monitoring to be undertaken by the River Murray Mallee Aboriginal Corporation (RMMAC) rangers.
Ranger coordinator and Erawirung man Glenn Chisholm had only seen the Murray crayfish twice in his life before the release.
"It's an emotional moment, a significant moment being Indigenous and in my home country," he said.
"To me, it's the release of a totem back into the river again.
"You're either born to that totem or you pick it up as you go along through your age."
He said the Murray crayfish was previously an important totem to the Erawirung people, alongside the Murray cod, but had been lost since its local extinction.
Its return to the river meant his people would be able to reconnect with it.
"I'm sure there's elders out there that thought their totem was lost. It gives them that extra life knowing that their totem is back in the water," he said.
Mr Chisholm was proud to be able to share the experience with his 14-year-old son, Quentin.
"It's really cool to release something that's been extinct for over forty years," Quentin said.
"I hope when I'm an adult, I'll be able to maybe catch them and look at them when I'm older."
Dr Sylvia Zukowski is a senior aquatic ecologist at Nature Glenelg Trust who led the project and said it was a collaborative effort over 15 years.
She kept a number of the crayfish aside from the release for a trial breeding program in an attempt to secure the long term existence of the population.
"It hasn't been done before so the plan is to breed them in captivity and then release them when they're a little bit older," she said.
"It's such a great thing for them to finally come back, not just for the people involved, but for all the future generations who will get to experience them."
Peter Teakle has been a passionate recreational fisher for many years and before the releases had only ever seen a photograph of the spiny creature.
"It's going to take time, but at least we've made a start, and we've done this for the future," he said.
"We're not going to see Murray crays next week in the river, but in time we will see, hopefully, them repopulate to a point where we can catch one."
