A NEW effort to help fish in the Lower Darling River is one step closer with the New South Wales Government approving the use of a system to get them swimming upstream.
Billed as “state-of-the-art temporary fish passage technology”, the project worth $6.52 million will be run by a Finnish company called Fishheart after being award the contract by the NSW Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development (DPIRD)
The initiative will get underway this year and run for two to three fish migrations and is part of an overall $25 million Government spend on the Restoring the Darling-Baaka River Program.
“This will be the first time that this temporary fishway technology will be trailed under Australian conditions and on native inland freshwater fish at this scale,” said DPIRD’s secretary of fisheries and forestry Sean Sloan.
“(It’s) an important part of the NSW Government response to the Office of the Chief Scientist & Engineer.
“We have had staff in the Menindee area since August to discuss the trial of this innovative technology with the community and how it can be cost-effectively retrofitted to existing structures, such as the Lake Wetherell outlet regulator.”
The fish passage system is being trialled and amid at helping the aquatic creatures navigate the weirs, dams and other man made blockages in the river.
The ultimate goal is helping the fish reach new spawning grounds.
“The goal of this project is to test options to connect the northern and southern basin, helping move some fish out of the Menindee town weir pool to complete their life cycle, and contributing to reducing the biomass in the weir pool, reducing associated risks for water quality and fish kills,” Mr Sloan said.
“Due to the complexity of the existing weirs and regulators that allow flow management throughout the Menindee Lakes system, the design of effective fish passage solutions through the system can present significant challenges.
“Unfortunately, there is no one size fits all solution to restore fish passage in this system.
“This exciting trial is about finding a cost-effective temporary solution while DPIRD fisheries develops a business case with partner agencies to find effective and permanent fish passage solutions.
“This trial will provide valuable insights to inform potential long-term fish passage solutions.”
The fish passage systems will be used at Menindee primarily.
