Records of the Westelll Allstralllll1 A//uselllll 22 ]47-]6] (2004).

Fish fauna of the Fitzroy River in the Kimberley region ofWestern Australia - including the Bunuba, Gooniyandi,Ngarinyin, Nyikina and Walmajarri Aboriginal names

David L. Morgan J, Mark G. Allen J

, Patsy Bedford 2 and Mark Horstman3

1 Centre for Fish & Fisheries Research, School of Biological Sciences and Biotechnology,Murdoch University, Murdoch, Western Australia 6]50

KImberley Language Resource Centre, PO Box 86, Fitzroy Crossing, Western Australia 6765

'Kimberley Land Council, PO Box 2145, Broome Western Australia 6725

Abstract - This project surveyed the fish fauna of the Fitzroy River, one ofAustralia's largest river systems that remains unregulated, 'located in theKimberley region of Western Australia. A total of 37 fish species wererecorded in the 70 sites sampled. Twenty-three of these species are freshwaterfishes (i.e. they complete their life-cycle in freshwater), the remainder being ofestuarine or marine origin that may spend part of their life-cycle infreshwater. The number of freshwater species in the Fitzroy River is high byAustralian standards. Three of the freshwater fish species recorded ar'ecurrently undescribed, and two have no formal common or scientific names,but do have Aboriginal names. Where possible, the English (common),scientific and Aboriginal names for the different speCIes of the river are given.This includes the Aboriginal names of the fish for the following five languages(Bunuba, Gooniyandi, Ngarinyin, Nyikina and Walmajarri) of the FitzroyRiver Valley. The fish fauna of the river was shown to be significantlydifferent between each of the lower, middle and upper reaches of the mainchanneL Furthermore, the smaller tributaries and the upper gorge countrysites were significantly different to those in the main channel, while the majorbillabongs of the river had fish assemblages significantly different to all siteswith the exception of the middle reaches of the river. The previously knownranges of many species were extended. The implications of damming theFitzroy River are discussed.

INTRODUCTION

The Kimberley region of Western Australia ishome to a unique assemblage of freshwater fishesthat is exposed to high summer rainfall and a drywinter period. Much of the landscape is rugged,with vehicular access seasonally limited. This,together with the isolation of the region, hasresulted in only limited distributional fish fauna Isurveys being conducted. Fish surveys have oftenrevealed species that are new to science, or havegreatly extended the ranges of the species captured.The most notable surveys of the Kimberley includethose on the Gibb River Road to the Drvsdale River(by Rosen, Nelson and Butler in 1969 for theAmerican Museum of Natural History), the OrdRiver area (McKay, 1971), the Prince Regent River(Allen, 1975), Drysdale River (Hutchins, 1977),Mitchell, King Edward and Lawley rivers(Iiutchins, 1981), Hutchins and Chapman(Hutchins, unpublished data) surveyed the GibbRiver Road in 1975 (see Hutchins, 1981), Allen andAlien sampled stream crossings on the Gibb Riverand Kulumburu roads (Alien and Alien,

unpublished data) and Allen and Leggett (1990)sampled numerous sites on the Isdell, Mitchell,King Edward, Drysdale and Ord rivers.Surprisingly, the largest river of the Kimberley, theFitzroy, which drains over one-third of the region,has only been surveyed in a few easily accessedlocations (see Allen and Leggett, 1990).

TI1e Fitzroy River is large by Western Australianstandards, draining almost 90 000 km 2

, and is largelyuncleared, with its water non-saline throughout mostof its length (Anon, 1993; Storey, 1998). The FitzroyRiver is one of the largest unregulated rivers inAustralia, but has recently been identified as havingthe potential to supply quality water to not only theKimberley, but also other parts of Australia (Anon,1993, Storey, 1998). A number of dam sites have beenrecognised including Din10nd Gorge and MargaretGorge (Anon, 1993). While providing water foragriculture and domestic uses, the proposed damshave been seen by some as a means of controllingnatural flooding in the Fitzroy River flood plain(Anon, 1993).

The Fitzroy River catchment experiences a semi-

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Figure 1

Fishes of the Fitzroy River, including Aboriginal names

arid to arid monsoon,ll climate receiving most (­90{X) of its rainfall between November and March(i.e. the wet season) (Coh, 1998; Ruprecht andRodgers, 1998). Upstream of Fitzroy Crossing theriver catchment covers approximately 45 000 km'and divides into two main tributaries, the Fitzrovand Margaret rivers, which also encompass the highrelief reaches of the river (I\uprecht and Rodgers,1998). The main tributaries of the upper Fitzroyinclude the Hann, Adcock, L.ouisa and Little Fitzroyrivers, while those of the Margaret include theMary, Leopold, O'Donnell, Cidden, Little Cold andLaura rivers (see Figure I) (Ruprecht and Rodgers,1998). Downstream of Fitzroy Crossing lies the riverfloodplain, which extends some 300 km to the coast,and includes the tributaries of Christmas, MtHardman, Mt Wynne and Ceegully creeks. Themean annual streamflow of 6 150 CL/year (sincethe 1950s) at Fitzroy Crossing is the highest of anyriver system recorded in Western Australia(Ruprecht and Rodgers, 1998). While flows peakduring the wet season, in the dry season f1cnv maycease with the river becoming a series ofdisconnected pools and billabongs. Turbidity is alsoseasonally affected, with highest turbiditiescoinciding with peak flows during the wet season(Ruprecht and Rodgers, 1998).

'rIle present study represents part of an ongoingcollaboration between Murdoch University, theKimberley Land Council, the Kimberley LanguageResource Centre and the local community,including the traditional owners and stationowners, of the Fitzroy River catchment. Theimportance of the Fitzroy River to the Aboriginalpeople of the region is highlighted in this report,and where possible, the Bunuba, Cooniyandi,Ngarinyin, Nyikina, Walmajarri, English (common)and scientific names are given for each fish speciesrecorded from the Fitzroy River system. A furtheraim of this project was to address the notable lackof distributional data for the fish fauna of theFitzroy River, while also examining the fish faunalassociations within the various habitat types of theriver. Furthermore, the importance of the river totIll' people of the Kimberley region and theconservation issues affecting fish distributions arediscussed.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

Sampling for fishIJuring four two-week survevs, between April

200 I and November 2002, and two short field tripsin tvlarch and [kcember 2002, a total of 70 siteswere sampled for fish throughout the main channelof the Fitzroy River, its tributaries and associatedwctlands/billabongs (see Appendix I). Many of thesites are of Aboriginal significance and located

149

within areas covered by native title applications,and the survey team was guided by traditionalowners and their knowledge. With the exception ofone site (Telegraph Pool), all sites sampled in theriver were above the limit of tidal influence.Additionally, species recorded in the estuary andDoctor's Creek, near the mouth of the Fitzroy River(see Figure I), during opportunistic sampling, areincluded in the results.

