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A
Guide to the Inland Angling Waters of Victoria
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Loddon River Basin 7 North
MANAGEMENT
| DIVERSIONS
| HERITAGE | RAMSAR SITES | FISH
STOCKING | BEST FISHING WATERS | THREATENED
FISH | ENVIRONMENTAL
CONDITIONS
 Loddon River |
Basin 7 has been divided into two sections, north and south, for better map presentation.
This northern section of the Basin consists of an old flood plain of finely textured soils. It has deeply entrenched waterways, swampy depressions and landforms developed by wind erosion. The only relief is the rocky granite remnants forming several hills to 100m altitude around Pyramid Hill, south west of Kow Swamp. The entire area is used for grazing and cropping with only a few small isolated patches of red gum woodlands and a denser strip of forest along the Murray River. Mean annual rainfall is 300-400mm and groundwater is highly saline.
There is significant land salination. Water flow in the Loddon River is controlled by storages, resulting in low flow during winter/spring and high flows during summer (January-April) down as far as the Loddon Weir. This is a reversal of the normal flow regime. Most of the lakes are also connected to or influenced by irrigation schemes. This results in low water levels in many lakes from 15 May to 15 August, the non-irrigation period.
Fisheries Victoria, DPI, manages stocking and fisheries policy. Northern Fisheries, DPI manages compliance with fisheries regulations and angler contact. The Victorian Inland Fisheries Strategy has listed Gunbower Creek, Little Murray River, and the Loddon River as native fish waters and Boga Lake as a mixed species fishery. The North Central Catchment Management Authority is responsible for catchment management. The Goulburn-Murray Water Authority manages irrigation and rural diversion.
The Lower Murray Region Water Authority manages urban demand in the northern area along the Murray including Swan Hill and Kerang. The Coliban Region Water Authority manages urban water diversion in the remainder of the Basin. Streamflow Management Plans: None are currently being prepared for waterways in this section of the Basin. However a SFMP is being prepared for the Upper Loddon which will affect flows downstream in this section of the Basin.
Water is pumped from the Loddon River to Kerang (fresh water enters the Loddon River from the Macorna Channel). Also pumped from Gunbower Creek and Taylor's Creek to Cohuna. From channels to Korong Vale, Wedderburn, Bort and Leitchville and from the Swan Hill system to Lake Boga township.
Heritage River Areas, Natural Catchment Areas and Representative Rivers
None in this section of the Basin
Within this Basin, Lake Tutchewop, Lake William, Lake Cullen, Lake Kelly, Little Lake Kelly, Kangaroo Lake, Lake Charm, Reedy Lake, Middle Lake, Third Lake, Johnson Swamp, Hird Swamp, Stevensen Swamp, Fosters Swamp, Town Swamp and Back Swamp (forming part of the Kerang Wetlands); and Gunbower Island State Forest, and Gunbower Creek from the township of Gunbower north to Koondrook township (forming part of Gunbower Forest) are listed as wetlands of international significance under the Convention on Wetlands (Ramsar, Iran 1971).
The Department of Primary Industries' (DPI) fish stocking program is designed to enhance recreational fishing opportunities for:
Stocking Plans for desirable species are developed annually as part of the regional consultation process involving VRFish representatives and various arms of DPI including Fisheries Victoria and Primary Industries Research Victoria (PIRVic).
Up to date information can be found on the Fish Stocking section in Fisheries and Aquaculture.
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Water |
Species |
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Gunbower Creek |
Murray cod, golden perch, redfin |
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Lake Charm Lake Kangaroo. |
redfin redfin |
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Native |
Exotic |
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Australian smelt |
brown trout% |
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blackfish# |
carp |
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bony bream |
goldfish |
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freshwater catfish* |
mosquitofish |
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flat-headed galaxias |
redfin |
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flat-headed gudgeon |
tench |
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golden perch |
oriental weatherloach+ |
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Murray cod |
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Murray hardyhead |
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Murray rainbowfish |
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non-specked hardyhead |
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silver perch |
#Blackfish have a low tolerance for salinity and now possibly occur only in the Serpentine Creek and Lower Loddon River.
*Freshwater catfish were stocked into some waters pre 1980's but are now common in only the Little Murray River and lagoons off Gunbower Creek.
%Brown trout are reported present in the Waranga Western Channel but would not occur elsewhere. High water temperatures in lakes and rivers in the Basin (18-28oC) and low levels of dissolved oxygen make the waters unsuitable for the long-term survival of trout.
+The oriental weatherloach occurs in irrigation channels in the Basin.
Most of the waterways and lakes are connected by channels and irrigation water and migratory fish such as golden perch and silver perch, can move freely throughout the Basin. They are likely to occur anywhere. The Murray spiny crayfish, Euastacus armatus, is present in this Basin, but its occurrence in particular waters has not been given. There have been few recent surveys of waters and most information on fish species present has come from surveys or departmental reports obtained in the 1980's to 1990. Information on recent catches have been obtained from the Department and local anglers.
The Department of Sustainability and Environment has listed silver perch as Critically Endangered, Murray hardyhead as Endangered, Murray cod, freshwater catfish and golden perch as Vulnerable and Murray rainbowfish and flat-headed galaxias as Data Deficient. Silver perch, Murray cod, freshwater catfish, Murray rainbowfish, Murray hardyhead, Murray spiny crayfish, non-specked hardyhead and the Lowland Riverine Fish Community of the Southern Murray-Darling Basin have been listed under the Flora and Fauna Guarantee Act 1988.
Environmental Condition of Waterways
The Loddon River and Mount Hope Creek are considered by the Department to be in moderate condition with good bank vegetation of mature native trees and little bank erosion. Although there are few pools exceeding 2m deep in the Loddon River, there is some instream debris, which provides some cover for fish.
The main environmental problem in this river is the historically low summer flows because of irrigation demands. Bullock/Pyramid Creek is in poor condition because of reduced bank vegetation and de-snagging activities. Sections have also been converted into canals.
| Department of Primary Industries, Victoria, Australia |
© The State of Victoria
