Environmental flow releases trigger spawning of a threatened fish: Research insights and publication enhance management, credibility and relationships

Abstract

Publication is an important stage in the research process, but determining the impact of published research on environmental outcomes is a complex challenge that is seldom undertaken. In 2016, a published study used acoustic telemetry techniques and drift sampling to demonstrate that environmental flow releases triggered downstream spawning migrations by a threatened fish species, the Australian grayling (Prototroctes maraena). The study provided support for the use of these types of releases to mitigate some of the effects of river regulation on fishes. The impacts of this research and its publication in Aquatic Conservation: Marine and Freshwater Ecosystems were thoroughly reviewed to identify benefits to water managers, researchers, institutes, and the wider community. Five areas in which this research, and its publication, had a recognizable impact are enhanced confidence for water managers in undertaking actions; greater acceptance in the wider community of environmental flow releases; enhanced relationships among water managers; the credibility arising from the work being published in a peer-reviewed journal; and setting a foundation for further evidence-based management.