Sampling equipment included a variety of seinenets [1 m (1 mm mesh), 5, 10 and 15 m (all 3 mmmesh), 26 m (6 and 3 mm mesh) and a 60 m (10 and5 mm mesh)], gill nets (25 to 125 mm stretchedmesh sizes), cast nets, masks and snorkels andhooks and lines.

Active participants included the Centre for Fishand Fisheries Research at Murdoch University, theLand + Sea Management Unit at the KimberleyL,and Council (KLC), the Fitzroy CrossingKimberley L,anguage Resource Centre (KLRC),station owners and tenants, and communitymembers from Broome, Derby and Fitzroy Crossingand their surrounds, including the Bunuba,Cooniyandi, Ngarinyin, Nyikina and Walmajarritraditional owners.

Environmental variablesThe conductivity, temperature and plI of water

taken just below the surface were recorded at eachsample site.

Species identification and mapsEach species captured was photographed with

some specimens preserved for identification and forthe collections of the Western Australian Museum.The majority of fish were released alive aftercapture. The phylogenetic order of the families (andthe subsequent species list) follows Nelson (1994).Longitude and latitude were recorded at each siteusing a Clobal Positioning System (Cl'S). Thesample sites map was created using the above Cl'Sdata and Maplnfo (MapInfo Corporation, 1998).

Classification of sample sites and Analysis ofSimilarity (ANOSIM)

In order to test the hypothesis that fish faunalcomposition would vary between the lower (sites1-6,9,32-34,54,68, 70), middle (15-16, 18-20, 28,

(7) and upper (36-41, reaches of the mainchannel/major tributaries of the river and also thesmaller tributaries (sites 8, 1114, 17,22-25, 30­31, 35, 43, 46-52, the large lenticbillabongs (sites 7, 10, 2l, 26, 29) and the uppergorge country e.g. upper Hann River (sites 42,60-(6) (see Figure 1), the sample sites were 11 prioriallocated to one of these broad habitat categoriesand their fish comn1unity structures comparedusing one-way analysis of similarity (ANOSlt\.l) inPRIMER (Clarke and Corley, 2(01).

150

In order to test for differences in communitystructure, a presence-absence data set of thedifferent species captured in the 70 sites sampled inthe Fitzroy River catchment was used to construct asimilarity matrix employing the Bray-Curtissimilarity coefficient in the PRIMER package(Clarke and Gorley, 2001). The presence-absencedata were considered to be more appropriate thanabundance data for a number of reasons: 1. Water

D.L. Morgan, M.G. Alien, P. Bedford, M. Horstman

levels, and thus sampling efficiency, varied greatlybetween the sampling periods, i.e. late wet and latedry; 2. The level of sampling effort was governedby site characteristics, e.g. size and depth; 3. Therequirement of a number of capture techniques toeffectively sample the variety of species in thedifferent sites, e.g. different meshed seine nets(larger net generally equals larger mesh size), maskand snorkel only in clear waters, seine nets not as

Table 1 The sites at which the different freshwater fish species were captured in the Fitzroy River (see Figure 1 forsite localities and Table 3 for common and Aboriginal names).

1,3-4,18-19,26,29,32,34,36,38-41,44-45,57,67-70 21

1-2,4,10,12,25,34,68 8~ 11-7,9-10,12-19,24,29-34,36,38,42-43,45,47,54,63-64 3336,38,42,45,53 510,12,15,21,24,26,29,56 8

Freshwater species

AnguillidaeAnguilla bicolor McClelland, 1844

C1upeidaeNematalosa erebi (Giinther, 1868)

AriidaeArius graeffei Kner and Steindachner, 1867

PlotosidaeAnodontiglanis dahli Rendahl, 1922Neosilurus ater (Perugia, 1894)Neosilunls hyrtlii Steindachner, 1867Neosilurus pseudospinosus Alien and Feinberg, 1998Porochilus rendahli (Whitley, 1928)

BelonidaeStrongylura krefftii (Giinther, 1866)

MelanotaeniidaeMelanotaenia australis (Castelnau, 1875)

AtherinidaeCraterocephalus lentiginosus Ivantsoff, Crowleyand Alien, 1987

AmbassidaeAmbassis sp. 1Ambassis sp. 2

ApogonidaeGlossamia aprion (Richardson, 1842)

ToxotidaeToxotes sp.

TeraponidaeAmniataba percoides (Giinther, 1864)

Hannia greenwayi Vari, 1978Hephaestus jenkinsi (Whitley, 1945)

Leiopotherapon unicolor (Giinther, 1859)

EleotridaeHypseleotris kimberleyensis Hoese and Alien, 1983Mogurnda oligolepis Alien and ]enkins, 1999Oxyeleotris selheimi (Macleay, 1884)

GobiidaeGlossogobius giuris (Hamilton, 1822)

Site numbers

18

1-9,11-12,15-20,23,25-27,29-34,36-45,49-50,54,57-59,61-62,65-68

1,3-4,6,9,15-18,20,23,26,29,32-34,37,39-41,44-45,67-68

2,4-9,12-15,17-31,33,35-43,45-54,58-66,68

7,10,15-18,20-21,29,55,67-68

16,18-24,26-29,43,45-51,53-56,61,64-662-6,9-13,15-17,20,23,33,35,45,54,58,67-68

1-2,7,10,15-20,26,28-29,33,56,58,67-69

1-7,10,12,15-18,26,28-29,32-34,40,42-46,49,54,57,67-68

9,16-20,26,28-29,36,38-46,48-49,53,55,60-61,65,67-6836-37,40,42,45-46,61,66-673,16,18,25-26,28,31-32,34,38,40,42,44-46,48-49,53,57,61,65-681-26,28-43,45-54,56-68

53,6553,61,6610,17,22,29,33,36,40,43,48-49,55

2-5,7-8,16,18-20,23,26-29,32-33,36-46,48,54-55,57-59,66-68

Total

1

49

24

56

12

2822

19

30

28

924

65

2311

38

Fishes of the Fitzroy River, including Aboriginal names

effective as gill nets or hook and line for capturinglarger species (e.g. barramundi, lesser salmoncatfish and freshwater sawfish). Thus, estimates ofrelative abundance could not be standardised forall sites.

Aboriginal names for the fishDuring and after field trips, linguists from the

KLRC and KLC consulted Bunuba, Gooniyandi,Ngarinyin, Nyikina and Walmajarri languagespeakers from communities of the Fitzroy Rivervalley. Where possible, traditional owners wereconsulted in the field using live fishes, however itwas also necessary to show photographs of speciesthat were not captured on specific field trips. Fishnames were recorded, wherever possible, for eachof the species captured.

