{"id":8269,"date":"2023-07-18T23:06:41","date_gmt":"2023-07-18T23:06:41","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/terrain.org.au\/?p=8269"},"modified":"2023-07-18T23:57:42","modified_gmt":"2023-07-18T23:57:42","slug":"fish-barriers-impacting-fnqs-fish-stocks","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/terrain.org.au\/fish-barriers-impacting-fnqs-fish-stocks\/","title":{"rendered":"Fish barriers impact FNQ\u2019s fish stocks"},"content":{"rendered":"[mk_page_section bg_image=”https:\/\/terrain.org.au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/11\/daintreeweb.jpg” bg_position=”center center” bg_repeat=”no-repeat” bg_stretch=”true” enable_3d=”true” min_height=”500″ js_vertical_centered=”true” padding_top=”” padding_bottom=”” section_id=”donate” el_class=”donate-1″ sidebar=”sidebar-1″][vc_column][vc_empty_space height=”70px”][mk_fancy_title font_family=”none” align=”center”]FISH BARRIERS IMPACT FNQ’S COMMERCIAL AND RECREATIONAL FISHING[\/mk_fancy_title][mk_padding_divider size=”67″][\/vc_column][\/mk_page_section][mk_page_section section_id=”great-1″ sidebar=”sidebar-1″][vc_column width=”1\/2″ css=”.vc_custom_1563789112768{padding-right: 36px !important;padding-left: 0px !important;}” el_class=”great_header_left”][mk_padding_divider size=”100″ visibility=”hidden-nb”][mk_padding_divider size=”15″ visibility=”visible-sm”][mk_padding_divider visibility=”visible-tl”][mk_fancy_title size=”28″ letter_spacing=”4″ margin_bottom=”0″ font_family=”none” el_class=”terrain-title-2″]FNQ’S FISH STOCKS IMPACTED BY BARRIERS[\/mk_fancy_title][mk_padding_divider size=”60″ visibility=”hidden-nb”][mk_padding_divider size=”20″ visibility=”visible-nb”][vc_column_text el_class=”sub-head” css=”.vc_custom_1689722374425{margin-bottom: 0px !important;}”]19 JULY 2023[\/vc_column_text][mk_padding_divider size=”5″][vc_column_text css=”.vc_custom_1689722338434{margin-bottom: 0px !important;}”]Thousands of fish barriers \u2013 from weirs to causeways and culverts – are affecting native fish populations in the Wet Tropics and impacting commercial and recreational fishing.<\/p>\n

A recent study in the Daintree, Mossman and Barron River estuaries identified more than 1600 potential barriers for fish, and earlier studies of the Herbert and Murray River estuaries identified more than 3000.<\/p>\n

Terrain NRM\u2019s Lana Hepburn said results have led to work at 18 sites in the Herbert and Murray catchments to modify causeways, retrofit fish passageways and control weeds, but a lot more work needs to be done.<\/p>\n

The natural resource management organisation is calling for more funding to improve fish populations across the Far North.<\/p>\n

\u201cMore than half of Australia\u2019s fish species, including barramundi and jungle perch, spawn in estuaries and need to move upstream to breed and complete their life cycles,\u201d Ms Hepburn said.<\/p>\n

\u201cAs small fingerlings, it\u2019s impossible to get past road crossings and weirs, dams, drop-offs and fast-flowing water. Even weeds and a lack of light can impact fish migration.\u201d<\/p>\n

Ms Hepburn said fish barriers were identified through geospatial mapping and aerial photography, before field trips to do the \u2018ground truthing\u2019.<\/p>\n

So far, about 200 of the 1600 sites identified in northern waterways have been visited by a team from Terrain NRM, Wet Tropics Waterways, Catchment Solutions and the Dawul Wuru Aboriginal Corporation\u2019s Yirrganydji Land and Sea Rangers.<\/p>\n

\u201cAbout 60 per cent of the sites we\u2019ve visited have significant barriers to fish migration,\u2019\u2019 she said. \u201cThe goal is to open up as much upstream habitat as we can.\u2019\u2019<\/p>\n

