Recreational fishing volunteers are continuing to repair the Lower Darling River, and improve vital fish habitat.
Fishers have been installing 13 large logs and rootballs last month, downstream of Ellerslie Township, in far Western NSW through the work of OzFish Unlimited.
The project has been a collaborative effort by volunteers from Western Landcare and OzFish Sunraysia Chapter, with funding from Western Local Land Services and BCF – Boating, Camping, and Fishing.
The newly installed habitat will provide much-needed homes for beloved native fish species, including Murray cod, golden perch and silver perch.
OzFish Project Manager for the Murray-Darling Basin, Braeden Lampard has praised the community for continuing to be involved in fish habitat restoration work.
“This project has (added) value to the recent effort, where we installed over 30 large logs into the Lower Darling River.
“The newly installed logs will improve connectivity, increase the availability of in stream habitats, and provide significant benefits to nationally important native fish species.”
“The snags will increase breeding environments, add natural food sources, and create a sustainable native fish community, resulting in benefits not only to the local environment and waterway, but to the whole ecosystem. Not to mention recreational fishers throughout the region."
OzFish Sunraysia Chapter President, Taylar Pay, said the Murray-Darling needed projects such as these in her continued advocacy for native fish:
“Millions of snags have been removed since European settlement, and this project is just another way OzFish and their members working towards a healthier fishery for the next generation.”
Local Landcare Coordinator, Vanessa Anderson, assisted with the installation of the habitat, saying in a statement:
"Landcare has been extremely pleased to be able to be a part of this collaboration with OzFish, enabling the ongoing restoration, recovery and reestablishment of the river, riverbanks, the environment and the habitats which are being reintroduced to this vital river system.
"We look forward to continuing our support for our waterways, the environment and for all of us to enjoy in the future."
The project was made possible by the OzFish-Landcare NSW partnership, Driving Fish Habitat Action, with funding support from the NSW Recreational Fishing Trust and OzFish’s major partner; BCF – Boating, Camping and Fishing.
It has now been further supported by the Western Local Land Services.