For about 20 years Murray Cod have thrived in dams on Greg Tallent's Burrumbuttock property.
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But the resilient fish are dying as water levels drop to precarious lows and farmers feel the heat of ongoing drought.
"The dams have gotten so low today all the fish are starting to die," Mr Tallent said.
"I'm trying to relocate them… unfortunately it was too late for this bloke [fish].
"It's pretty disappointing losing a fish like that."
Mr Tallent first stocked his dam for fish breeding about 20 years ago and while there's been dry times, he says his dams have never been this low.
He said he's relocated all the fish he could to a neighbour's dam that was still relatively full
"When the water is low, plants and algae use all the oxygen and create a death trap for fish, so I've had to relocate them," he said.
"The bottom line is there's no water. We need it to rain, please, shortly."
Unfortunately there's no ground water, no bores on the property, so it's just a matter of not doing much and waiting for rain.
But a lot more than just the fish are struggling at Mr Tallent's mixed farm, and beyond.
"Stock are really struggling, we’re actually fencing dams off because sheep are getting stuck," he said.
"We're being forced to sell our lambs because we don't have any water.
"You can buy fodder but when you need to start buying water that's the end of the run.
"Unfortunately there's no ground water, no bores on the property, so it's just a matter of not doing much and waiting for rain."
Monday night's storm proved to be more show than substance, with only 2-3mm recorded at the farm.
Down south, Albury recorded 6.4mm, while Yarrawonga received 0.6mm.
In Victoria, Rutherglen recorded 3.4mm, Wangaratta 1.0mm.
Mr Tallent spent Tuesday enlarging dams that had completely dried up and preparing for winter crops.
He said the outlook for the season doesn't look amazing.
"Apparently it's not going to be terribly wet, just normal," he said. "But if it's normal like last year, it's going to be dry."
The Bureau of Meteorology has predicted a drier than usual Autumn for the region, with only a 26 per cent chance Burrumbuttock would exceed its median rainfall.
Digital journalists with The Border Mail.
Digital journalists with The Border Mail.