RESULTS

Environmental variablesTILe mean pH of the sites sampled (Appendix 1,

Figure 1) was 8.17 (± 0.085 s.e.) and ranged from 6.8to 10.6. With the exception of one site, all sitessampled were alkaline. The water temperatures ofthe sites sampled ranged from 15.1 to 33.0 QC andhad a mean of 26.8 QC (± 0.68 s.e.). The coldest site

151

(site 64), which was sampled in June, was in theHann River. With the exception of the estuarine site(Telegraph Pool, site 69), which was 6 ppt (- 9mScm 1

), and Manguel Creek (site 11), which had asalinity if 19.4 pp!, all sites sampled werefreshwater. The mean conductivity of all other siteswas 0.89 mScm 1 (± 0.383 s.e.).

Fish species capturedThe 70 sample sites (Appendix 1, Figure 1) in the

Fitzroy River yielded a total of 37 species in 31genera from 23 families (Plates 1 and 2, Tables 1and 2). Of these, 23 species are primarily freshwaterfishes, while 14 species are considered of estuarineor marine origin but may spend part of their life­cycle in the fresh waters. For the purposes of thispaper, a freshwater species is defined as one that IS

either restricted to freshwater, breeds in freshwateror spends the majority of their life-cycle infreshwater. Marine and estuarine species aredefined as those that sometimes penetratefreshwaters, but predominantly occur and/or breedin marine or estuarine environs. An exceptionshould be noted, that being the short-finned eel(Anguilla bicolor), which breeds in the sea, but wasincluded in the freshwater category as it spends themajority of its life in freshwaters. The lesser salmoncatfish (Ariu5 graeffei), which is found in both fresh

Table 2 The sites at which the different marine/estuarine fish species were captured in the freshwaters of the FitzroyRiver (see Figure 1 for site localities and Table 4 for common and Aboriginal names).

Marine/estuarine species

CarcharhinidaeCarcharhillllS lellcas (Valenciennes, 1839)

PristidaePristis microdoll Latham, 1794Pristis clavata Carman, 1906

DasyatidaeHimalltllra clzaophraya Monkolpraist and Roberts, 1990

ElopidaeMegalops cyprilloides (Broussonet, 1782)

MugilidaeLiza sllbviridis (Valenciennes, 1836)Liza alata (Steindachner, 1892)

Site numbers captured at Total

57,69,70 3

3-4,20,34,40-41,57,68-70 969 1

57,69,70 3

2,18-19,40,68 5

1-4,9,32,34,40,69 933,68 2

CentropomidaeLates calcanfer (Bloch, 1790)

CerreidaeGerres filamelltoslls Cuvier, 1829Gerres sllbfasciatlls Cuvier, 1830

2-4,9,18,26,28-29,32,34,36,40-41,43,45,57,67-70

329

20

SciaenidaeNibea sqllamosa Sasaki, 1992

ScatophagidaeScatophaglls arglls (Linnaeus, 1766)Se/ellotoca mllltifasciata (Richardson, 1846)

TetraodontidaeMarilYlla merallkellsis (de Beaufort, 1955)

34

7 13-4,32 3

32,34,69 3

152 D.L. Morgan, M.G. AlIen, P. Bedford, M. Horstman

Fishes of the Fitzroy River, including Aboriginal names

and salt waters, has also been included in thefreshwater category because it breeds in freshwater.

Of the 23 species of principally freshwater fishes(Table 1, Plate 1) recorded during the survey, thefamilies Plotosidae (eel-tailed catfishes),Terapontidae (grunters) and Eleotridae (gudgeons)were best represented with five, four and threespecies recorded, respectively. A number of'ecological generalis\' species were found to beWidespread throughout the various broad habitattypes. These included the spangled perch(Leiopotilempon wlicolor) (recorded at 65 of 70 sites),western rainbowfish (Melanotaenia austmlis) (56 of70 sites) and bony bream (Nematalosa erebi) (49 of 70sites). Other species, including the black catfish(Neosilurus ater) (recorded at one site), Barnett Rivergudgeon (J-lypseleotris kimberlellensis) (two sites),false-spotted gudgeon (Mogunzda oligolepis) (threesites), Greenway's grunter (Hannia greemuayi) (ninesites) and false-spined catfish (Neosiluruspselldospinosus) (five sites) were rare with restricteddistributions in the upper reaches and headwatersof the Fitzroy River catchment. A number of specieswere found in moderate numbers but only in thelower and middle reaches of the main river channel,including toothless catfish (Anodontiglanis dailli),Rendahl's catfish (Poroclzilus rendailli) and PrinceRegent hardyhead (Crateroeeplialus lentiginoslls). Theshort-finned eel (Angllilla bieolor) was only recordedat one site, but this species is secretive and difficultto capture, therefore it may be more common andWidespread than indicated by the results of thissurvey. Two glassfishes (Ambassidae) (Ambassis sp.1 and Ambassis sp. 2) do not conform to any keysand show sufficient morphological differences tothe described species to warrant species recognition.These species are currently being described by thesenior author. Furthermore, one undescribedspecies of archerfish (Toxotidae, Toxotes sp.) wascaptured throughout the river and is currentlybeing described by Or G. Allen.

Of the 14 fish species considered to be estuarine/marine opportunists captured in the freshwaters ofthe Fitzroy River (Table 2, Plate 2), most were foundin small numbers only in the lower reaches of themain river channel (e.g. dwarf sawfish (Pristisclavata), mullets (Liza spp.), whipfin silverbiddy(Genes jilamentoslls), roach (Gem's subfaseiatus), scalycroaker (Nibea squamosa), spotted scat (Scatopliagusargus), striped butterfish (Selenotoea 111ulti{t1sciata)

153

and Merauke toadfish (Marilyna mITaukenszs)).However, barramundi (Llltes calcanfer) werecollected in moderate numbers throughout the mainriver channel and major tributaries up to - 400 kminland. Other species that were captured wellupstream of the estuary, albeit in small numbers,were the bull shark (Cllreliarllinus leuCils), freshwatersawfish (Pristis microdon), freshwater whipray(llimllnturll cllaop1zralla), tarpon (Megalopscyprinoides) and greenback mullet (Liza subeliridis).

