One year since the historic Manning River flood event, local river health has rebounded with endangered turtles returning in pre-flood numbers.
Found only on the NSW Mid-North Coast, the endangered Manning River turtle has been monitored in seven rivers over the past four years by the NSW Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water.
While the species remains endangered, their population has persisted in the Barnard River, upper Barrington River and upper Gloucester Rivers - a promising sign considering the destructive impact of the 2025 flood on the Manning River catchment.
Major flooding saw the Manning River peak at historic levels on 21 May 2025, with a height of 6.5 metres reached at Taree. This devastating flood event isolated thousands of residents and exceeded the previous 1929 record by more than half a metre. Impacted communities are still recovering and rebuilding with the support of all three levels of government.
The flood event caused extensive damage to the riverbanks, with debris and pollution also impacting river health.
Despite the difficult conditions, Manning River turtle numbers did not suffer dramatically; however, they may have been displaced further down the river system.
Underwater video surveys used to observe the turtles as part of the Manning River Results Survey also captured valuable information on fish communities.
Following the 2025 flood, several native fish species that rely on estuaries and lowland rivers for spawning showed a boost in young fish populations, with large numbers of juvenile Australian bass, freshwater herring and freshwater mullet detected in 2026.
Together, these turtle and fish findings demonstrate the importance of monitoring to track river health changes in real time. It also highlights how environmental flows can support a healthy habitat for threatened species throughout the Manning catchment.
NSW DCCEEW Executive Director of Water Planning and Knowledge Mitchell Isaacs said:
"It's hard to believe it's been a year since the Manning River floods - an event that had a devastating impact on local communities.
"Our thoughts remain with those who lost loved ones, and with the many people still rebuilding their homes and lives.
"While recovery is ongoing, we're starting to see some encouraging signs - particularly when it comes to the health of the river itself.
"We're now seeing the endangered Manning River turtle show up back in sites where they were prior to the floods, in good numbers. Fish populations are also recovering well, with some species even booming, particularly Australian Bass and Freshwater Herring.
"Taken together, the turtle and fish results show that despite the flood damage, the Manning River system is resilient. We want to continue monitoring this important catchment to ensure we can track how things fare during future droughts and floods.
"When we support healthy river habitats through environmental flows, native species can recover from disaster and even start to thrive."
