Featured in the Press

A record of acknowledgements, recognition, industry partners and collaborations over our rich, 46+ year history.

Hear from industry experts

  • "Successful aquaculture programs have been around for some years. One of the best is Bruce Malcolm's Uarah Fish Hatchery at Grong Grong, just east of Narrandera in southern NSW. He supplies Murray cod directly to top restaurants as well as retailers at the Sydney Fish Markets. It's expensive but, as a special treat, it's well worth it."

    - Stefano Manfredi, renowned Sydney chef and owner of The Restaurant Manfredi

  • "Australian warmwater aquaculture is relatively new but it does go back to the 1970s. One of the pioneers, a founding father if you like, is Bruce Malcolm of Uarah Fisheries at Grong Grong, about 30km east of Narrandera in NSW's Eastern Riverina… Murray cod is without doubt the best known fish in Australia. Over the years Bruce has made the name Uarah synonymous with this premier fish of the Murray Darling basin. His knowledge of breeding and growing techniques is second to none. That knowledge has been acquired through personal experience without any government assistance.”

    - John Mosig, Aquaculture journalist

  • "Operating since 1977, Uarah Fisheries is at Grong Grong north-west of Wagga Wagga. The farm uses abundant groundwater to sustain 56 ponds, a hatchery and a laboratory. It’s the largest commercial native fish hatchery in south-eastern Australia. ... Bruce Malcolm pioneered the technology for the commercial production of Murray cod towards the end of the 1980s, and was a leader in the silver perch industry. The farm produces 10 tonnes of Murray cod annually, which is 20 per cent of the farm’s production. The farm’s core business is fingerling production for other commercial growers and re-stockers.”

    - Austasia Aquaculture, vol. 19, no. 6, pp. 60-61.

  • "For ages it was thought that Murray cod couldn’t be fed artificially and the only cod on the market were those taken by professional fishers. It wasn’t until Bruce Malcolm at Uarah Fisheries at Grong Grong, NSW, after much perseverance, established that cod would take a pelleted diet that we started to see cod swimming around in fish tanks in capital city restaurants.”

    - John Mosig & Ric Fallu, Australian Fish Farmer: A Practical Guide

  • "The Murray cod is as Australian as fish is even going to get. A freshwater fish, it has been bred and farmed by Bruce Malcolm of Uarah fisheries since 1978 in Grong Grong NSW. What started out as a restocking exercise turned into a pivotal fish farming and supply business in the 80s. Otherwise known as the “cod father”, Bruce Malcolm knows a thing or 3 about growing the best Murray cod there can be. When it comes to fresh water fish, the most common concerns relate to their flavour, specifically “muddiness” which is a reflection of their habitats. In all the years we have worked with Bruce Malcolm’s fish, we have never had feedback relating to muddiness in the flavour. His contribution to aquaculture in Australia is immense. Ask for his fish by name.”

    - Southern Fresh Seafood, Premium Sydney fish monger

  • "[T]he chemical signature of the Uarah hatchery at Grong Grong, NSW, overlapped extensively with the Darling River basin chemical signature. Thus, it would not be possible to discriminate fish produced at the Uarah hatchery in 2004 if they were stocked into the Darling River.”

    - Murray-Darling Basin Authority, 2010

  • "The performance of native fish broodstock may deteriorate over time. In Murray cod, the incidence of “blue-sac” syndrome in cultured larvae was linked to a deficiency of essential amino acids and the age of broodstock (Gunasekera et al., 1998). However, the performance of broodstock on several commercial hatcheries that use natural spawning techniques has not changed significantly over a 15 – 20 year period (Brue Malcolm and Ray Mepham, personal communication).”

    - SJ Rowland & P Tully, NSW Department of Primary Industries, 2004

  • "In the late 1980s, Bruce saw the potential of Murray cod as an aquaculture species as it was already regarded as a good table fish. Developing this niche product took a lot of hard work and Uarah Fisheries are proud of what has been achieved. Uarah Fisheries have made a very important contribution towards aquaculture with Murray cod now recognised internationally.”

    - Narrandera Shire Council, 2016

> Media

Owing to our position as a pioneer and leader in Australian freshwater aquaculture, and our physical location in the Murray-Darling Basin region, Uarah Fisheries has been heavily-involved in two major contemporary issues of Australia’s modern consciousness since the 1980’s – the conservation of Australia’s iconic fish species in the Murray-Darling Basin and the resurgence of Murray cod as a table fish.

