The Bohle and Ross River catchments are the focus of fish surveys to improve urban waterway management with the help of volunteer recreational anglers.
With hundreds of OzFishers capturing real data in real-time, our community of angler-scientists is unrivalled in numbers, providing a previously untapped resource in fisheries management.
Check out some of the citizen science projects OzFish volunteers have been involved in to map, monitor, and check our waterways for fish. If you would like to help make a difference, get in contact with our team today.
Fisher Science Projects
OzFish Richmond River Chapter is investigating a new variation of Sydney Rock Oyster, which may turn out to be the disease-resistant oyster everyone in the commercial industry has been looking for.
The OzFish Clarence Water Quality Pilot Project is an exciting initiative to assess and improve the water quality of the Clarence River and its tributaries. Undertaking this project on Bundjalung Country, we pay our respects to the elders past, present, and emerging and their ongoing connection ...
Members of OzFish Lake Macquarie Chapter are bringing an innovative shellfish restoration project to Australia’s largest saltwater tidal waterway. OzFish will work with private jetty owners to install environmentally friendly hanging habitat to help restore vitally important shellfish reefs to ...
OzFish’s innovative ‘Pimp My Jetty’ program aims to increase the availability of fish in Sydney Harbour by transforming existing jetties and pontoons into vibrant fish habitat. The Sydney Harbour Chapter plan to design, build, and monitor eco-friendly structures that will create additional ...
OzFish Gold Coast Chapter will work with 10 private jetty owners to install environmentally friendly hanging habitat to help restore vitally important shellfish reefs to the waterways of the Gold Coast. The project is funded by City of Gold Coast 2022/23 Catchment and Citizen Science Grants ...
OzFish’s innovative ‘Pimp My Jetty’ program is helping to return shellfish habitat to the Peel-Harvey estuary, near Mandurah in Western Australia and address an important ecological challenge. The project brings together recreational fisher volunteers and the local community to restore healthy ...
In 2020 OzFish volunteers set out to extensively habitat map Potterwalkagee Creek to better inform future restoration activities. Wetlands and creek systems are one of the most productive environments within the Murray Darling Basin, as they provide essential breeding and foraging habitat for a ...
The project aims to monitor water quality in a tropical coastal wetland and is a collaboration between Australia’s dedicated fishing conservation organisation OzFish Unlimited, NQ Dry Tropics and recreational fishers from the Burdekin Fish Stocking Association.
Saltwater Creek urban catchment north of Cairns’ CBD will use fish surveys to improve urban waterway management through the help of volunteer recreational anglers within OzFish Cairns Chapter.
Sunraysia OzFish volunteer’s have been restoring Kings Billabong an iconic site for our local recreational fishers situated close to Mildura, Victoria. OzFish volunteers have spent hours undertaking a native fish habitat restoration project so our native fish can thrive in the area.
Giant kelp forests in many locations in Australia are getting smaller. Some of the most dramatic declines have occurred in Tasmania, where 95% of the iconic giant kelp forests have disappeared, and are now listed as an endangered marine community.
High Community Engagement with OzFishers
Community science is a rapidly expanding field where millions of participants each year gather data on hundreds of topics ranging from the weather to water quality, threatened and endangered species, and such far off topics as water bugs and environment DNA.
OzFish Unlimited members have been gathering data on water quality and fish populations since the organisation was established but only recently have we expanded the opportunities for the public and actively marketed the potential for anglers and other community members to assist in the science-based management of our fisheries and their habitats.
OzFish Volunteering Community
The passion and commitment by OzFish volunteers to actively gather data for the benefit of Australia’s native fish and waterways are not only driving the current revolutionary level of engagement in fisher science, but it has launched the organisation into a more active role in fisheries and water management decisions.
The demand for voluntary data collection by Aussie fishers is overwhelming, which is why the list of current and future OzFish citizen science projects around the nation continues to grow.
Among the many positive outcomes of fisher science is how OzFish volunteers are developing an increased sense of ownership towards their local fishery while gaining a clear understanding of what it means to become stewards of their local waterway.
How OzFish is helping Aussie fishers understand their true value:
- Identifying areas of degraded or loss of fish habitat
- Help restore and protect fish habitat
- Habitat mapping
- Monitoring of water quality
- Fish sampling including eDNA
- Waterbug monitoring
Useful Tools for Our Fishing Habitats
We’re empowering fishers with tools to discover more about their local fishing spots, which gives them the knowledge to understand their fish and help them protect and restore their habitat.
These tools build the capacity of recreational anglers to map, monitor, learn and educate about their local fish and waterways. We aim to give everyday anglers the tools and knowledge to discover more about their local fishing ecosystem and share their knowledge with their community, to grow interest and respect in the sport they love for generations to come.
Volunteer with Us
Join our community of volunteers who share our determination to restore and rebuild fish habitat across Australia.
Make a Donation
Donate today to support our mission to protect and restore our fishing spots through community-driven participation and ownership.
Become a Member
Help us raise funds for our restoration initiatives by becoming an OzFish member today. Learn more about member benefits!
At OzFish we are incredibly proud of the multiple citizen science efforts undertaken by so many of our OzFish volunteers, our fish need our help to protect and restore their habitat now more than ever. And you can help.