Laying the foundations for fish recovery: The first 10 years of the Native Fish Strategy for the Murray-Darling Basin, Australia

The Native Fish Strategy aimed to return fish populations in Australias largest (1 million square kilometre) river basin from an estimated 10 to 60% of pre-European settlement levels after 50 years of implementation. While funding for implementation of this programme has now ceased (despite native fish remaining in a poor state), the achievements of the Strategy’s first 10 years provide a solid basis for implementing the work necessary to rehabilitate native fish populations in the future.