Cairns anglers needed for urban fish surveys
A local citizen science project announced today for the Saltwater Creek urban catchment north of Cairns’ CBD will use fish surveys to improve urban waterway management through the help of recreational anglers.
The project, titled “Saltwater Creek Waterway Management Plan” got the green light after receiving a Community Environment Program (CEP) grant. The project is a collaboration between Cairns Regional Council, James Cook University, Wet Tropics Waterways and Australia’s fishing conservation organisation OzFish Unlimited.
OzFish Project Manager for North & Far North QLD, Dr Geoffrey Collins said the invitation to engage anglers in citizen science acknowledges the value of the local recreational fishing community and their passion to see better urban water management.
“Anglers are the eyes and ears above and below the water and they know that urban areas hold a high diversity of fish species. They also understand that current water management practices can potentially be improved and that positive management changes will have a direct impact on their fishing,” Dr Collins said.
“This is an exciting opportunity for us to tap into their local knowledge, while also helping them to better understand how, when and why fish move through urban waters. But first, we need recreational fishers to put their hands up and get involved.
“We have some great interest in Cairns. This will give the local fishing community a voice to talk about issues important to them and an opportunity to find out what they can do to help protect and enhance fish populations in their backyard,” he said.
Dr Collins explained that as a result of development, urban waterways have been highly modified over the past 100 years. By conducting a series of baseline fish surveys at different times of the year, the objective is to identify where fish gather, what conditions they need to feed, breed and move and use that information to review and assess current water management practices.
Dr Brendan Ebner of James Cook University said the initial surveys conducted in Lily Creek in 2018 gave him as a fish researcher and other OzFish volunteers a chance to get a snapshot of the types of fish present.
“There are clearly a lot of community uses and values associated with these urban waterways including recreational angling and bait collection, as well as appreciation for aquatic fauna and flora,” said Dr Ebner.
Cairns Mayor Bob Manning said the OzFish Project would build upon previous work on the Saltwater Creek Waterway Management and would contribute to better management of urban waterways.
“Council is no stranger to collaborative partnerships when it comes to management of our urban water catchments,” Cr Manning said.
“This project leads on from the real time water quality monitoring which occurs on Saltwater Creek, Council continues to partner with community associations such as OzFish and researches from James Cook University to get the information we need to understand the health of Saltwater Creek.
“It is important we understand this complex aquatic environment so Council can make informed decisions on how to improve the water quality in this and other urban creeks around Cairns.
“Everyone benefits from these types of projects,” Cr Manning said.
Cairns Regional Council will host a stakeholder workshop, where representatives from Cairns Regional Council and project partners will discuss the fish surveys and share their insights on what opportunities the results may bring towards improving urban water management in the tropics.
CEP grants are a Australian Government initiative that supports small-scale, on-ground projects to address local environmental priorities and strengthen communities. Recreational anglers who would like to get involved in the project can register their interest online or call 1800 431 308.