The starting point for recovery
Before attempting to improve the environment of Waurn Ponds Creek to rehabilitate its aquatic inhabitants, the Arthur Rylah Institute for Environmental Research conducted a fish survey. Here is their report (HTML) and a pdf (1.2Mb) version. Corangamite Catchment Management Authority have produced follow-up reports based on subsequent testing by volunteers and school groups, mostly at the Cobbin Farm site.Macro-invertebrate assays
Some excellent resources to help in macro-invertebrate identification exist.Pathfinderscience has methods for conducting a whole range of water quality measures, including a biological assay based on the type of macro-invertebrates found and their numbers. At this site can be found many other student and community science programmes also.
For pictures of the beasties, the New York State, Department of Environmental Conservation has built a key based on photographs of the various species of macro-invertebrates which are truely superb.
This University of Virginia, Department of Environmental Sciences, SOS Stream Study site has excellent line drawings of the various components in the identification key.
Yarra Pygmy Perch
