Murrumbidgee receives much-needed snags
OzFish Unlimited, Australia’s leading fishing conservation charity, and their army of volunteer recreational anglers have again restored critical fish habitats in the Murrumbidgee River by dropping over 35 snags and root-balls into the water.
The snags were dropped 10km north of Leeton, 10 of them were carefully positioned on the site of an existing resnagging project undertaken in March. The remaining 25 were installed 1km away, creating a longer stretch of complex habitat upstream.
The aim is to improve the amount and complexity of habitat which will increase overall fish populations. Resnagging creates the right conditions to improve the health of native fish like golden and silver perch and Murray cod, encouraging their spawning and movement.
Widespread removal of structural woody habitat (snags) is recognised as a major driver of declines in river health and native fish populations. OzFish volunteers, along with a collective group of industry and community partners are on a mission to reinstall them to the Murrumbidgee.
Braeden Lampard, OzFish Program Manager from the Murray Darling Basin says that snags are important for all aquatic life in our river systems.
“Fish like Murray cod and yellowbelly thrive in lots of complex habitats, particularly things like woody logs which are lacking in this stretch of the river,” said Braeden.
“It took two days working with heavy machinery to position the large logs and root balls onto the banks of the river, which can often be a complex task.
“Many hours go into this type of work, but when we start to see local fishers catching fish nearby, it will all be worth it.
“A Murray cod can take up residence on a snag within days of being installed, once they’ve found a home, they like to breed and that’s all-positive for the local fishery,” said Braeden.
The Murray River Resnagging Experiment by the Arthur Rylan Institute has provided robust scientific evidence that this type of large-scale river restoration efforts enhances native fish populations and facilitates ecological and recreational fishing benefits to communities.
Paul Smith, President of the OzFish MIA Chapter and keen recreational fisher, says he is thrilled that work like this is being done in the Murrumbidgee.
“To have an asset like the Murrumbidgee River on our doorstep is fantastic, and it’s great to see that local anglers are starting to realize the value that snags play in this river,” said Paul.
“Nine out of ten anglers down here now know that a snag is a place to be fishing, so to know that there is another 35 only a 15-minute drive away is great for the local fishing community.
“As a keen recreational fisherman, I look forward to relishing in the rewards of a more enhanced fishery,” said Paul.
This project has been supported by NSW DPI Fisheries’ Recreational Fishing Trust’s Habitat Action Grant Program, BCF – Boating, Camping, Fishing, the Australian Government’s Murray–Darling Healthy Rivers Program and the local recreational angling community.
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