Experts tackle big issues at Fishers for Fish Habitat Forum

The message of learn, collaborate and act resonated loud and clear at the Fishers for Fish Habitat Forum in Mildura as industry experts shared their knowledge with community along the Murray Darling Basin. 

A range of expert speakers imparted their knowledge to an enthusiastic audience at the two-day conference which included a bus and boat tour that showcased local restoration efforts along the Murray River.

The annual conference is made available to the community through the NSW Recreational Fishing Trusts and is presented by the NSW Government, Fish Habitat Network and OzFish Unlimited, Australia’s recreational fishing conservation charity. 

Expert speakers imparted their wisdom to engage community about sustainable fishing, conservation and taking action.

Expert insight and stories

Cassie Price, OzFish Unlimited Director – Habitat Programs, opened the Forum with a focus on each individual person’s connection with their own river, especially the Murray. She encouraged them to expand their river journey, thinking through the knowledge of the expert speakers presenting.

She referred to the connection that OzFish members in particular had showed throughout the Murray Darling system.

“Our members in the Basin are having some of the greatest positive impact on their rivers,” she said. 

“Basin fishers continue to show up to make positive change to help the river recover. That includes hundreds of new homes for fish, thousands of trees for fish, pest fish out of your rivers, weeds replaced by natives, fish and even nurturing threatened species populations.

“To see the success of the movement of recreational fishers and river lovers in the Basin come together, is honestly one of OzFish’s proudest achievements.

“We know that fishers learn best from other fishers. We also know that fishos recognise what their rivers need and are ready to take action.

“We need more brains on the job, we need more eyes, and we need more hands – that is when the real impact is made.”

Revival of the Macquarie perch

NSW DPI Fisheries Senior Fisheries Manager – Habitat & Threatened Species Unit Luke Pearce shared a hopeful narrative about the recovery for the endangered Macquarie perch.

“The entire length of stream the Macquarie perch inhabit in NSW is less than 200km. They are in real trouble,” he explained.

Macquarie perch have proven to be particularly difficult to breed in captivity, they need unique conditions to breed so researchers created an artificial stream away from invasive species like redfin and trout with all the key natural habitat attributes – rocks, cobble, snags, vegetation, pools, runs and ripples with flow delivered by pumps. 

“We put our little Macquarie perch in there and lo and behold, they really liked it and in 2010 we had our first ever successful spawning and hatchery held Macquarie perch,” Mr Pearce added. 

NSW DPI Fisheries are now also using new innovative hormone technology developed by the Sunshine Coast University, this combined with the artificial stream is showing very promising results. Macquarie Perch that have been bred in captivity are being released into refuge sites, where they are safe from some of the threats causing their decline such as alien fish and habitat loss.

Monitoring of these refuge locations has shown that Macquarie perch have established and are now recruiting this achievement was met with an exuberant roar from the crowd, symbolising the value inland anglers hold of the Macca and the appreciation of what is getting done to help bring them back.

Voices of change

Victorian Fisheries Authority CEO Travis Dowling spoke on the importance of advocating and community action.

“We really need fishers, people that really care about our fishing industry and lifestyle to have a significant say in basically ensuring there’s access to rivers, that our rivers are managed properly so that we get the best outcome for our native species,” he urged. 

“It is people like you that actually make a difference – that you turn up on a Saturday to be here, that you’re speaking to politicians, that you’re speaking to land managers and water managers, and you are the people that are making a difference in terms of how our rivers operate and the health of our rivers.”

Caitlin Berecry echoed Travis’s sentiment and discussed the progress in women’s participation in fishing and boating, emphasising the need for awareness and advocacy to make the sport more inclusive. She also celebrated how community building has created the most significant initiative for female anglers and boaters in Australia, Women in Recreational Fishing and Boating (WIRFAB).

In an impactful moment, Caitlin challenged anglers’ current perception of themselves, casting each of us not merely as participants but as ‘experts and thought leaders‘ in our own communities.

Recognising the influence we hold in our respective circles underscored a simple truth – that collective change begins within our spheres of influence.

The changed perspective has left a mark; everyone present now perceives their personal power in a fundamentally different light. What we require in recreational fishing is an upsurge of individuals like Caitlin – individuals who rise above, engage actively, participate in conversations, seek knowledge, and contribute back to the community.

Braeden Lampard, OzFish’s Murray-Darling Basin Program Manager, detailed the successes of OzFish’s River Repair Bus program and praised the power of collective action.

“There are approximately four million recreational fishers in Australia and even if a small percentage of those people donated their time towards habitat restoration, our waterways and fish species would be in a much better place,” he said.