Terrain NRM is prioritising barriers for fixing, based on the best return on investment. At this stage, there is no fish barrier funding for the Daintree, Mossman and Barron catchments beyond the barrier identification project.<\/p>\n

\u201cOur priorities are usually the sites closest to an estuary and on larger waterways with more riparian areas,\u2019\u2019 Ms Hepburn said. \u201cThe closer a barrier is to the coast, the more upstream habitat it is blocking. The distance between each barrier is important too.[\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column][vc_column width=”1\/2″ css=”.vc_custom_1563789122720{padding-right: 0px !important;padding-left: 34px !important;}” el_class=”great_header_right”][mk_padding_divider size=”206″ visibility=”hidden-sm”][mk_padding_divider size=”50″ visibility=”hidden-sm”][vc_video link=”https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=SBCwZQ4Wjfw&t=1s”][mk_padding_divider size=”50″ visibility=”hidden-sm”][vc_column_text css=”.vc_custom_1689722349122{margin-bottom: 0px !important;}”]\u201cThese days, infrastructure like bridges and culverts are better designed to allow for fish passage. But with older infrastructure, we are looking at options ranging from building rock ramp fishways to replacing pipe culvert causeways with bed-level crossings or retrofitting other fish-friendly solutions.\u201d<\/p>\n

Dr Greg Vinall, aquatic ecologist and Chair of Wet Tropics Waterways, said fish populations and fish diversity are an important indicator of waterway health and are part of the annual Wet Tropics Waterway Health Report Card.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe are building a more comprehensive picture of the impacts of fish barriers across the region,\u2019\u2019 he said. \u201cStudies have identified and prioritised barriers in the Herbert, Murray, Daintree, Mossman and Barron estuaries. Now we need to secure funding to complete the remaining catchments \u2013 Trinity Inlet, Mulgrave, Russell, Johnstone and Tully \u2013 and to get to work fixing some of the highest priority barriers that have the most impact on our fish stocks.<\/p>\n

\u201cBy removing barriers, we enable native fish to restock and become self-recruiting. More fish moving up into the headwaters will make our wetlands and freshwater environments healthier and, in turn, make our commercial and recreational fishing more sustainable downstream.\u201d<\/p>\n

The \u2018Connecting Wet Tropics Waterways for Sustainable Recreational Fishing\u2019 project is funded by Terrain NRM through the Australian Government\u2019s Fisheries Habitat Restoration Program and the \u2018Fish Homes and Highways\u2019 project is delivered by Terrain NRM through funding from the Australian Government\u2019s Reef Trust.[\/vc_column_text][vc_separator][\/vc_column][\/mk_page_section][mk_page_section el_class=”grean-btn-sec” sidebar=”sidebar-1″][vc_column][mk_padding_divider size=”47″ visibility=”hidden-sm”][mk_button dimension=”outline” url=”https:\/\/terrain.org.au\/what-we-do\/biodiversity\/coastal-ecosystems\/” align=”right” el_class=”green-btn” outline_skin=”custom” outline_active_color=”#175137″ outline_active_text_color=”#ffffff” outline_hover_bg_color=”#175137″ outline_hover_color=”#ffffff”]Read More[\/mk_button][mk_padding_divider size=”100″ visibility=”hidden-sm”][\/vc_column][\/mk_page_section][mk_page_section section_id=”great-1-blog” sidebar=”sidebar-1″][vc_column][mk_padding_divider size=”105″ visibility=”hidden-sm”][mk_fancy_title size=”28″ letter_spacing=”4″ margin_bottom=”0″ font_family=”none” align=”right” el_class=”terrain-title”]RELATED NEWS[\/mk_fancy_title][mk_padding_divider visibility=”hidden-sm”][\/vc_column][\/mk_page_section][vc_row fullwidth=”true” fullwidth_content=”false” id=”post_grid_filter_1″][vc_column][vc_column_text el_class=”grid_greate_3″ css=”.vc_custom_1598408950187{margin-bottom: 0px !important;}”]\n

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