As such, Uarah Fisheries has become well-known in the industry to journalists, researchers, conservation groups and seafood wholesalers alike, and has often been quoted or mentioned in popular and mass media.

Southern Fresh Seafood, 2017, ‘Bruce Malcolm knows a thing or 3 about growing the best Murray cod‘, instagram post, Southern Fresh Seafood, @costa_nemitsas, 23 March, viewed 31 May 2017.

Martin’s Seafoods 2017, ‘It’s baaack! UARAH fisheries!‘, twitter post, Martin’s Seafoods, @MartinsSeafoods, 8 March, viewed 31 May 2017.

Narrandera Visitor Information Centre 2017, Our Growers and Producers – Narrandera Tourism, Narrandera Shire Council, viewed 31 May 2017.

Narrandera Shire Council 2016, Dining out in Narrandera has never tasted … or looked so good, media release, 26 September, Narrandera Shire Council, Narrandera, New South Wales, viewed 31 May 2017.

Canberra Business Chamber 2016, Canberra Exporter Hooks China Market, media release, 6 July, Canberra Business Chamber, Canberra, Australian Capital Territory, viewed 31 May 2017.

Manning, S 2016, ‘Wagga Tackleworld community project injects 10,000 Murray cod into Murrumbidgee River’, Daily Advertiser, 8 February, viewed 31 May 2017.

‘Fishing club’s Edward release’ 2015, Deniliquin Pastoral Times, 24 March, viewed 31 March 2017.

Mildura Weekly 2015, ‘Something fishy going on at Dareton’, Mildura Weekly, 13 February, p. 10, viewed 31 May 2017.

O’Callaghan, D 2015, ‘Coomealla Angling Club releases thousands of fingerlings into the Murray River’, ABC News, 13 February, viewed 31 May 2017.

‘Lake gets cod boost’ 2012, CityNews, 2 February, viewed 31 May 2017.

National Capital Authority 2012, 37,000 More Residents for Lake Burley Griffin, media release, 2 February, National Capital Authority, Canberra, Australian Capital Territory, viewed 31 May 2017.

Griffiths, J 2011, ‘100,000 golden perch going into the lake’, RiotAct!, 15 February, viewed 31 May 2017.

Mosig, J 2010, ‘NSW Hatchery Quality Assurance Program’, New Zealand Aquaculture, September, p. 11.

Manfredi, S 2010, ‘Murray darling’, Sydney Morning Herald, 23 January, viewed 31 May 2017.

Mosig, J 2009, ‘Quality assurance programme attracts growing support’, New Zealand Aquaculture, November, p. 9.

Romanowski, N 2007, Sustainable Freshwater Aquaculture: The Complete Guide from Backyard to Investor, UNSW Press, Sydney, New South Wales, p. 178.

Mosig, J, & Fallu, R 2004, Australian Fish Farmer: A Practical Guide to Aquaculture, 2nd edn, Landlink Press, Melbourne, Victoria, p. 317.

Devlin, SL 1999, Multiple Stains: The Story of the Devlin and Associated Families in Australia, S.L. Devlin, Canberra, Australian Capital Territory, pp.257-275.

Australian Government Publishing Service 1982, Commonwealth of Australia Gazette, No. G7, 16 February, p. 53.

Australian Government Publishing Service 1981, Commonwealth of Australia Gazette, No. G3, 20 January, p. 88.

LOGO_Partner_SouthernFresh.png
LOGO_Partner_MurrayDarling.png
LOGO_Partner_Narrandera.png
LOGO_Partner_NSWDPI.png
LOGO_Partner_M.png
LOGO_Research_Linnean.png
LOGO_Research_WWF.png
LOGO_Research_PSM.png
LOGO_Research_ANU.png
LOGO_Research_Aus.png
LOGO_Research_FRDC.png

> Academia

Since the 1980’s, Uarah Fisheries and its Operations Manager, Bruce Malcolm, has contributed greatly to industry research, either by being actively involved with research, by contributing fish specimens and technical knowledge, or by providing usage of our infrastructure and equipment.

Stocks, JR, Scott, KF, Rodgers, MP, Walsh, CT, Van der Meulen, DE & Gilligan, D 2015, Short-term intervention monitoring of a fish community response to an environmental flow in the mid and lower Macquarie River: 2014/2015 watering year, NSW Department of Primary Industries, Batemans Bay, New South Wales.

Boys, C, Navarro, A, Robinson, W, Fowler, A, Chilcott, S, Miller, B, Pflugrath, B, Baumgartner, L, McPherson, J, Brown, R & Deng, Z 2014, Downstream fish passage criteria for hydropower and irrigation infrastructure in the Murray-Darling Basin, Fisheries Final Report Series No. 141, NSW Department of Primary Industries, Nelson Bay, New South Wales.

