An ongoing project with “big outcomes” for the Macquarie River has received a further $35,000 from the NSW Government’s habitat action program.
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The Inland Waterways Rejuvenation Association has worked with Fisheries NSW to install 330 large fish snags – woody habitat created by logs and branches – in recent years, with the region’s recreational fishers reporting an increase in Murray cod and other native fish as a result.
“De-snagging has seen the depletion of snags in numerous rivers, not just the Macquarie, and that has really damaged and knocked our native fish stocks about,” IWRA president Matt Hansen said, adding native fish numbers had decline up to 90 per cent since European settlement.
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“So projects like this are helping to get our native fish back up and thriving again and certainly feeding that recreational fishing economy which creates so many jobs and so many economic opportunities right across the state.
“And plenty of smiles on the dials of local rec fishers, seeing these projects unfold locally.”
In the past five years, about $75,000 in grants have been rolled out, with the latest round of funding to see 150 snags installed this year. The work is already underway.
“They have varied in size from two tonne to some that are as big as 12 tonne,” Mr Hansen said.
“We’ve utilised low loaders and excavators – local businesses – and we’ve put money that we’ve generated as a community alongside these grants to … get as many snags in the drink with our local Fisheries team.
“It’s not just a case of getting the structures in, we need that Fisheries backing, the science behind us … a lot of mapping has been done to find out where we have the fewest snags so we can link our strongest habitats together and get our native fish stocks back up and thriving again.”
Primary Industries Minister Niall Blair joined local Fisheries NSW staff at the river south of Dubbo to see their handiwork.
“We have over 850,000 recreational fishers in NSW. Each and every one of them are contributing to these projects,” he said.
“Fishing is a huge boost to our local economy right across regional NSW.
“It’s also a fantastic part of our social fabric here in NSW, so this is a win for the fish and it’s a win for the local community and the local economy as well.”
Nationals candidate for Dubbo Dugald Saunders thanked the IWRA’s volunteers for their time and commitment to enhancing “one of our great natural resources”.
“The River Repair Bus … has been phenomenal and our riparian zones have been benefiting from the work they’re doing,” he said.