IN A first for Leeton, essential fish habitat in the Murrumbidgee River has now been installed, providing vital "homes" for native fish.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
Volunteers from OzFish and Murrumbidgee Landcare worked together to raise funds and plan and install eight giant snags and several smaller ones.
OzFish MIA chapter president and Leeton resident Paul Smith said over the past 20 years, there had been a great deal of restocking, but little had been done in the way of creating the necessary habitat for these fingerlings.
"We've got to do something to help restore the health of the river instead of simply putting in the fish and hope they will survive," he said.
"We are excited to be undertaking important fish habitat restoration and glad we could provide new homes for native fish."
OzFish manager for the Murray-Darling Basin, Braeden Lampard said the project would give native fish in the region a much-needed boost.
"Snags play a vital role in the life cycles of many native fish," he said.
"They provide fish with places to find food, seek refuge from the current, shelter from the sun, hide from predators such as birds, and are a great place to hide in waiting to ambush their prey or find a new mate.
"All good fishers know that a snag is the perfect place to fish around because they know that's where the fish live.
"Murray cod in particular love to lay their eggs on the submerged woody debris. Less snags in the river have meant less places for these fish to deposit their eggs.
"Snags have an integral ecological and structural importance in our waterways. They play a key role in stabilising riverbanks and create the flow conditions that Australian fish prefer."
Unfortunately, millions of snags have been removed from rivers and waterways across the country leaving fish without the habitat they need to thrive in recent times.
Landcare NSW chief executive officer, Dr Adrian Zammit, was thrilled to see the partnership continuing to deliver successful on-ground results for the Landcare community.
"The fantastic work done by our Landcare NSW community in partnership with OzFish is great to see," he said.
IN OTHER NEWS:
"The breadth of projects delivered and the results delivered so far are clear evidence that natural resource management challenges require close collaboration and partnerships between like-minded organisations."
The project was made possible by the OzFish-Landcare NSW partnership, Driving Fish Habitat Action, with funding support from the NSW Recreational Fishing Trusts and OzFish's major partner BCF - Boating, Camping, Fishing.
Leeton residents can continue to support this project and others by donating at any BCF Store around Australia. To get involved with the OzFish MIA Chapter go to www.ozfish.org.au or call 1800 431 308.
Our journalists work hard to provide local, up-to-date news to the community. This is how you can access our trusted content:
- Bookmark www.irrigator.com.au
- Make sure you are signed up for our breaking and regular headlines newsletters
- Follow us on Twitter
- Follow us on Instagram
- Follow us on Google News