A damning report on the cause of millions of fish deaths in the Darling River system has sparked calls for a reform of state water laws and stricter enforcement. The report, conducted by the New South Wales (NSW) chief scientist and engineer, warned that a recurrence of the mass fish kill in Menindee in March was likely due to the effects of a drying climate. Despite previous reports highlighting many of the causes of the event, their recommendations have not been implemented. NSW chief scientist Hugh Durrant-Whyte emphasized the urgent need to take action to prevent further decline and fish deaths in the river system.
In the report’s executive summary released on August 31, the chief scientist stated that the lack of action was a contributing factor to the ongoing decline and fish deaths in the system. Professor Durrant-Whyte recommended enforcing environmental protections and introducing legally enforceable obligations and powers to safeguard the entire catchment’s ecosystem. He also called for the development of strategies to reduce the risk of future fish deaths and restore the health of the river.
Greens MP Cate Faehrmann supported the report’s findings and called for an overhaul of the state’s water department. She attributed the fish kills to decades of mismanagement of water in NSW, leading to the degradation of the overall river ecosystem. Mel Gray, a water campaigner from the Nature Conservation Council of NSW, highlighted the importance of putting the existing laws into practice to protect the river.
Water minister Rose Jackson accepted the report’s recommendations and stated that efforts were already underway to improve the river’s health, including water-quality monitoring and the implementation of more dissolved oxygen sensors. However, any changes in the management of the Darling River will also have implications for the 2.3 million people living in the Murray-Darling Basin.
In July, the independent authority overseeing the management plan for the basin admitted that it would not meet legislated targets for water-restoring measures by June 2024. In response, the Albanese government reached a new agreement with NSW, South Australia, Queensland, and the ACT to ensure water promised under the plan would be returned to the environment by 2027. However, Victoria did not sign the agreement due to its opposition to water buybacks.
Addressing the root causes of river degradation is crucial, according to NSW Irrigators’ Council chief executive Claire Miller. She emphasized the need to address issues like invasive species, obstructions to fish migration, and contamination from cold water. Ms. Miller criticized the federal government’s plan to buy water back from farmers, stating that water quality should be considered alongside water volume.