Baumgartner, L, McPherson, B, Doyle, J, Cory, F, Cinotti, N & Hutchison, J 2013, Quantifying and mitigating the impacts of weirs on downstream passage of native fish in the Murray-Darling Basin, Fisheries Final Report Series No. 136, NSW Department of Industry and Investment, Narrandera, New South Wales.

Baumgartner, LJ, McLellan, M, Robinson W, Forbes, J, McGuffie, P, Jess, L, & Malcolm, B 2012, ‘The influence of saline concentration on the success of Calcein marketing techniques for hatchery-produced Murray cod (Maccullochella peelii)’, Journal and Proceedings of the Royal Society of New South Wales, vol. 145, nos. 445 & 446, pp. 168-180.

Pink, J, Moore, A, Starrs, T, Lintermans, M & Fulton, CJ 2011, ‘Angry when outnumbered: Behavioural aggression in Gambusia holbrooki is conditional upon temperature and relative abundance’, Australian National University, Canberra, Australian Capital Territory.

Crook, DA, Gillanders, BM, Sanger, AC, Munro, AR, O’Mahony, DJ, Woodcock, SH, Thurstan, S & Baumgartner, LJ 2010, Methods for discriminating hatchery fish and outcomes of stocking in the Murray-Darling Basin, Project MD741, Murray-Darling Basin Authority, Canberra, Australian Capital Territory.

Mosig, J 2009, ‘NSW Hatchery Quality Assurance Program’, Austasia Aquaculture, vol. 24, no. 4, p. 42.

Street Ryan & Associates Pty Ltd 2009, Victorian Open Water Murray cod Aquaculture Industry Development Plan, State Government of Victoria Department of Primary Industries, Melbourne, Victoria.

Baumgartner, L, Bettani, M, Doyle, J & Stanger, J 2009, ‘Impacts of Weirs on Downstream Movement of Native Fish in the Murray-Darling Basin’, in Proceedings of the Murray-Darling Basin Authority Native Fish Forum 2009, Murray-Darling Basin Authority, Canberra, Australian Capital Territory, 1-2 September 2009, pp. 96-102.

Rowland, SJ 2009, ‘Review of Aquaculture Research and Development of the Australian Freshwater Fish Silver Perch, Bidyanus bidyanus’, Journal of the World Aquaculture Society, vol. 40, no. 3, pp. 291-324.

Rowland, SJ, Landos, M, Callinan, RB, Allan, GL, Read, P, Mifsud, C, Nixon, M, Boyd, P & Tully, P 2007, Development of a Health Management Strategy for the Silver Perch Aquaculture Industry, Fisheries Final Report Series No. 93, NSW Department of Primary Industries, Cronulla, New South Wales.

Crook, D, Munro, A, Gillanders, B, Sanger, A, O’Mahony, D & Thurstan, S 2007, ‘Methods for discriminating hatchery and wild fish’, powerpoint slides, in Proceedings of the Murray-Darling Basin Commission Native Fish Strategy Forum 2007, Murray-Darling Basin Commission, Canberra, Australian Capital Territory, 29-30 August 2007, pp. 103.

Francis, DS, Turchini, GM, Jones, PL & De Silva, SS 2007, ‘Effects of fish oil substitution with a mix blend vegetable oil on nutrient digestibility in Murray cod, Maccullochella peelii peelii’, Aquaculture, vol. 269, nos. 1-4, pp. 447-455.

Read, P, Landos, M, Rowland, SJ & Mifsud, C 2007, Diagnosis, Treatment and Prevention of the Diseases of the Australian Freshwater Fish Silver Perch (Bidyanus bidyanus), NSW Department of Primary Industries, Grafton, New South Wales.

Francis, DS, Turchini, GM, Jones, PL & De Silva, SS 2007, ‘Dietary Lipid Source Modulates in Vivo Fatty Acid Metabolism in the Freshwater Fish, Murray cod (Maccullochella peelii peelii)’, Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry, vol. 55, no. 4, pp. 1582-1591.

‘Uarah Fisheries’ 2006, Austasia Aquaculture, vol. 19, no. 6, pp. 60-61.

Francis, DS, Turchini, GM, Jones, PL & De Silva, SS 2005, ‘Effects of dietary oil source on growth and fillet fatty acid composition of Murray cod, Maccullochella peelii peelii’, Aquaculture, vol. 253, nos. 1-4, pp. 547-556.

