Lower Punrak Drain

Basin : Murray River

Catchment : Murray - Serpentine rivers

The condition of the Lower Punrak Drain site (MR64PUNR1) in the lower Punrak Drain was assessed between 13 and 14 November 2017, over a 100-m length of stream.

The assessment was conducted using standard methods from the South West Index of River Condition. Measures chosen for this assessment included fish and crayfish, aquatic habitat, water quality (dissolved oxygen, temperature, electrical conductivity, and pH logged over 24h, and colour, alkalinity, turbidity and nutrients), fringing vegetation, channel morphology, erosion, connectivity, local land use and flow.

Condition summary

A summary of aquatic biota detected over the different sampling events is provided in the section below. For other site data, please contact the department’s River Science team (please reference the site code and sampling dates).

Fish and crayfish

As this was the first time this site had been sampled using SWIRC methods, the species expected to occur here (listed below) are based on species reported from studies conducted elsewhere in the catchment. As differences in habitat within a reach naturally influence species distributions, and variability in methods between sampling programs can affect the species caught, so this list is only indicative. A list of species is provided at the bottom of the page, click on the images to learn more about each species.

6 fish species and 2 crayfish species were found at this site in 2017, including 2 exotic fish and 1 exotic crayfish species, see Table 1, below, for details.

Click here for full size table

Only fish and freshwater crustaceans (crayfish and shrimp) that typically inhabit river channels are targeted by the standard SWIRC sampling methods.

Note: collection of fauna from WA’s inland aquatic ecosystems requires a license from the Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development (DPIRD) and also the Department of Biodiversity, Conservation and Attractions (DBCA). All species collected must be reported to these agencies as part of license conditions.

Species found in subcatchment

This includes all species found within the subcatchment of the assessment site, from this and previous studies in the area. The photos are linked to more information about each species, including maps of where they are expected across the south-west.