Murray Goulburn Chapter
We bring people together to help protect and restore the places you love to fish.
OzFish is dedicated to helping local rec fishers across Australia take control of the health of their rivers, lakes and estuaries. We partner with members and the broader community to invest time and money into the protection and restoration of our waterways.
What we do:
- Work with fishers to make local fishing grounds healthy, vibrant and more productive.
- Share ideas on how to improve, restore and protect fish habitat.
- Seek grants and support for hands-on habitat restoration.
- Provide events, resources, education and research that support fishing groups to achieve local outcomes
The Nathalia Angling Club was formed in 2007 by a group of local anglers who are passionate about restoring local waterways.
The Club has been very active in the local community, working together to construct and install all-abilities fishing jetties and caring for fish habitat.
After several successful smaller projects, the Club realised that they could tackle more ambitious projects together with OzFish and the OzFish Murray Goulburn Chapter was established.
The Chapter covers a large geographical area which boasts an abundance of great fishing spots.
Local waterways are home to a wide range of native species making it an angler’s delight. Popular spots include Greens Lake, Broken Creek, the Goulburn River, Lake Eildon and the Murray River just to name a few. Not only are all of these waterways fantastic places to wet a line, they also have significant environmental, social and cultural values
Rainbow trout, golden perch, brown trout and the Murray spiny crayfish can be found in many of the rivers and creeks in the region.
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Fish Rescues
The Natalia Angling Club participated in several fish rescues before the establishment of the OzFish Chapter.
Several factors including low levels of rainfall, changes in water management and over-allocation, caused some of the rivers and waterbodies in the region to dry up.
The anglers relocated native species to prevent them from dying when the water levels became too low and depleted of oxygen.
By establishing an OzFish Chapter, members will have access to expert advice and support in the event of future fish rescue operations.
Fishers Concerns
In addition to the threat of future fish kills, the Chapter are concerned about poor water quality and invasive species.
Poor water quality is caused by a number of factors including erosion, a lack of native riparian vegetation, sediment and nutrient runoff, and litter.
Members are also concerned about barriers to fish passage, cold water pollution and a lack of environmental flows.
The highly altered state of some of the local waterways preferences invasive species such as carp and redfin over native fish.
Up and Coming
Chapter members are keen to roll up their sleeves and get the following projects underway:
- Saving Green Lake.
- Opening fish passage.
- Restoring riparian zones.
- Fixing the erosion along the Murray River.
- Putting structures back in waterways (resnagging).
- Encouraging recreational fishers to become custodians of our beautiful waterways.
- Organising fun activities with local kids to get them hooked on fishing, experience nature and ensure river stewardship is passed on to another generation.
