MURRAY COD
Daily Mail – Brisbane. 19 Nov 1925

MURRAY COD
(To the Editor.)
Sir,— In a recent Issue of a Sydney weekly an article appeared relative to the Murray cod (“Oligorus magusruntis”) deploring the gradual extinction of this, the most excellent of fresh water food fish on the globe. The fish of half a hundredweight Is now taken In the many tributaries of the Murray River. Even the smaller fish are becoming gradually scarcer.
The same applies to our rivers more so, in fact: especially those rivers that- have their exit on the east coast -such as the Brisbane,
Logan, Albert, and Mary, and many creeks flowing into them. In these streams cod are rapidly vanishing, and mature fish rarely caught. It is a peculiar fact that fresh water cod do not exist in any of our rivers and creeks that have their origin directly from the coastal aspect of our ranges; but those rivers and creeks arising from the western slopes, and running through decomposed granite and sandstone country, such as the Stanley, Obi Obi etc. all contain fresh water cod. Oxley Creek, North and South Pine, Caboolture, Maroochy, and other rivers coming from the eastern slope of the ranges are devoid of cod.
It seems to me nothing less than a national calamity to see this delicious fish rapidly becoming extinct, mainly through lack of attention on the part of the Fisheries Department.
Surely some effort could be made in protecting these fish, and help them to propogate their species say that the absolute prevention of dynamiting and net fishing the extermination of the useless shag, falling of scrub into the rivers, etc., a closed season during the period of spawning. Fresh water cod deposit some 2,000 000 ova every year at one spawning, and even if half a dozen of this enormous number of ova hatched and were allowed to come to maturity, there would be sport for all in these beautiful fresh water rivers, and a definite asset to the people living Inland.
When the Stanley River is dammed between Esk and Kllcoy what an ideal place it will become for cod to thrive if given a sporting chance.
Yours, etc..
GUILFORD DAVIDSON,
Sandgate.
Link to Trove Article

Comment:
For over 100 years there have been calls for a closed season to protect spawning cod in the Brisbane River. Perhaps if these calls were heeded back then, the Brisbane River Cod would not have become extinct. A century later, little has changed in this regard.

The Queenslander Illustrated Weekly – Brisbane. 1 Aug 1935

Comment:
In 1935 they were aware that the removal of trees had negative impacts on waterways & our fish.

Tweed Daily.
24 March 1932

The Queenslander. 22 Nov 1879

From John Oxley Journal. Page 36 – 39. 21 September 1824.
Describing Brisbane River Cod.

“On our route towards the Pine Ridge, we fell in with our old native who had been fishing when we crossed the river, he sat down by Mr Cunningham, who seeing the tail of a fish protruding from the mouth of his bag, began to examine the contents and before he could disengage the fish from the exclaimed this is a Bathurst cod fish, on the fish being pulled placed fairly before us, not a doubt could possibly exist of their exact identity in every particular, this species of fish was intimately known both to Mr. C and myself, and we also knew that it did not exist in any eastern Waters, the fish measured 1ft. 9 ½ ins in length , and was 5 ½ inches round. The dorsal fins had 11 rays the anal fin 3 rays towards the breast the pectoral fins were placed before the ventral fins, having ea 4 rays, the ventral fins were many rayed, and rounded the Central or tail fin the same. Four lines of gills, – With those that had once seen the fish of the Western Waters no doubt could remain, no other fish ever seen in any of the other fresh waters of the colony having the smallest resemblance to them; since we had been among the rapids several fish of very large size, some measuring more than 4 feet long had been seen by us all, in the deep pools under the steep banks, these we called the fresh water shark , having only n imperfect view of them though this dark shade of the waters, the larger sized fish of the Bathurst fish, do in outward form and at a distance somewhat resemble the shark.”