Partnering on water and land to care for healthy fish habitats
‘No man is an island’.
An often-quoted line from 17th-century English writer John Donne that speaks of the need to belong to something bigger.
A line that is equally relevant today to natural habitats and the individuals and groups engaged in their protection and restoration.
As Australia’s only recreational fishing conservation charity, we have been achieving our objective of better habitats for better fishing for several years now. However, while we have taken many great steps towards restoring Australia’s waterways, the road is not a short one and there are other organisations that share similar goals.
We want to use our experience and passion to mobilise our community of fishers to work with these organisations and scale-up our habitat restoration activities across Australia.
Our partnership with Landcare NSW, now in its second year, is a perfect example of that. We have been bringing together the fishing and Landcare communities over that time and already have exciting plans for year three and beyond.
During the last 12 months, it is a partnership that has seen Landcarers and OzFishers combine at 15 more locations across NSW. They have been responsible for creating 60 new waterway homes for fish, planting more than 14 kilometres of native trees and shrubs, and removing invasive weeds and rubbish from over 30 kilometres of riverbanks.
Not only have their many hands made light work, they have also been building momentum and a lasting legacy that starts now and will endure for future generations.
The federal government’s recent ‘State of the Environment’ report highlighted the need for governments, industry and not-for-profits to work together to tackle the significant challenges facing Australia’s environment.
Together, OzFish and Landcare NSW are already doing that.
The 15 collaborative projects started during the last year, include highlights such as Salts Bay at Lake Macquarie. The vitally important saltmarsh habitat was under threat from invasive bitou bush, so the partnership restored 1,200 native trees and shrubs to prevent it encroaching.
On the Wambuul-Macquarie River at Taronga Western Plains Zoo, volunteers planted 2,500 native trees and shrubs on a 1.5 kilometre site during the last 12 months. Not only does this restored vegetation provide a source of shade and food for fish, but it also takes the number of trees planted by recreational fishers along the river to more than 10,000 during the last decade.
Together, with the support of Tweed Bait, we gave the much-loved Australian bass a helping hand in the Oxley River, in the Tweed River catchment. We returned more than 400 native trees to shore up the riverbanks and create a source of food and shade for fish in the river.
The importance of shade to fish is not always fully realised by waterway users but it is vital, particularly at the height of summer when the sun is beating down. At Goonoo Goonoo Creek, the partnership created a two-kilometre long shade corridor through the planting of 1,500 native trees – supporting native fish including the small-bodied endangered southern purple-spotted gudgeon.
We’ve even given a boost to native species, including Murray cod, silver perch, and catfish, on the Upper Horton, one of Australia’s last remaining havens of un-restricted fish travel. Here, again, we’ve recognised the importance of native trees bordering and overhanging the waterway and planted 500 native trees.
These are just five of the 15 projects started during the last 12 months. We’re proud of the positive impact they’re already having and excited about getting even more underway as our partnership with Landcare NSW continues.
OzFish’s partnership with Landcare NSW; Driving Fish Habitat Action is funded by the NSW Recreational Fishing Trust and supported by funding from the federal government’s Murray-Darling Healthy Rivers Program.
This partnership is a great example of what like-minded organisations and people can achieve by working towards a shared goal. We’re all helping to create better habitat and better fishing.
If you feel passionate about looking after your local waterway and want to play a part in helping to restore healthy habitats to support native fish and recreational fishing, get in touch with us.
We’d love to hear from you and let you know about the exciting projects we have going on in your local area. Contact us at info@ozfish.org.au
Learn more about the Landcare NSW Partnership.
These project were made possible by the OzFish-Landcare NSW partnership with funding support from the NSW Recreational Fishing Trusts.
