Editing Eastern freshwater cod (section)

===Population decline===
Early records show that eastern freshwater cod were extremely abundant in the all parts of the Clarence River system at the time of European settlement.<ref name=Anon_2004/><ref name=rowland_1993/><ref name=nock_2009/>  They were so abundant that they were caught "on demand" for diners at one riverside hotel,<ref name=prokop/> and were reportedly even used as pig feed, as were the related [[Mary River Cod]].<ref name=rowland_1993/><ref name=pusey/>

A number of factors have led to the decline of eastern freshwater cod. One factor was decades of pronounced [[overfishing]], including with lines, nets, explosives, and spears. As a very slow-growing top predator with low fecundity, eastern freshwater cod are even more vulnerable to overfishing than Murray cod.<ref name=Anon_2004/><ref name=rowland_1993/><ref name=nock_2010/><ref name=butler_2011/>

Another factor were several huge bushfires (on the scale of the entire catchment) in the 1920s and 1930s, but particularly a bushfire in late 1936. These caused severe and widespread ash-induced fish kills in the first rainfall events post-fire.<ref name=Anon_2004/><ref name=rowland_1993/><ref name=nock_2010/><ref name=trove/>

Habitat degradation and siltation brought on by poor farming practices (such as clearing riverbank vegetation and allowing stock to trample river banks) has also destroyed many eastern freshwater cod habitats. Some of these practices leading to [[land degradation]] are still continuing.<ref name=Anon_2004/><ref name=rowland_1993/><ref name=nock_2009/>