The Life and Times of the Murray Cod

Paul Humphries

$59.99

Paperback

Not in-store but you can order this
How long will it take?

Availability Information

We source books from suppliers in Australia and overseas. For books we don't currently have in stock, the time it takes to get them from our suppliers can vary widely - from a few days to a few months - so we check each book with each supplier to determine the expected time it will take to be supplied to us.

We then advise you accordingly. If the time taken to get any book is too long for you, you can let us know and we will cancel or adjust your order, and refund as required.

To find out the anticipated arrival time for specific items prior to ordering, please contact us by phone or email:

Phone +61 2 9264 3111, or 1800 4 BOOKS (1800 4 26657) if outside Sydney:
option 1 Abbey's Bookshop (Crime, History, Science, Kids & more) • info@abbeys.com.au
option 2 Language Book Centre (ESL & Foreign Languages) • language@abbeys.com.au
option 3 Galaxy Bookshop (Sci-fi, Fantasy, Romance, Graphic Novels) • sf@galaxybooks.com.au

QTY:

English

CSIRO Publishing
17 May 2023

Mathematics & Sciences; History of science; Ecological science, the Biosphere; Fishes (ichthyology); Limnology (freshwater); Biodiversity

The Murray cod is Australia's largest and most iconic freshwater fish. Tales of the species have long been part of Australian folklore and this book describes its history, biology, cultural significance and conservation.

The Life and Times of the Murray Cod reveals the many roles the species has played throughout the history of the continent, from its place at the heart of the Aboriginal creation story of the Murray River, its role as a food source for explorers surveying inland Australia in the early 1800s, to it forming the basis of a commercial fishing industry up to the early 2000s.

Living for upwards of half a century and growing to astonishing sizes, today the Murray cod is a hugely popular target for recreational fishing, but its future is anything but assured. In the face of climate change, river management and fishing pressure, much needs to be done to ensure this extraordinary fish swims confidently into the future.

The Life and Times of the Murray Cod draws on historical, anecdotal and scientific sources to reveal what makes this remarkable species so special, and will appeal to fishers, natural resource managers, conservationists and any reader interested in natural history.

By: Paul Humphries
Imprint: CSIRO Publishing
Country of Publication: Australia
Dimensions: Height: 245mm, Width: 170mm, Spine: 16mm
Weight: 700g
ISBN: 9781486312320
ISBN 10: 1486312322
Pages: 256
Publication Date: 17 May 2023
Audience: Professional and scholarly , Undergraduate
Format: Paperback
Publisher's Status: Active

Foreword Cultural sensitivity warning Preface Acknowledgements About the contributors An introduction to the life and times of the Murray cod Part I: Origins 1. In the beginning: the origins of the Murray cod Part II: Biology 2. Next generation: the spawning of Murray cod 3. The young and the restless: the early life of the Murray cod 4. ‘A lazy fish’: diet, habitat and movement of adult Murray cod 5. From little fish big fish grow: age, growth and the biggest Murray cod Part III: People and Murray cod 6. Murray cod and First Nations people 7. European encounters: colonial explorers and early contact with the Murray cod 8. Fish in abundance: the Murray cod is introduced to Western science Part IV: Fisheries 9. Land, sheep and fish: settlement and the origins of the Murray cod commercial fishery Colour plates 10. Gold-fish: the gold rush and the commercial Murray cod fishery 11. ‘A trade of extermination’: overfishing and Aboriginal loss 12. Recreational fishing Part V: Conservation and the future 13. A fish in troubled waters 14. Past and future conservation of the Murray cod 15. Epilogue References Index

Paul Humphries is a river ecologist and academic with 40 years' experience in research in many parts of Australia and overseas. Paul co-edited Ecology of Australian Freshwater Fishes (CSIRO Publishing) with Keith Walker in 2013, which won the 2013 Royal Zoological Society of NSW Whitley Medal for outstanding zoological publication.

Reviews for The Life and Times of the Murray Cod

"""Paul Humphries is team leader of the river ecology group at Charles Sturt University; clearly he is highly qualified to write this book, but equally he is a beautiful writer."" * Ian Fraser's Natural History Reviews #32 * ""If you have ever wanted to know anything about Australia’s largest fish species, the Murray Cod, this is the book for you. […] This study is natural history writing at its best. It is erudite and articulate, but never hard to understand. "" -- Gary Presland * The Victorian Naturalist, Vol 140 (6) *"