In Cod’s Country by Tony Townsend

In the blue corner, measuring a recorded maximum length of 1.8m and weighing over 113kg is the iconic fish of the Murray-Darling Basin, the 'King that swims', the mighty Murray cod! And in the red corner, ready to rumble with the creator of the Murray River and all its fish, is the combined efforts of riverine degradation, the removal of snags, poor riverbank condition, river regulation, overfishing and alien fish. Hardly sounds like a fair fight does it?

In fact, the only person to come out on top against such a large number of adversaries was Rocky Balboa. But this isn't a movie. These challenges are real, and if the once mighty Murray cod are to return to their former glory they need our help.

The Murray cod is Australia's largest true freshwater fish and it has been estimated to have been swimming around the basin for at least 26 million years. This apex predator patiently waits for its prey, which includes crayfish, frogs, fish and even waterfowl. But it has recently found itself being ambushed, and the numbers of Murray cod are dwindling, so much so that it is listed as a threatened species.

This is in stark contrast to the observations of our early explorers. Thomas Mitchell reported during his early explorations that "...one of our men caught fish, which weighed 18lb; but, according to the natives, this was no uncommon size." Cunningham referred to them as "...the cod of all our western rivers."

These recollections were still common during the first half of the last century. In The River by Eric Rolls, stories about the fish coming up with the flooding river are retold, with anglers deciding not to take too many, "Say twenty for us and twenty for the neighbours", and 40lb cod were treated as 'middle-sized' fish.

So, with such a strong pedigree how is it that we are fast on our way to becoming a cod-less basin? Well, much like most animals, Murray cod need a safe, stable home in order to thrive and with over 97% of waterways in NSW modified in some way, the Murray cod home is anything but safe or stable.

Perhaps the most important aspect of the cod home is the snag. Not the type that is burnt on a barbie, but rather the large logs, branches and sticks that fall into the