Other species that were captured in the greaterestuary of the Fitzroy River (i.e. King Sound),including Doctors Creek (Figure 1) arc: the northernriver shark (Glypilis sp. C), the milk shark(Rilizopriollodoll aeutus (Rlippell, 1837)), thewinghead shark (EuSp1lllri1 bloc/lii (Cuvier, 1816)),the dwarf sawfish (Pristis elt1l'ata), the lesser salmoncatfish (Arius gm/ifei), shark mullet (Rliinomllgilnaslltlls (De Vis, 1883)), king threadfin (Polydactylusnll1croclzir (Gunther, 18(7)), scaly croaker (Nibeasquamosa) and milk-spotted toad fish (ChelollodollpatoCil (Hamilton, 1822)). The northern river shark(Glypilis sp. C), which was captured in DoctorsCreek, is extremely rare, and has not previouslybeen recorded from Western Australia. It waspreviously known only from a few specimenscollected in the Adelaide, East Alligator and SouthAlligator rivers in the Northern Territory and fromthe Fly River in Papua New Guinea (Taniuchi et al.,1991; Compagno and Niem, 1998; Thorburn et al.,2003; Museum and Art Galleries of the NorthernTerritory records).

Spatial distribution of fish species in the FitzroyRiver

Localised fish communities in the Fitzroy Riverwere shown to vary significantly (p<O.OO1) betweenthe upper, lower and middle reaches of the mainchannel/major tributaries (Table 3, Figure 1). Thesedifferences can largely be attributed to the higheroccurrence of marine species in the lower and, to alesser extent, middle reaches of the river, as well asto the disparity in species diversity between thelower (27 species), middle (22 species) and upper(17 species) reaches. Furthermore, ANOSIMsuggested that the fish fauna associated with thesmaller tributary sites and the upper Hann Rivergorge sites is significantly different to those in eachof the lower, middle and upper riverine sites as wellas the larger billabongs (p<0.008). The gorge and

Plate 1 The freshwater fish of the Fitzroy River, Western Australia. A AlIglllila Incolor. B. Ncmalalosa erc/n. CAnlls D. AllodiJIILig!i,'lIis dahll. E. Ncosilllrlls aler. F NCOSllllrtls II1/rllll. C. NCOSllllrIIs HPoroclllllls rClldahl1. I. Slrollgylllra J. MclallolaclI/a allslralrs. K. Cralcroccplzallls ICIIIlglllOSIIS. L. Ambassissp.1 M. Ambassls N. Glossalllla apnoll. O. To.<olcs P. AII/IIU1la/'a pcrcoldcs. Q. Hallllla grccllwilYI. R.Hcphacsllls IIl11color. T. U. Mogllmda V.O:n/clcolnssclhcllIlI. W. Photographs: D. Morgan (A, E, I, N-Q, U) and M. Allon (B-E, G-H, J-M, R-S,V-W).

154 D.L. Morgan, M.G. AlIen, P. Bedford, M. Horstman

Plate 2 The marine/estuarine fish species found in the freshwaters of the Fitzroy River, Western Australia. A.Carcharinus Leucas. B. Pristis microdoll. C. Pristis cLavata. D. Hill7alltum chaophraya. E. MegaLops cyprinoides. F. Lizasubviridis. G. Liza a/ata. H. Lates caLcarifer. 1. Genes fiLal1leJltosus. J. Nibea squamosa. K. Scatophagus argus. L.SeLellotoca multifasciata. M. Mari/yna merallkellsis. ot shown i Gerres subfasciatlls. Photographs: D. Morgan (A­B, E, G, J), M. Alien (F, H-I, K-M), D. Thorburn (C) and J. Ruse (D).

Fishes of the Fitzroy River, including Aboriginal names 155

Table 3 R-stat values for pairwise ANOSIM comparisons of the fish assemblages captured in the different regions/habitats of the Fitzroy River. N.B. Significant faunal differences are represented by *P<O.01 and **P<O.OOl.Global R = 0.343.

Region LOWER MIDDLE

MIDDLE 0.326"UPPER 0.516" 0.323"TRIBUTARY 0.393" 0.408"BILLABONG 0.435"" 0.016GORGE 0.781"" 0.531""

UPPER

0.355""0.503"0.551""

TRIBUTARY BILLABONG

0.284"0.011 0.572"

tributary sites are generally dominated by smallerfreshwater species, e.g. western rainbowfish (M.australis), spangled perch (L. unicolor), glassfish(Ambassis spp.), barred grunter (Amniatabapercoides), bony bream (N. erebi) (and also the rarerspecies in the gorges such as the Barnett Rivergudgeon (H. kimberleyensis) and false-spottedgudgeon (Mogurnda oligolepis)), but lack the marinespecies and the lesser salmon catfish (A. graeffei).The larger billabongs were significantly different toall other major habitat sites with the exception ofthose in the middle river.

Aboriginal names for the fishThe Aboriginal names (for five languages) for the

majority of fishes of the Fitzroy River are presentedin Tables 4 and 5. The absence of a few namesattests to either the rarity of some of the freshwaterspecies (e.g. Barnett River gudgeon and Greenway'sgrunter) and the restriction of some of the marine/estuarine species to the lower catchment (Nyikinaland) (e.g. whipfin silver-biddy, roach, scalycroaker, spotted scat, striped butterfish andMerauke toadfish).

DISCUSSION

Fish fauna of the Fitzroy RiverThe importance of fish faunal surveys,

particularly in northern Western Australia, ishighlighted when considering the results of thisstudy. For example, not only is the reporting of twoundescribed species (i.e. Ambassis sp. 1 and Ambassissp. 2) a major finding of this study, but the newrecords and range extensions of nine species in thewest Kimberley attests to the necessity for suchstudies. The following range extensions were madeduring this project:(1) Short-finned eels (A. bicolor) were not

previously known from the Fitzroy River buthave previously been found in the northernPilbara and western Kimberley (Morgan et al.,2003, Western Australian Museum records).

(2) Black catfish (N. ater) were not previouslyknown from the Fitzroy River catchment,

their only confirmed habitat in the FitzroyRiver is at Dimond Gorge.

(3) False-spine catfish (N. pseudospinosus) in theFitzroy River was previously only known fromManning Creek (Barnett River) (AlIen andFeinberg, 1998) - now extended to include theMary, Margaret and O'Donnell rivers.

(4) Greenway's grunter (H. greenwayi) wasknown only from the Hann and Isdell rivers,and has only been collected on two previousoccasions (AlIen and AlIen, unpublished data;Rosen, Nelson and Butler in 1969 for theAmerican Museum of Natural History) - nowextended to include the Fitzroy, Margaret,Mary, Forest and Adcock rivers.

(5) False-spotted gudgeons (M. oligolepis) in theFitzroy River were not previously knownfrom the Adcock River (see Figure 1).

(6) Glyphis sp. C, which we captured in Doctor'sCreek and is an undescribed speartooth sharkthat is listed as Endangered by EnvironmentAustralia, had not previously been recordedin Western Australia and is only known froma few specimens captured in the Adelaide,East Alligator and South Alligator rivers inthe Northern Territory and the Fly River inNew Guinea (Taniuchi et al., 1991; Compagnoand Niem, 1998; Thorburn et al., 2003;Museum and Art Galleries of the NorthernTerritory records).

