Movement ecology is fundamental to effective freshwater fish management, yet most studies focus on population-wide responses to environmental drivers, rarely accounting for the substantial variation in movement behaviours within populations. Here, we present findings from two complementary studies that together examine golden perch (Macquaria ambigua) movement across individual and landscape scales in the northern Murray–Darling Basin.
In the first study, we used acoustic telemetry to track 223 individuals over four years across two hydrologically distinct dryland rivers, the Culgoa and Narran, to examine how varied discharge drives population-level movement behaviour in these highly intermittent systems. We found a high level of sedentary behaviour, with occasional movements strongly linked to flow events. When movements did occur, they were highly philopatric, with most individuals returning to their ‘home’ pool within the same flow event. These results provide insight into how the risks associated with movement in highly intermittent systems shape population level movement behaviours, while indicating that individual movement tendencies persist even in environmentally constrained populations.
Then, in a less hydrologically constrained system, the Condamine-Balonne River, we tracked 132 individuals between 2018 and 2025, to investigate how movement behaviours vary between individuals when environmental constraints on movement are reduced. We identified five distinct movement groups using a multi-metric clustering approach, ranging from strong site residency to long-distance migration. Group membership varied with hydrological alteration and was associated with body size and age, suggesting behavioural plasticity in response to habitat conditions that may strengthen population resilience.
Together, these studies reveal that golden perch movement is shaped by both intrinsic individual characteristics and extrinsic hydrological conditions. Understanding this complexity, from behavioural syndromes within populations to flow-driven dispersal between habitats, may allow for more targeted management actions, such as flow provisions, that cater for varied movement strategies.