Table 6: Summary of reporting requirements for VEFMAP Stage 6 Report type Purpose Timing Commencing Frequency Who Interim regional monitoring report Summary of activities and data collected; brief reporting only Within 2 months of post event sampling Year 1 Per sampling season Service provider report to CMA Annual regional monitoring report To inform management and identify any modifications to protocols and or conceptual models End of watering year Year 1 Annually Service provider report to DELWP and CMAs Annual progress report/fact sheet To inform community and stakeholders on progress of VEFMAP Stage 6 End of watering year Year 1 Annually Service provider and Presentation and workshop VEFMAP workshop/presentation of activities and outcomes to inform all CMAs of emerging issues End of watering year Year 1 Annually or biannually and Service provider Interim Stage 6 report Governance and implementation review – includes analysis of early results Mid Stage 6 End of year 2 Once off Mid-term VEFMAP program review Governance and implementation review Mid 6 End of year 2 Once off Independent Reviewer Panel
Final Stage 6 monitoring report Summary of three years of monitoring activities End of Stage 6 Year 4 Once off Service provider and DELWP Stage 6 evaluation report Assessment against primary objective of demonstrating effectiveness of environmental management. Data analysis report and recommendations for future monitoring Within 12 months of end of Stage 6 monitoring activities Year 4 Once off DELWP 6 program review Stage 6 monitoring and evaluation review Post Stage 6 evaluation report End of year 4 Once off Independent Review Panel
3. Can the hydraulic cues (e.g. water velocity) that influence key fish life-history processes (e.g. spawning, dispersal) be quantified during an and used to predict fish outcomes in other reaches and rivers? Quantify hydraulic cues velocity, turbulence, depth, distribution) with transect application of Acoustic Doppler Current Profiler (ADCP) Intervention Bunyip & Barwon/ Moorabool Goulburn Glenelg Campaspe Loddon Grayling Golden perch Silver perch Murray cod Tupong Eels Australian bass Estuary perch Hydraulics Spawning Regional & Statewide MW CMAs VEWH? MDBA and are in this initiative. The life cycles of freshwater fish are intimately linked to hydrological regimes and hydraulic complexity (fast and slow flowing Identification of the hydraulic drivers (e.g. water velocity; rather than ML/d) of key life-history events (e.g. spawning) is important for transferring hydraulic recommendations among catchments (as simple ML/d discharge metrics are not transferrable among reaches/catchments). This question could likely be answered as a of others. 4. Does environmental flow management enhance survival and movement of a stocked diadromous fish? Winter and spring fresh events with duration and 50% exceedance flow. Quantify hydraulic cues (water velocity, turbulence) Intervention Thomson Macalister Australian bass Age structure Distribution Catchment CMAs FV FV are stocking bass into some coastal catchments. Some parts of bass (spawning & movement) are mediated by flow events. Monitoring potential of populations via flow event based monitoring - could be a value add to similar monitoring for grayling/tupong. 5. Does environmental flow management enhance survival and movement of a stocked freshwater fish? Small spring fresh (e.g. to 80% bankfull) with low variation (10-14-day duration) to enhance Intervention Wimmera Gunbower Loddon Campaspe Golden Catfish Murray cod? Migration Age structure Growth / survival Distribution Catchment CMAs FV The Wimmera and several northern tributaries have considerable annual stocking effort.
water level variation can result in more successful spawning. Proof of concept has been shown in the Edward-Wakool, Murray and Gunbower systems. 8. Does environmental flow management increase the abundance and distribution of native fish? Condition No associated flow related question Glenelg Others? Fish community CPUE Diversity Distribution Statewide Continue the current annual monitoring to baseline fish communities. Not targeted as specific hypotheses, but may be valuable to CMAs? 9. Can increasing winter baseflows improve survival of juvenile fish / improve recruitment strength? Autumn/Winter baseflows which exceed minimum pool connection flows Intervention Goulburn/ Broken Gunbower Loddon Campaspe Glenelg Others? Murray cod cod Blackfish Australian bass Estuary perch tupong Small bodied spp. Pygmy perch Survival YOY CPUE / Mark recapture Occupancy rates Growth Catchment & Regional CMAs FV VEWH? Several CMAs have prioritised provision of winter flows to maintain connectivity and water quality. There is some evidence that annual winter cease-to-flow events are major recruitment bottlenecks for young native fish. Evaluation of the benefits of winter flows has some merit. 10. Does environmental flow management enhance dispersal of fish / juvenile fish? (both lateral and longitudinal) Site-specific but requires flows which connect separate wetlands Intervention All rivers All the species Also pygmy perch Dispersal Distribution Mark recapture Occupancy rates Growth Fishway trapping Catchment & Regional CMAs MDBA Some fish require connection flows to enhance re-colonisation. CMAs may be able to identify specific sites where this question could be investigated. For example, flows that temporarily link rivers/wetlands for pygmy perch dispersal.