(7) Dwarf sawfish (P. clavata) was not knownfrom the west Kimberley.

(8) Scaly croaker (N. squamosa) had notpreviously been recorded in the westKimberley, although the Western AustralianMuseum records include a photograph fromthe northern Kimberley (Hutchins, pers.comm.) and Hutchins (2001) lists the speciesin the collections of the Western AustralianMuseum. AlIen et al. (2002) describes thedistribution of this species as being from theVictoria River (NT) east to the Norman River(QLD).

(9) Merauke toadfish (M. meraukensis) was notpreviously known to occur west of the PrinceRegent River (AlIen et al., 2002).

Table 4 The Aboriginal names for the different freshwater fish species in the Fitzroy River.I-'(JJ

Freshwater species Common name Bunuba Gooniyandi Ngarinyin Nyikina Walmajarri C'\

Anguilla bieolor Indian short-finned eel LanyiNematalosa erebi bony bream Laarri Laarri Gunangurri Bardijarr oobanyba LakarrArius graeffei lesser salmon catfish Mulurra Gooloomangarri Moolirr Barooloo KulamajartiAnodontiglanis dahli toothless catfish Waluna Wirlingirri GanangadNeosilurus ater black catfish Manambu - - Wardoo JungkaliNeosilurus hyrtlii Hyrtl's tandan Junggali Joonggali Walaman Wirlinyboo JungkaliNeosilurus pseudospinosus false-spine catfish Manambu - - Wardoo JungkaliPoroehilus rendahli Rendahl's catfish Junggali Joonggali Walaman Wirlinyboo JungkaliStrongylura krefftii freshwater longtom Langgarany Langgaranyi Biyira Baloon LangarinyMelanotaenia australis western rainbowfish Walmarri Walmadi Gooljirimby DookoolkoodanyCrateroeephalus lentiginosus Prince Regent hardyhead Jinbirri Thinbidi - Karlanyjarr JinpirrAmbassis sp. 1 glassfish Walmarri Walmadi Wolaman Jilbirr JinpirrAmbassis sp. 2 glassfish Walmarri Walmadi Wolaman' Jilbirr JinpirrGlossamia aprion mouth almighty Thamali Thamarli Damari Jarbarr ParlkamarnuToxotes sp. Kimberley archerfish Girrwali Girrwali Nalawarr Marrbawool Marrparl marrpalAmniataba pereoides barred grunter Walarrabu Jarlandi Birlirndirr Mookmook KalirrikalirriHannia greenwayi Greenway's grunter - - EmanaHephaestus jenkinsi black bream Walngga Jambinbaroo Emana Walnga JampinyparuLeiopotherapon unieolor spangled perch Bunda Boornda Wunggari Jarrmoongka Punta manguHypseleotris kimberleyensis Barnett River gudgeonMogurnda oligolepis false-spotted gudgeon Luthu Loothoo NyagurlmanOxyeleotris selheimi giant gudgeon Nyaguna Nyagoorna Nyagurlman LoojooGlossogobius giuris flathead goby Nyaguna - Ngagulnun Joolany Luthu

I::'r-~0

Table 5 The Aboriginal names for the different marine/estuarine fish species in the Fitzroy River....

C1ClIl>

PFreshwater species Common name Bunuba Gooniyandi Ngarinyin Nyikina Walmajarri ~

Careharhinus leueas bull shark Ngan.gu Ngawoonkoo Ngangu0

- - i::Pristis mierodon freshwater sawfish Galwanyi Galwanyi - Wirridanyniny Wirrdani -(1)

Pristis clavata dwarf sawfish Galwanyi Galwanyi - Wirridanyniny Wirrdani pHimantura ehaophraya freshwater whipray Baya gawiy - - Biya Biya ~

Megalops cyprinoides Ox-eye herring, tarpon - Wayoo - Karlanyjarri - 0:1(1)

Liza subviridis greenback mullet - Goolgara Bulurrngari Lawoorrinyji - p.......Liza alata diamond mullet Goolgara Bulurrngari Lawoorrinyji 0- - ...Lates ealearifer barramundi Balga Barlga Deyo Birloonkoordany Murrulpal

p..

Gerres filamentosus whipfin silver-biddy - - - - - ~Gerres subfasciatus roach - - - - - :I:

0Nibea squamosa scaly croaker - - - - - ...

'"....Scatophagus argus spotted scat - - - - - ElIl>

Selenotoea multifasciata striped butterfish - - - - - =Marilyna meraukensis Merauke toadfish

Fishes of the Fitzroy River, including Aboriginal names

The 37 species of fish captured from the FitzroyRiver during this study includes 23 freshwaterspecies and 14 marine species that utilise thefreshwaters. In addition to this, AlIen and Leggett(1990) reported the strawman (Craterocephalusstramineus (Whitley, 1950) = Quirichthys stramineus)in the upper reaches of the Mary River (18°42'5,125°45'E). Allen et al. (2002) list the seven-spotarcherfish (Toxotes chatareus (Hamilton, 1922)) andAlIen et al. (2002) and Doupe and Lenanton (1998)list the silver cobbler (Arius midgleyi Kailola andPierce, 1988) from the Fitzroy River, however thereare no specimens of these species in the WAMuseum and it is unlikely that they are found inthe Fitzroy River. The WA Museum however, hasrecords of two other marine species from the lowernon-tidal freshwaters of the river, i.e. giant herring(Elops hawaiensis Regan, 1909) and the anchovy(Thryssa aesturia (Ogilby, 1910)). Thus, the knownspecies that are found in the non-tidal freshwatersof the Fitzroy River can be put at 40 species (24freshwater and 16 marine/estuarine). This diversityis high by Western Australian standards, with thetotal number of freshwater species being marginallyhigher than that recorded for all rivers of the Pilbara(Indian Ocean Drainage Division, 12 species) andsouth-west (South-west Coast Drainage Division, 10species) combined (Morgan et al., 1998, 2003; AlIenet al., 2002). The Kimberley as a whole is diverse interms of freshwater fish species, and this surveyconfirms the Fitzroy River as one of the mostspecies-rich in the region. For example, surveyswithin the Kimberley by McKay (1971) listed 17freshwater species from the Ord River, while AlIen(1975) identified 18 freshwater species from thePrince Regent River and seven from the Roe River,Hutchins (1977) collected 19 freshwater speciesfrom each of Drysdale and Carson rivers (total = 24sp.) and Hutchins (1981) collected nine freshwaterspecies from the Mitchell River. There is however,likely to be a similar number of freshwater speciesin the Ord River, with recent surveys by Doupe etal. (2003) capturing 19 species in Lake Kununurraand G. Allen and M. Allen (unpublished data)recording one other species in the lake in their totalof 12 species. AlIen et al. (2002) lists a further fourfreshwater species for the Ord River, taking theknown total to 24 species. Within the NorthernTerritory Pollard (1974) collected 28 freshwaterfishes from the East Alligator River and alsoidentified a further 15 predominantly marinespecies, the majority of which were also captured inthe Fitzroy River. Pollard (1974) also included theAboriginal (Oenpelli) names for many of thespecies. Bishop et al. (2001) listed 37 freshwaterfishes from the Alligator Rivers (East and South).

