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| Bony Bream usually grow to 12 -15 cm in length, but
fish have been found that are up to 48 cm long and weigh as much as
2 kg. Bony Bream can live for up to 3 years. |
The Bony Bream is found in the lower areas of the Murray-Darling Basin
(those areas that are less than 200m above sea level). The largest numbers
are found in the Darling River and the rivers that flow from it.
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IN THE PAST
There used to be a large number of Bony Bream in the lower Murray. |
TODAY
There may be even more Bony Bream than before because more shallow,
still-water habitats have
been created with the introduction of river
regulations. |
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| PLAINS |
LAKES AND DAMS |
Bony Bream like slower-flowing rivers, creeks, billabongs,
lakes and dams on the plains.
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| SLOW MOVING WATERS |
AQUATIC PLANT BEDS |
| Bony Bream live in shallow, muddy, slow-moving water. Adults
swim out in the open but young
fish like to hide in underwater vegetation along the banks. |
MATING
Adult Bony Bream form schools in shallow backwaters to spawn. A male
is able to spawn when it reaches 13 cm in length and females when they reach
15 cm. |
SPAWNING
Spawning takes place from October to December in Victoria when water
temperatures are 20°C or more. One fish may spawn up to 3 times per
season. There is even more spawning when the river is in flood. |
EGGS
A female Bony Bream can release anywhere from 33,000 - 880,000 eggs.
These eggs are very small (1 mm in diameter) and they drift and then sink. |
JUVENILES
Larvae and young
fish feed first on zooplankton and
then switch to detritus and
algae when they reach 5 - 6 cm in length. |
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| Bony Bream eat both plants and animals. Their diet includes algae and
aquatic plants, small particles of food found in the mud, insects and
small crustaceans.
Both young and adult Bony Bream are probably eaten by larger fish such
as Murray Cod and Golden Perch. |
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| Little is known about the movement of Bony Bream. Some fish have
been seen moving upstream to new habitats during the day. They have
also been seen gathering in schools in shallow backwaters before spawning. |
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IN THE PAST
Bony Bream have been caught for pet food, crayfish bait and fishmeal.
During World War II they were also canned for soldiers to eat. |
TODAY
Today 47% of the inland fishery catch in SA is Bony Bream. They are
caught using gill
nets and mainly used as bait for lobster fishing. |
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IN THE PAST
It is not known whether Aborigines or early European settlers ate
Bony Bream. |
TODAY
Bony Bream is not a fish people try to catch for food because it
is, as its name suggests, very bony. |
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LEGAL SIZES
There are no size limits on Bony Bream that can be caught. This applies
to all States of Australia. |
CATCH LIMITS
There are no limits on the number of Bony Bream that can be caught
each day. This applies to all States of Australia. |
CLOSED SEASONS
Bony Bream can be caught all year round in all States of Australia. |
BAIT
Sometimes they are caught for bait using gill, drum or seine nets. |
| Bony Bream are probably the only native fish
in the Basin whose numbers have not gone down due to changes in river
regulations. They are not threatened at
this time but we need to make sure that overfishing does
not threaten them in the future. |
| Bony Bream are not bred in fish farms and are not stocked in
the rivers, lakes or dams of the Murray-Darling Basin. However, in the
future they may be bred as live food to grow other, larger fish. |
RECOVERY PLANS
As Bony Bream are still found in large numbers, there are no recovery plans
for this species at this time. To make sure they continue to be found in
large numbers there are certain management controls that have been placed
on the commercial fishing
industry. These include:
- All commercial fishers need a licence.
- Only a certain number of licences are
given out.
- Fishers can only fish in areas stated on
licences.
However, recreational fishers
can catch as many Bony Bream as they like. |
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