Adaptive management in action: Using chemical marking to advance fish recovery programs in the Murray-Darling Basin

Abstract

Being able to tell the difference between stocked and wild fish is essential to understand the overall success of hatchery programs. It is a substantial issue to address, especially considering that over 60 million fish have been stocked into Australian inland waters over the past 30 years. A trial into permanently marking live fish, with fluorescent chemicals, has demonstrated substantial promise. Having been cleared by food safety authorities, and validated by targeted research, it is presently being rolled out on a large scale in the Murray-Darling Basin.