Approximately two-thirds of Australia's 200freshwater fish species occur within northernAustralia and within the Kimberley there are

157

approximate 50 species of which 18 are endemic(AlIen and Leggett, 1990; AlIen et al., 2002). Thehigh endemicity of the Kimberley is probably aconsequence of the rugged topography and diversehabitats that have acted as isolating mechanismsand have thus enhanced speciation (Allen andLeggett, 1990; Pusey et al., 1995). The high diversityof the Fitzroy River may be both a factor of thelarge catchment size (e.g. Pusey and Kernard (1996)demonstrated a positive relationship betweenspecies richness and catchment area in NorthQueensland) and the high degree of variablehabitats, particularly when comparing the mainchannel, billabongs and creek systems of thefloodplain to the high relief gorge country of theheadwaters. The topography of the upper HannRiver appears to have had a major influence ingoverning the evolution of at least a few species,e.g. Barnett River gudgeon (H. kimberleyensis) andGreenway's grunter (H. greenwayi). Freshwaterfishes endemic to the Fitzroy River include: H.kimberleyensis, H. greenwayi (also found in the IsdellRiver (AlIen and Allen, unpublished data)) andpossibly the two undescribed glassfishes (Ambassissp. 1 and sp. 2) and archerfish (Toxotes sp.). Theabsence of a number of species that are endemic tonearby, more northern Kimberley rivers, e.g. fivespecies of Terapontidae (Hephaestus epirrhinos Variand Hutchins, 1978, Leiopotherapon macrolepis Vari,1978, Syncomistes kimberleyensis Vari, 1978,Syncomistes rastellus Vari and Hutchins, 1978 andSyncomistes trigonicus Vari, 1978), four eleotrids(Hypseleotris ejuncida Hoese and Allen, 1983,Hypseleotris regalis Hoese and Alien, 1983,Kimberleyeleotris hutchinsi Hoese and Allen, 1987and Kimberleyeleotris notata Hoese and AlIen, 1987),one Atherinidae (Craterocephalus helenae Ivantsoff,Crowley and AlIen, 1987) and two species of theMelanotaeniidae (Melanotaenia gracilis AlIen, 1978and Melanotaenia pygmaea AlIen, 1974), suggests thatthese species have evolved in these remote, morenorthern rivers of the Kimberley and that there hasbeen no recent connection between these rivers andthe Fitzroy River.

The notable change is fish faunal assemblagesthroughout the Fitzroy River is highlighted by thefact that there are significant differences in the fishfauna found in the lower, middle and upper mainchannel and major tributary sites of the FitzroyRiver as well as between these sites and the smallerless permanent tributaries on the floodplain and inthe upper Hann River. Within the Fitzroy Riverthere is a notable increase in species richness in thelower reaches of the river compared to theheadwater streams. For example, 27 species werecaptured in the lower reaches, 22 in the middle and17 in the upper reaches of the main channel andmajor tributaries, while the smaller tributary andupper Hann River sites contained 18 and 13 species,

158

respectively, and 19 species were captured from themajor billabongs of the river.

Aboriginal values of the Fitzroy RiverThe Bunuba, Gooniyandi, Ngarinyin, Nyikina and

Walmajarri people have strong economic, culturaland religious affiliations with the fish, the river andfishing. Fishing is an integral part of life for bothAboriginal and non-Aboriginal people of theFitzroy River catchment, which is not surprisingconsidering that throughout most of its length largenumbers of important food species, e.g. black bream(H. jenkinsi), barramundi (L. calcarifer) and lessersalmon catfish (A. graeffei) are readily captured. Theutilisation of live and fresh bait has also led to agood understanding of the smaller species in theriver.

Not only are the river, its tributaries, billabongsand large and small pools important for food, butthey are extremely valuable from a culturalperspective. For example, many of the sites sampledduring this survey, particufarly permanent deeppools in gorges and billabongs, are known as'Living Waters'. They are home to Creator 'snakes'that must be treated with ritual and respect tomaintain water flows, renew aquatic life and ensurehuman welfare. The floodplain environment andriparian zone of the Fitzroy River valley is alsoimportant for hunting. Stock on pastoral leasesreadily accesses the river along most of its length.

The Kimberley Land Council and the KimberleyLanguage Resource Centre have a wealth ofinformation regarding many aspects of the culturalbeliefs and languages of the people of the FitzroyRiver. A great deal of language was recordedduring these field trips by the KLRC.

Impacts of a dam on the Fitzroy RiverWhile providing water for agriculture and

domestic uses, the proposed dam sites in theFitzroy River have also been seen as a means ofcontrolling natural flooding in the Fitzroy River,thereby allowing intensive agriculture to bedeveloped as in the case of the lower Ord River(Anon, 1993). A dam would create altered flowregimes and changes in seasonal distributions offlow downstream of the dam and there areuncertainties in relation to the river's hydrologyrelating to sediment loads, impacts of reducedflows and changes in downstream water quality(Ruprecht and Rodgers, 1998). The reduction inpeak flow volumes if either Dimond Gorge orMargaret Gorge were dammed would be aboutone-third (Anon, 1993). However, while flow wouldbe reduced during the wet, during the dry it wouldbe increased to provide for downstream irrigation(Anon, 1993). The altered flow regimes of the riverwill inevitably cause a change in the prevailing fishfauna immediately above the dam, but will also

D.L. Morgan, M.G. Allen, P. Bedford, M. Horstman

impact the distribution of fish below the dam. Thusmigratory species such as barramundi, theendangered freshwater sawfish, ox-eye herring andmullets will no longer have access to habitat abovedam sites, but the altered flow regimes and floodlevels will also impact the recruitment of otherspecies. The Fitzroy River acts as a nursery formany of these species and in the case of thefreshwater sawfish, the river is currently the mostimportant known refuge for the species (seeThorbum et al. 2003). Migratory species such asthose listed above p.ave been excluded from the OrdRiver above Lake Kununurra as a result of thediversion dam (Doupe et al., 2003). During the wetseason the floodplain environment of the lowerFitzroy is important not only as spawning groundsfor many of the river's fishes, but is also likely to actas a nursery ground for many of these species. Anyreduction in flooding may therefore inhibit larvalrecruitment into the adult populations of somespecies. Furthermore, dams generally favourspecies that prefer lentic waters over those moreconducive to lotic habitats and ultimately alter fishcommunity structure (e.g. Morgan et al., 2002).

