March 21st, 2026A fish called Wanda goes on an amazing journey
An Australian freshwater catfish has been dubbed ‘Wanda’ after a remarkable wander across four northern Victorian waterways.
Freshwater catfish are generally considered a non-migratory species, which means most usually live, breed, and feed in a small stretch of waterway or in a lagoon.
However, a tagged catfish recorded at the Koondrook Fishway on Gunbower Creek in October 2023 showed up in the Loddon River’s Kerang Fishway in December 2024.
That’s a journey of about 140km, from Gunbower Creek to the Murray River, down the Little Murray River, into the Loddon River, and down to the Kerang Weir.
“That’s our best guess on the route it took, and it’s also the shortest possible route, which is usually the most likely,” North Central Catchment Management Authority (CMA) Native Fish Recovery Plan Project Manager Dr Peter Rose said.
“That’s a remarkable journey for a fish species that rarely goes further than five kilometres from home.
“We’ve dubbed it a Fish called Wanda as it certainly has been wandering.”
The fish went through at least three fishways on its journeys, structures Dr Rose said are vital for the survival of native fish in the region.
“Fishways are built alongside weirs and allow fish to travel up and down stream without any barriers,” he said.
“We have worked with Goulburn Murray Water, the Arthur Rylah Institute, First Nations peoples, and other stakeholders to build a range of these fishways in our northern waterways as part of our Native Fish Recovery Plan.
“As a result, we have opened up more than 1000 kilometres of waterways for large-bodied fish such as native freshwater catfish, silver and golden perch, and Murray cod.
“Most of our fishways include tag readers, which allow us to get a clear picture of how far native fish, including Wanda, travel.”
Dr Wayne Koster of the Arthur Rylah Institute said the construction of fishways was just one way governments were working together to protect native fish.
“Such large movements are considered unusual for freshwater catfish but highlight the importance of measures such as fishways and environmental flows to enhance connectivity between regions,” he said.
The Native Fish Recovery Plan has been supported by the Victorian Government’s Climate Action’s Nature Fund and Building Works Capital Stimulus Package, ARI, the Murray-Darling Basin Authority’s Native Fish Recovery Strategy, the Victorian Environmental Water Holder (VEWH), Goulburn Murray Water, and the Tri State Alliance – a group of seven natural resource bodies along the Murray from Victoria, New South Wales, and South Australia.
