Reply to the comment by Crook and Koster (2006) 'Temporal change in fish assemblages in the lower Goulburn River, south-eastern Australia'

In an earlier paper, multivariate statistics were used on historic fisheries data sets to show spatial differences between fish communities in the Goulburn Catchment (Victoria, Australia). In this reply paper, some further statistical analyses are presented to provide evidence for the assertion that fish communities at each site were stable over the temporal scale of the data was valid. Indeed, evidence for the stabilisation and persistence of fish communities after a major disturbance has also been recognised in other studies. Furthermore, in making judgements about the stability and persistence of fish communities, the scale of a study is an important factor, with patterns at the catchment scale often not being the same as those at smaller spatial scales.