One of the proposed dam sites, Dimond Gorge,had the second highest number of species recorded(17) and was the only location where the blackcatfish (N. ater) was collected. Barramundi and theendangered freshwater sawfish are known tomigrate at least as far upstream as these sites.

GrazingWilliams and Pen (1998) noted that much of the

upper Fitzroy River catchment shows considerablesigns of degradation through heavy grazing, with.many large denuded and eroding areas. Much ofthe riparian zone shows signs of degradation fromlivestock, while many of the wetlands andbillabongs become nutrient enriched and trampledby congregations of cattle during the dry. Thetrampling of small pools by cattle may impact onbenthic species such as the gobies, gudgeons andplotosid catfishes, although further work is requiredto ascertain any impacts. As a precautionarymeasure, areas of important fish habitat should beidentified and fenced from cattle, e.g. Lake Skeleton(site 10).

ConclusionsThe species richness and uniqueness of the fish

fauna of the Fitzroy River, its importance to thepeople of the west Kimberley for food andrecreation, and the diverse significance of the riveras a 'living cultural landscape' to Aboriginal peopleof the region (including the Bunuba, Gooniyandi,Ngarinyin, Nyikina and Walmajarri) makes it oneof Australia's great river systems. The Fitzroy Riverand its estuary, which provides refuge for a numberof rare and little known species (e.g. the endangered

Fishes of the Fitzroy River, including Aboriginal names

freshwater sawfish, Greenway's grunter, BarnettRiver gudgeon, false-spotted gudgeon and threeundescribed species), warrants carefulconsideration before any proposed land usechanges are implemented.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

This project would not have been possiblewithout either the financial support of the NaturalHeritage Trust, the Kimberley Land Council (KLC),the Kimberley Language Resource Centre (KLRC)and Murdoch University or the large amount ofcommunity involvement that was generated by theKLC and the KLRC. Thanks particularly to IsmahlCroft for his great organisational skills during theproject. Thanks to Tasmin Wagner, GracieMulligan, Emily Knight and the many others fortheir involvement in the Aboriginal names for thefish. The community involvement was tremendousand while it is not possible to thank everyoneindividually, we would like to thank the people ofthe West Kimberley for their great support. Thanksalso to Mary Aiken, Gerry Allen, Australian NatureConservancy, Leslie Baxter, Tom Baxter, FerdyBergmann, Big Barra's One Stop Shop (Derby),CALM (Fitzroy Crossing), Neil Buckle, DoreenButton, Dean Campbell-Smith, Martin Chestnut,Bevan Corbert, June Davis, Karen Dayman, JoeDuncan, Fisheries WA (Broome), Josephine Forrest,Ethel Forrest, Wendy Forrest, Christine Forrest,Nelson Forrest, Howard Gill, Ari Gorring, Steven

.Head, Malachy Hobbs, Neil & Gwen Hogstrom,Barry Hutchins, Ronnie Jimbidee, George Jubadah,Jim & Geraldine Kelly, Mable King, Emily Knight,Helen Larson, Kim McKay, Scotty Martin, JulieMelbourne, Mangkaja Arts (Fitzroy Crossing), RosieMulligan, Gracie Mulligan, Bessie Nargoodah,Pansy Nulgit, Mona Oscar, Marilyn Oscar, DavidPate, Edgar Price, Wibiy Nancy Rogers, AndrewRowland, John Savage, Mervyn Street, DickyTataya, Nugget Tataya, Claire Thirkell, MichaelThirkell, Anna Thirkell, Meegan Thirkell, DeanThorburn, Kevin Tromp, Tom Vigilante, SimonVisser, Tamsin Wagner, Lucy Walgarrie, LynetteWangandin, Jeanie Warbie, Yvonne White, TrevorWilliams and Patricia Yadda.

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Alien, G.R. and Leggett, R. (1990). A collection offreshwater fishes from the Kimberley region of

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Western Australia. Records of the Western AustralianMuseum 14: 527-545.

AlIen, G.R, Midgley, S.H. and AlIen, M. (2002). Fieldguide to the freshwater fishes of Australia. WesternAustralia Museum, Perth.

Anon. (1993). Fitzroy ValleJj irrigation a conceptual study.For the Kimberley Resources Development Office.Prepared by ACIL Economics and Policy Pty Ltd,Kinhill Engineers Pty Ltd, Bryn Roberts andAssociates and Water Authority of Western Australia.

Bishop, K.A., Allen, S.A., Pollard, D.A. and Cook, M.G.(2001). Ecological studies on the freshwater fishes of theAlligator Rivers region, Northern Territory: AutecologJj.Supervising Scientist Report 145, SupervisingScientist, Darwin.

Clarke, K.R and Gorley, RN. (2001). PRIMER v5: Usermanual/tutorial. Plymouth: PRIMER-E.

Compagno, L.J.V. and Niem, V.H. (1998). Carcharhinidaerequiem sharks. pp. 1312-1360. In, Carpenter, K.E.and Niem, V.H. (eds), The living marine resources of thewestern central Pacific, Volume 2 Cephalopods,crustaceans, holothurians and sharks. Food andAgriculture Organisation of the United Nations,Rome.

Doupe, Rand Lenanton, R J. (1998). Fishes of the FitzroyRiver: diversity, life history and the effects of riverregulation. In, Storey, A. and Beesley, L. (eds),Limnology of the Fitzroy River, Western Australia: atechnical workshop. Proceedings of a workshop held on18th February 1998, at Edith Cowan University,Claremont Campus, Claremont, Western Australia.

Doupe, R., Morgan, D., Gill, H., Rowland, A andAnnandale, D. (2003). Ecological and social issuesconcerning the establishment of a recreational barramundifishery in Lake Kununurra. Report to the LakeKununurra Fish Stock Enhancement Committee &Ord Land and Water Inc.

Goh, J. (1998). The Fitzroy River catchment: hydrologyand flood characteristics. In, Storey, A. and Beesley,L. (eds), Limnology of the Fitzroy River, WesternAustralia: a technical workshop. Proceedings of aworkshop held on 18th February 1998, at Edith CowanUniversity, Claremont Campus, Claremont, WesternAustralia.

