Mitchell River - Denmark Mt Barker Road

Basin : Denmark Coast

Catchment : Hay - Denmark rivers

The condition of the Mitchell River - Denmark Mt Barker Road (site code: HD151MITC1, site reference: 6031580), in the middle catchment of the Mitchell River, was assessed between 5 and 6 November 2009, over a 100-m length of stream. At this time no previous assessments of river ecology had been reported.

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

The site was previously sampled under code (MITC-01)/6121267).

Condition summary

The site was assessed as part of a national assessment of river condition – view report here.

An online condition summary for this site has not been prepared. Please contact the departments River Science team for site information, and see below for links to information on some of the species found at the site, and some images taken in November 2009.

Fish and crayfish

Three native fish (nightfish, western minnow, western pygmy perch) and two native crayfish species (koonac, marron) were found at this site in November 2009. Notably no non-native species were found.

A list of species is provided at the bottom of the page, click on the images to learn more about each species.

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 inland aquatic ecosystems across Western Australia 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.