For the last 18 months, staff from NSW Department of Primary Industries (NSW DPI) and the University of Technology Sydney have collected those stories as part of the Talking Fish - Oral Histories of the Murray-Darling Basin project. 

NSW DPI Conservation Action Unit Manager, Craig Copeland, said twelve booklets have been compiled around the Basin and four from NSW will be officially launched across the state as part of Native Fish Awareness Week 2011. 

“The Talking Fish project arose from an increasing realisation that many different groups of people, including fishers, Indigenous communities, tourists and landholders have developed unique relationships with the rivers of the Murray-Darling Basin,” Mr Copeland said. 

“These inspiring, and sometimes sobering stories, from the Murrumbidgee, Murray, Namoi, and the Darling Rivers tell of people's love of their river and the changes they have seen.  

“The stories are more than just a window into the past; they are also a challenge to future generations to return our fisheries to what older generations remember,” he said.  

Mr Copeland said accessing and recording the wealth of information from river users will make a contribution to our knowledge of the Murray-Darling Basin, and help shape the management decisions of the future to achieve improved river health outcomes. 

NSW launch events will be held at:

• Yarrawonga on Wednesday November 9 at Yarrawonga Weir from 4:30pm.  
• Brewarrina on Wednesday November 9 at the Brewarrina RSL from 6:00pm. 
• Bourke on Thursday November 10 at The Northy from 6:00pm. 
• Wentworth on Thursday November 10 at Willow Bend Caravan Park from 4:30pm.  
• Narrabri on Friday November 11 behind the along Narrabri Creek (behind the Tourist Information Centre) from 6:00pm. 

Mr Copeland said local communities should get along to events to learn about the issues affecting native fish in our river systems and hear what is being done through the Murray-Darling Basin Native Fish Strategy to improve river health.  

“Native Fish Awareness Week is not only an opportunity for us to raise the profile of the issues native fish are facing across our river systems, but to also celebrate some of the successes,” Mr Copeland said.  

“By spreading the message that ‘habitat makes fish happen’, we hope to reverse the trend of native fish decline across the Murray-Darling Basin.” 

For more information on Native Fish Awareness Week events visit: www.nativefishweek.com.au 

Media contact: Sarah Wright 6391 3686 or 0427 075 167