Dr Sarah Mika is a lover of water and the life that teems in its presence. From water quality to microinvertebrates to macroinvertebrates, Sarah is passionate about the small things that make wetlands boom. In this story Sarah tells of this passsion; how it started while studying and playing in the coastal rivers of NSW and how it’s fuelled now by researching various wetlands of the northern Murray-Darling Basin for the CEWO’s Flow-MER Project.
What is the first fish species that pops into your head when you think of the Murray-Darling Basin? I bet it’s the Murray cod, or Guduu in Gamilaraay language (pictured above). You might remember a family fishing trip and cod on the BBQ. Or maybe you have just seen pictures or film of Australia’s largest freshwater fish…
Exciting news! From October to December the Macquarie River and Marshes are being refreshed by water for the environment. These flows aim to support Murray cod breeding amongst many other wetland ecosystem functions.
Lakkari Pitt is a proud Gamilaroi Yuwaalaraay woman from Walgett, New South Wales. Lakkari’s art is a contemporary take on the knowledge that her Elders and significant people in her life have passed down throughout generations. Lakkari’s work explores the movement, essence and stories of Country.
Frogs are a key player in aquatic habitats. They provide important ecosystem services through living as predator, prey and everything in between. We collaborated with Gamilaroi Yuwaalaraay artist, Lakkari Pitt, to help us portray the frogs that inhabit the aquatic ecosystems we study. We love the artwork and stories she produced.
Fish and rivers have been intimately linked for millions of years, and fish and humans for thousands. River conditions are reflected in the health of fish populations and communities; with variations to such aspects having implications for river-depenent Aboriginal Nations pre-European settlement, and today. We collaborated with Gamilaroi Yuwaalaraay artist, Lakkari Pitt, to help us portray the fish that inhabit the rivers we study. We love the artwork and stories she produced.
Birds that are dependent on aquatic ecosystems for some or all of their lifecycle are termed waterbirds. Measuring waterbird abundance and diversity helps to determine the health of the ecosystems they inhabit. We collaborated with Gamilaroi Yuwaalaraay artist, Lakkari Pitt, to help us portray the waterbirds that inhabit the aquatic ecosystems we study. We love the artwork and stories she produced.
Australia’s floodplains, wetlands and riverine ecosystems are characterised by unique, diverse and often iconic vegetation. We collaborated with Gamilaroi Yuwaalaraay artist, Lakkari Pitt, to help us portray the vegetation within the aquatic ecosystems we study. We love the artwork and stories she produced.
Food webs show how food and energy resources such as microbes, algae and reeds are connected with consumers such as waterbugs, fish and waterbirds. We collaborated with Gamilaroi Yuwaalaraay artist, Lakkari Pitt, to help us portray the food webs within the wetlands we study. We love the artwork and stories she produced.
Hydrology is the science of Earth’s water, particularly its properties and movement in relation to the land. We collaborated with Gamilaroi Yuwaalaraay artist, Lakkari Pitt, to help us portray the hydrology of the rivers and landscapes we study. We love the artwork and stories she produced.