Hutchins, J.B. (1977). The freshwater fish fauna of theDrysdale River National Park North Kimberley,Western Australia. In, Kabay, E.D. and Burbidge,A.A. (eds), A biological survey of the Drysdale RiverNational Park North Kimberley, Western Australia inAugust, 1975. Wildlife Research Bulletin of WesternAustralia 6: 1-133.

Hutchins, J.B. (1981). Freshwater fish fauna of theMitchell Plateau Area, Kimberley, Western Australia.In, Biological survey of Mitchell Plateau and AdmiraltyGulf, Kimberley, Western Australia. Western AustralianMuseum, Perth.

Hutchins, J.B. (2001). Checklist of the fishes of WesternAustralia. Records of the Western Australian MuseumSupplement No. 63: 9-50.

Mapinfo Corporation (1998). Mapinfo professional- user'sguide. Mapinfo Corporation, New York.

McKay, R.J. (1971). Fish. In, Kitchener, D.J. (ed.),Preliminary report of a biological survey of the Ord River

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basin, pp. 1-8. Unpublished mimeograph report.Western Australian Museum, Perth.

Morgan, D.L., Gill, H.5. and Potter, Le. (1998).Distribution, identification and biology of freshwaterfishes in south-western Australia. Records of theWestern Australian Museum Supplement 56: 1-97.

Morgan, D., Gill, H., AlIen, M. and Maddern, M. (2003).Distribution and biology of fish in inland waters of thePilbara (Indian Ocean) Drainage Division. Report to theNatural Heritage Trust. March 2003. Project Number003026.

Morgan, D.L., Hambleton, S.J., Gill, H.S. and Beatty, S.J.(2002). Distribution, biology and likely impacts of theintroduced redfin perch (Perca fluviatilis) (Percidae) inWestern Australia. Marine and Freshwater Research 53:1211-1221.

Nelson, J.S. (1994). Fishes of the world. John Wiley andSons, New York.

Pollard, D.A. (1974). The freshwater fishes of the AlligatorRivers 'Uranium Province' area (top end, NorthernTerritory), with particular reference to the Magela Creekcatchment (East Alligator River system). AustralianAtomic Energy Commission Report AAEC/E305.

Pusey, B.J., Arthington, AB. and Read, M.G. (1995).Species and spatial variation in fish assemblagestructure in two rivers of the Wet Tropics of northernQueensland, Australia. Environmental Biology of Fishes42: 181-199.

Pusey, B.J. and Kernard, M.J. (1996). Species richness andgeographical variation in assemblage structure of thefreshwater fish fauna of the Wet Tropics region ofnorthern Queensland. Marine and Freshwater Research47: 563-573.

D.L. Morgan, M.G. Allen, P. Bedford, M. Horstman

Ruprecht, J. and Rogers, S. (1998). Hydrology of theFitzroy River. In, Storey, A. and Beesley, L. (eds),Limnology of the Fitzroy River, Western Australia: atechnical workshop. Proceedings of a workshop held on18th February 1998, at Edith Cowan University,Claremont Campus, Claremont, Western Australia.

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Storey, A (1998). Irrigated agriculture on the FitzroyRiver: background and aims of the workshop. In,Storey, A. and "Beesley, L. (eds), Limnology of theFitzroy River, Western Australia: a technical workshop.Proceedings of a workshop held on 18th February1998, at Edith Cowan University, Claremont Campus,Claremont, Western Australia.

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Manuscript received 14 October 2003; accepted 12 November2003

Fishes of the Fitzroy River, including Aboriginal names

Appendix 1 The sites sampled in the Fitzroy River catchment.

Site Site SiteNumber Locality Number

1 Fitzroy River - Myroodah Crossing 342 Minnie River 353 Fitzroy River - 5 km downstream of Udialla 36

Station 374 Tributary Fitzroy River - 10km upstream 38

Udialla Station 395 Fitzroy River - upstream Udialla Station 406 Manguel Creek 417 Lake Alma8 Geegully Creek 429 Fitzroy River - opposite Minnie River mouth 4310 Lake Skeleton 4411 Lake on Old Great Northern Hwy12 Lake on Great Northern Hwy - 131km wets 45

Fitzroy Crossing 4613 Mt Wynne Creek - Great Northern Hwy 4714 Mt Hardman Creek - Great Northern Hwy 4815 Brooking Channel, Baralwani - Great Northern 49

Hwy 5016 Old Crossing - Fitzroy River 5117 Brooking Creek - Geikie Gorge Rd 5218 Fitzroy River, Sheep Camp, Wuruiya - Geikie 53

Gorge 5419 Crocodile Creek - Geikie Gorge20 Wirangarra - 20 km south Fitzroy Crossing 5521 Billabong near Wirangarra - small lake near 56

Ngurtawarta community 5722 Dawuwarriya - near Ngurtawarta Community 5823 Creek crossing - Geikie Gorge Rd 5924 Gurangajar Creek - Geikie Gorge Rd 6025 Two Mile Creek, Barangarri 6126 Gaarrii - 10km E Fitzroy Crossing off Great 62

Northern Hwy 6327 Bluebush Creek - 15km E Fitzroy Crossing 6428 Margaret River (Mayalnga) - crossing near 65

Muludja Community29 Jiliyardi (billabong near Bayulu community) 6630 Mimbi Cave (Mt Pierre Station) 6731 Christmas Creek - Bohemia Downs Sation, 68

Kupartiya Community) 6932 Fitzroy River - Willare Bridge

,

7033 Udialla Station - spring near Oyster Patch

161

SiteLocality

Udialla Station - Fitzroy RiverLeopold Station - Little SpringMary River - Yiyili CommunityMargaret River, Me No SavyMargaret River, Jaarda DaagnhingiMargaret River, NyalingiMargaret River, LambardiO'Donnell River / Margaret River junction,BalmaanggaaGorge near Margaret River, GirramaaMargaret RiverFitzroy River - Cadjeput - Old MorningtonStationFitzroy River - Dimond GorgeTributary of Dimond GorgeSmall billabong - tributary of Dimond GorgeAnna Creek - Old Mornington StationAnna Creek - Old Mornington StationAdcock River - Old Mornington StationTributary of Adcock RiverGrave Creek - Adcock RiverManning Creek GorgeLower Fitzroy River - Small tributary ofWilluns PoolDuck Hole Creek - GarayDuck Hole BillabongFitzroy River - Cherabin CampCherabin Creek - Crocodile Dam (stock dam)Booline CreekHann River, Barlmundurra - Gibb River RdHann River GorgeHann River - Bella YardsSnake Creek - Hann RiverSnake Creek, Bijili - Hann RiverBarnett River - downstream of Barnett RiverGorgeAdcock River GorgeForest River - Jubilee DownsSnake Creek - CamballinTelegraph Pool- Fitzroy RiverCamballin - Fitzroy River