Murray cod have been stocked into many water reservoirs throughout the Eastern states and are a popular fish for farm dams in warmer areas. Some re-stocking of river populations has occurred but the most important tool in restoring cod populations to something like their former glory is the appropriate management of the river systems. This is a nettle yet to be fully grasped by government due to the inherent high costs involved. The Murray cod is Australia's largest and best known freshwater fish. The stuff of legends, the Murray cod is represented in practically every pub in South Eastern Australia by photos and mounted examples.
Stories abound of titanic struggles with the almost supernatural fish.
Ply an old codger with a few beers and you are likely to hear how when he was a boy one of the local water holes was inhabited by some gigantic cod. The story usually goes along the lines that some farmer lost a large bait to the fish and kept coming back with heavier and heavier tackle until eventually he used a whole kangaroo on a meat hook as bait connected to the steel cable of the winch on his tractor. The fish in the story then fights the farmer and his tractor to a standstill, usually resulting in the demise of said tractor. On a more serious note, Murray cod and the closely related trout cod were formally recognised as separate species in the mid 1970s. Murray cod Maccullochelle peelii peelii , Eastern Freshwater cod Maccullochella peelii ikai and Mary River cod Maccullochella peelii mariensis .