The OzFish Manning River Chapter are a group of passionate recreational fishers who have a number of habitat restoration activities in their sights. They’re actively looking for new members to join their Chapter and give back to the sport they love. Their initial focus will be monitoring the water quality on the Manning River, particularly around Taree and Wingham, in addition to getting involved in rubbish clean-ups in the lower part of the estuary. They will be working alongside the oyster industry, commercial fishers, indigenous groups and Landcare group in a community clean up of the lower Manning estuary foreshore.
We are growing our membership base in the region and engaging with recreational fishers who are interested in helping us restore fish habitat.
OzFish is dedicated to helping local rec fishers across Australia take control of the health of their rivers, lakes and estuaries. They partner with members and the broader community to invest time and money into the protection and restoration of our waterways.
The Manning River is located on the lands and water of the Biripi Aboriginal people.
The Manning River is a paradise for recreational fishers, whether it be beach, deep-sea, breakwall or river fishing the Manning has many spots to cast your line. You can catch bass on the pristine freshwater streams or flathead, mulloway, bream and whiting within estuaries.
The Manning River is famous for being the only river in the southern hemisphere to have a ‘double delta’ – two entrances to the river, one at Old Bar and one at Harrington. The Manning is one of the greatest natural assets of the Mid Coast region it supports extraordinary biodiversity and ecological values, with the major township of Taree at its centre. The catchment contains World Heritage areas in the Barrington Tops which is home to iconic, endangered and threatened species. The Manning River catchment and estuary are vital to the local economy.
Earlier this year our Manning Chapter had the privilege of participating in the Mid Coast Council’s eDNA project. The project aims to identify threatened species living in our waterways post 2019-2020 bushfires.
The project was initiated after realising that our freshwater species were inhabiting refuge pools because their usual habitats had otherwise dried up due to extensive drought conditions. The whereabouts are particularly important for a number of species such as the Manning River Helmeted Turtle which are endemic to these areas and are currently listed as endangered.
The information that was collected from several waterways in the Manning Valley has provided great insight into what species are living their and how we can most appropriately manage our landscapes in future climatic conditions.
Our fantastic volunteers gathered to learn about plastic pollution and how we can stop the flow at the source. 13kg of rubbish was collected in half an hour, which was mostly comprised of small consumable plastics and wrappings (which is a lot!). We had a Tangaroa Blue representative with us on the day who taught us how to use the Australian Marine Debris Initiative Database (AMDI). The AMDI database aims to stop the flow of rubbish at the source and works closely with Government policy and legislation to reduce marine plastic pollution. The App is free to download, and you can use it whenever you’re strolling along the beach or soaking a bait. Every little bit helps!
This project was funded by the 2019-2020 bushfire recovery plan. A series of sampling techniques were done to determine how our waterways, fish habitat, and fish populations are recovering following the devastating bushfires. This information will be compiled into a report which will be used for future site remediation work and baseline data for future climatic events.
As part of the Gone Fishing Day initiative run by DPI, we hosted an event at Saltwater Lagoon, which included a fun day of learning from guest speakers and activities for all ages!
Local recreational fishers have been the driving force behind a new project in the Manning River which will test water quality. Members from the OzFish Unlimited Manning River Chapter will roll up their sleeves to take part in critical citizen science work to benefit the health of the Manning River and the many species within.
Every new member will receive an OzFish cap, sticker, facemasks and a $10 BCF Gift Card courtesy of our major partner.
Manning Chapter are hoping to partner with Hunter Local Land Services to restore Coopernook Swamp, surrounding buffer area and riparian zone, enabling removal of floodgates and restoring fish passage to the wetland. Coopernook has been identified as a priority for remediation due to acid sulfate soil contributing significant levels of acidic runoff and high concentrations of heavy metals to the estuary. Waterway acidification severely impacts estuarine ecosystems, including fish, ‘nursery’ habitat, oysters and other aquatic flora and fauna in the adjacent Lansdowne River, part of the Manning River Recreational Fishing Haven. Recreational fishers, including landholders in the area, are keen to assist with re-establishing the site as an intertidal wetland and improving fish passage and available habitat for a range of fish and invertebrates.
