Populations of Macquarie perch have declined severely since the nineteenth century and only a small number of isolated remnant populations remain. Current captive breeding – reintroduction programs to aid in the recovery of the species in both Victoria and New South Wales have had limited success for a variety of reasons. Attempts at artificial propagation of the species in Victoria (due to its popularity as a sporting and table fish) have been under examination for nearly a century, but only wild-caught spawning run broodfish could be successfully propagated. The utility of this method for conservation breeding was limited and this hurdle has now been overcome. Conservation breeding programs are no longer reliant on collecting spawning run broodfish, however mediocre fertilisation success still limits hatchery production. It is likely that key aspects of pre-conditioning and the timing of hormone induction in captivity play a role. Understanding these processes in the few wild populations that remain may provide clues which will lead to enhanced captive husbandry and breeding strategies. This study used acoustic telemetry paired with back calculation of spawning dates from young of year fish to identify environmental triggers of spawning migrations and timing of successful spawning events of wild Macquarie perch. Initial analysis suggests that spawning migrations occur within the receding tail of flow pulses and are associated with a subsequent increase in water temperature.