11. Does environmental flow management increase survival of carp and can this be mitigated? Rivers with overbank flow or managed inundations which inundate floodplains Intervention All rivers carp YOY CPUE Age structure Hydraulics Growth Catchment & Regional CMAs MDBA Carp recruitment is positively correlated with floodplain inundation. has potential to enhance carp breeding unless careful planning is incorporated. Several management techniques are available to reduce carp breeding on events. CMAs have expressed interest in a carp and flow question. This question may well be being addressed through other initiatives. 12. Specific question TBA Drought and flows question – possibly examining fish response/recovery to a flow designed to maintain/save a fish population or a hypoxia question Possibly target a specific flow release for mitigating drought/hypoxia conditions Intervention Goulburn/ Broken Northern rivers Golden perch Murray cod Northern spp Survival Movement quality Occupancy rates Water availability Site CMAs MDBA Several Victorian rivers are under strong flow stress and the addition of environmental water can help sustain threatened fish populations. CMAs may be able to identify specific sites where a question could be investigated.
Appendix 6: Multi-Criteria Analysis tool Example output of the MCA applied to prioritise native fish evaluation questions for 6. Appendix 7: MCA ranked priority fish questions Priority fish questions (from MCA) for VEFMAP Stage 6 are shown in shaded cells, low priority questions have no highlight. Where applicable, support and/or comments have been provided by CMAs. Question MCA score DELWP Melbourne Water Glenelg Hopkins Wimmera Goulburn Broken North East Corangamite West Gippsland North Central Does environmental flow management trigger and YOY diadromous fish to rivers from estuarine/marine environments? (Q1) 242 Yes Supports this question Not relevant Not relevant to CMA Supports question for lower Barwon/ Moorabool Supports this question and interest for all questions posed Important question Can environmental flows be used to increase populations of target species in Victorian Tributaries of the Murray through the use of attraction flows (summer /autumn juvenile emigration flows or spring adult flows)? (Q6) 242 Yes, but research question to be funded elsewhere Not relevant Very relevant – now included in seasonal watering plan, need to ensure other supporting processes Possible for Ovens River but Mulwala Weir a constraint? Not relevant to this CMA Important question High priority for NCCMA Does environmental flow management increase survival of carp and can this be mitigated? (Q11) Question discarded at CMA meeting 242 Question discarded Question discarded Question discarded Question discarded Question discarded Possible to test whether carp recruitment varies in natural river (Ovens) with Question discarded Question discarded Question discarded
restored flow components Does environmental flow management used for Murray cod and other native species result in higher survival? And abundance /distribution (Q7) 242 Yes Not relevant Relevant from species’ viewpoint Possible to do for Murray cod in Buffalo/Ovens Possible to test in Moorabool and rivers Important question for NCCMA Does environmental flow management improve the spatial distribution of diadromous fish in coastal rivers? (Q2) 235 Yes Supports this question (Galaxiids) Interested in this question Not relevant Not relevant Possible to test question in Barwon and Gellibrand Can increasing winter baseflows improve survival of juvenile fish / improve recruitment? (Q9) 222 Yes MW mildly interested Only relevant if it relates to small bodied species Can be tested in Moorabool Less relevant unless tracking individuals Does environmental flow management enhance survival and movement of a stocked diadromous fish? (Q4) 201 Low priority Not relevant Not relevant, FV to investigate Does environmental flow management enhance survival and movement of a stocked freshwater fish? (Q5) 197 Low priority Very relevant Some significant technical and operational difficulties Does environmental flow management enhance dispersal of fish/juvenile fish? (Q10) 185 Out of scope See above. Only relevant during flooding Does environmental flow management increase the abundance and distribution of native fish? (Annual surveys as per VEFMAP Stage 1-5) (Q8) 111 Answered by Q2 and Q7. Very relevant Only if funding is available Some relevance but could be targeted to reaches Can the hydraulic cues (e.g. water velocity) that influence key fish life-history processes (e.g. spawning, dispersal) be Not scored Too complex for 4-year timeframe Very interested in this question Very interested - applies to
quantified during an e-flow and used to predict fish outcomes in other reaches and rivers? (Q3) for grayling, tupong & bass Drought and flows question – possibly examining fish response/recovery to a flow designed to maintain/save a fish population or a hypoxia question (Q12) Question requires further development Not scored High priority for Wimmera & others watering for dry conditions Good question and useful information for catastrophic events questions identified by CMAs post group meeting Not scored Deep refuge pool monitoring to demonstrate effects of flows on abiotic parameters