The exact number of fish deaths is unknown. Anecdotal estimates ranged from hundreds of thousands to at least 3 million.
Basin governments are working together to establish a comprehensive work program to manage the risk of future fish deaths and to respond to the final report by the Independent Panel into fish deaths in the Lower Darling, led by Professor Rob Vertessy.
| Independent Panel assessment of fish deaths in the Lower Darling | ||||
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An independent panel was appointed by the Australian Government, to assess fish death events in December 2018 and January 2019. A preliminary report and early advice and recommendations was provided to the Australian Government Minister for Agriculture and Water Resources on 20 February 2019. The final report was released in April 2019, along with a summary of the report findings. |
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| Publication title | Published | File type | File size | |
| Summary of final report of Independent Panel into fish deaths in the Lower Darling | 17 Mar 2019 |
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1.85 MB | |
| Final report of Independent Panel into fish deaths in the Lower Darling | 17 Mar 2019 |
PDF
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6.64 MB | |
| Interim report Independent assessment of the 2018–19 fish deaths in the Lower Darling | 20 Feb 2019 |
PDF
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2.50 MB | |
| Independent assessment–terms of reference | 18 Feb 2019 |
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101.33 KB | |
| Recommended action plan | ||||
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Response to recent fish death events: recommended action plan A number of areas across the Basin have been identified as risk areas for fish death events. Basin governments are already implementing actions on the ground to mitigate these risks and respond to the events in the Lower Darling. A recommended action plan was provided to the Australian Government Minister responsible for water in January 2019. |
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| Publication title | Published | File type | File size | |
| Response to recent fish death events: recommended action plan | 18 Jan 2019 |
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3.55 MB | |
| Independent review – Stratification, mixing and fish deaths in the lower Darling River | ||||
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| Publication title | Published | File type | File size | |
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Stratification, mixing and fish deaths in the lower Darling River
Following the fish death events in the Lower Darling River in December 2018 and January 2019, the Murray–Darling Basin Authority commissioned a comprehensive monitoring program to examine stratification, mixing and dissolved oxygen concentrations in the Lower Darling River. |
18 Jul 2019 |
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4.91 MB | |
| Assessing the response to the risk of hypoxia in the lower Darling River | ||||
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| Publication title | Published | File type | File size | |
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Assessing the response to the risk of hypoxia in the lower Darling River November 2019 – March 2020
Following the well documented fish deaths in the lower Darling River in the summer of 2018–19, the Murray–Darling Basin Authority and NSW Department of Primary Industries–Fisheries deployed 10 aerators from November 2019 until March 2020 to provide oxygenated refuges. As part of the deployment, a monitoring program was undertaken to determine the effectiveness of the aerators, with the findings discussed in this report. |
18 Jun 2020 |
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5.86 MB | |
Published date: 29 October 2020