The Murray Cod

The Murray Cod is Australia's best known and most sought after freshwater fish.   It can grow to weights of up to 45kg, although fish of this size are rare today.

This famous Australian freshwater fish is nearly always known as Murray cod, or simply as "cod" or "Murray". However, it is unrelated to the true cod family of the Northern Hemisphere, and is actually a more distant member of the perch group, which also contains the golden perch and Australian bass. In modern times, the use of the Aboriginal word "goodoo" has become popular in some circles when referring to Murray cod.

The Murray Cod is big, robust and barrel shaped with a huge mouth and small eyes set well forward on the head.  It is not a particularly good fighting fish, in fact is is quite lazy.  It is olive green to yellow/green or grey/green on the back fading to yellowish on the flanks and creamy yellow or white on the belly.  The back is overlaid with darker green or brown mottlings and reticulations which often extend well down the flanks.  The eyes are brown.

The second dorsal and caudal fins usually have white margins and sometimes such margin is also found on the ventral fin.  These fin tip colours are particularly striking on fish from clearer, faster flowing streams.

It can be found in the entire Murray/Darling river systems, with the exception of the alpine and sub-alpine headwaters.  Cod have also been introduced into many dams and some eastern flowing (coastal) drainage's.  They are found in habitats ranging from shallow, fast-running streams with gravel beds to deep, turbid and slow flowing western rivers.  They also thrive in dams.  Even in quick flowing streams, Murray Cod tend to be found in deep holes, slicks and back eddies.  They favour deep water, cover and a ready access to food.

Highly valued for recreational, commercial and conservation purposes, the murray cod (Maccullochella peeli) is the largest freshwater fish found in Australia.