Murray Cod Post-Mortem Pictures

[Eastern Snake Neck]

I recently received some photos of a Murray Cod Post-Mortem. The death of the cod probably had something to do with the 32cm Murray River Turtle (Emydura macquarii macquarii) in its stomach.

I have posted a couple of photos below. The other photos can be seen on my web site (go to www.turtlesnsw.com and click on Photos, then scroll down to the Murray Cod Post-Mortem link on the left hand side).

I don't actually know how or why the cod died, but I can surmise:

It is possible that the turtle in the photo was attacked by a fox when she came out to nest and managed to make it back into the river, where she may have died before being eaten by the cod.

Foxes are a major threat to turtles throughout Australia.

One recent study showed that they attack and kill 90% of nesting Murray River Turtles. The foxes bite off the turtle's head and legs.

Of the turtles that are not killed by foxes and actually manage to nest, 90% of those nests are dug up by foxes.

The upshot is that a mere 1% of turtle nests actually make it through to hatching, due directly to the fox. If the situation remains unchanged, the turtle population will be unsustainable.

Meanwhile, the introduced carp numbers are on the increase. Turtles are one of the few predators of carp in Australia. It has been estimated that turtles in the Murray River consume 180,000 tonnes of carrion per annum, with most of this being carp. The carp make up to 90% of the fish biomass in some Australian Rivers.

So, if we get rid of the foxes, the turtle numbers will increase and the carp numbers will decrease. Of course, there are few politicians in this country that want to acknowledge the problem. In about 20 years time, people are going to start saying "Where have all the turtles gone?" Politicians tend to see three years ahead, because that's when the next election will be held. Pity, because it would be a great way to help save the Murray River and get rid of a couple of introduced pests at the same time.

- Michael.

[junglepython2]

Thats a nice sized cod.

Saw some pics recently of a large semi-digested rbbs pulled out of a gutted cod.

[cris]

awesome cod, do you know how big it was?

Its a shame ppl kill these still

[MatE]

With cod that big it would get rid of a few introduced species lol foxes included.

[Eastern Snake Neck]

Hi cris,

I would estimate that the cod was around 1 metre.

Regards,
Michael.

[Ryan93]

holly cow bro dat is 1 hell of a cod never seen 1 at big in my life time

[Jozz]

That cod was found on the riverbank on the property I live on. From memory it was 137cm, he had fin rot and under-developed gonads The SARDI researchers were on site at the time, and found him just after he'd died. Why can't one of them go for my hook!!!

[Jozz]

The drought, and over-allocation of the Murray River is having a huge effect on the environment they live in. Reduced flows, and rising salinity are becoming a problem, and we will probably see a lot more being stressed out and dying. It is very sad that no-one seems to be doing anything to save the Mighty Murray River But that was a very big turtle in his gut!

[pike1]

you need turtles for bait

[Naxx]

THAT THING IS HUGE! ive never caught a fish even 1/4 that size, but im from canada and the best we got is salmon and ive never gone salmon fishing. if they didnt taste like crap that cod would feed a family of 10 for a year!

[Jozz]

Who said they taste like crap!!! They are absolutley beautiful - smaller ones are better, but they certainly don't taste like crap!!!

Here's the information from the research centre that found the fish:

"the cod was 1.31m long and weighed 39.4kg (87
pound). It appears to have died from eating the Murray Turtle which was 27
cm long and 20 cm wide (shell dimensions) although it was also suffering
from fin and gill rot and lesions. It was a male but its gonads were
underdeveloped for this time of year."

-Jos

[Naxx]

i heard most of them taste bad cuz they eat garbage and watever floats their way, in this case a turtle. maybe im thinkin of carp....

[Brettix]

Thats amazing,nice shots.

[kabuto]

Murray cod up to 70cm are just beautiful to eat even as sashimi. Once they get over size they increase their fat content. also they are getting to breeding age and should be released immediately after capture.

[grimbeny]

What type of turtle do you think it is?