IT’S early morning at Menindee and a few anxious onlookers are peering into the green waters of the Darling River, fearing the worst. Graeme McCrabb is one of the first by the river, just downstream of Weir 32, every morning, to check on his beloved Murray cod.

Ever since last week’s big kill, believed to have claimed a million fish, Menindee hasn’t left the spotlight, despite several years...