Rowland, SJ & Tully, P 2004, Hatchery Quality Assurance Program for Murray cod (Maccullochella peelii peelii), Golden Perch (Macquaria ambigua) and Silver Perch (Bidyanus bidyanus), NSW Department of Primary Industries, Grafton, New South Wales.

Australian Government Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry 2004, Report on the Outcomes of Exercise Tethys: A simulation exercise examining interjurisdictional communication and cooperation in response to an emergency disease incident in the aquaculture industry, Australian Government Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry, Canberra, Australian Capital Territory.

Rowland, SJ 2004, ‘Overview of the history, fishery, biology and aquaculture of Murray cod (Maccullochella peelii peelii)’, in Management of Murray cod in the Murray-Darling Basin: Statement, recommendations and supporting papers, Murray-Darling Basin Commission, Canberra, Australian Capital Territory, 3-4 June 2004, pp. 38-61.

East, IJ & Scott, KJ 2004, Final Report: Aquatic Animal Health Subprogram: conduct of a multi-jurisdiction simulation exercise focused on health management in Australian aquaculture, Project 2003/669, Fisheries Research & Development Corporation, Canberra, Australian Capital Territory.

Barlow, CG, Allan, GL, Williams, KC, Rowland, SJ & Smith, DM 2003, Aquaculture Diet Development Subprogram: Diet Validation and Feeding Strategies, Fisheries Final Report Series, No. 60, NSW Fisheries, Cronulla, New South Wales.

NSW Fisheries 2003, Environmental Impact Statement on Freshwater Fish Stocking in NSW, NSW Fisheries, Cronulla, New South Wales, pp. 74, 479-603.

Astles, KL, Winstanley, RK, Harris, JH & Gehrke, PC 2003, Experimental study of the effects of cold water pollution on native fish, Fisheries Final Report Series No. 44, NSW Fisheries Office of Conservation, Cronulla, New South Wales.

Bearlin, AR & Tikel, D 2003, ’Conservation genetics of Murray-Darling Basin fish: silver perch (Bidyanus bidyanus), Murray cod (Maccullochella peelii), and trout cod (M. macquariensis)‘, in Managing Fish Translocation and Stocking in the Murray-Darling Basin: Statement, recommendations and supporting papers, WWF Australia, Canberra, Australian Capital Territory, 25-26 September 2002, pp. 59-83.

Percival, S 2001, Registration of Aquaculture Chemicals, FRDC Project 96/314, Fisheries Research & Development Corporation, Canberra, Australian Capital Territory.

Mosig, J 2000, ‘Can we grow silver perch in the South?‘, Austasia Aquaculture, vol. 14, no. 1, pp. 3-4.

Mosig, J 2000, ‘Bruce Malcolm: the codfather’, Austasia Aquaculture, vol. 14, no. 1, pp. 22-25.

Matveev, V, Matveeva, L & Jones, GJ 2000, ‘Relative impacts of Daphnia grazing and direct stimulation by fish on phytoplankton abundance in mesocosm communities’, Freshwater Biology, vol. 44, no. 3, pp. 375-385.

PSM Group Pty Ltd 2000, ‘Marketing Strategy for the Development of an Ornamental Fish Industry in the Gascoyne Region of Western Australia’, industry report, PSM Group Pty Ltd, viewed 31 May 2017.

Rowland, SJ 1992, ‘Diet and Feeding of Murray cod (Maccullochella peelii) Larvae’, Proceedings of the Linnean Society of NSW, vol.113, no. 3, pp. 193-201.

Rowland, SJ & Ingram, BA 1991, Fisheries Bulletin 4: Diseases of Australian native freshwater fishes with particular emphasis on the ectoparasitic and fungal diseases of Murray cod (Maccullochella peeli), golden perch (Macquaria ambigua) and silver perch (Bidyanus bidyanus), NSW Agriculture & Fisheries, Sydney, New South Wales.

Rowland, SJ 1988, ‘Hormone-Induced Spawning of the Australian Freshwater Fish Murray cod, Maccullochella peeli (Mitchell) (Percichthyidae)’, Aquaculture, vol. 70, no. 4, pp. 371-389.

Malcolm, B 1986, ‘Factors affecting the future of native fish‘, in Freshwater Aquaculture in Australia, Rural Press Queensland, Brisbane, Queensland, 27-28 April, pp. 121-124.

‘Native fish demand boosts business for breeder‘ 1983, Australian Fisheries, vol. 42, no. 9, pp. 30-32.