ONE hundred and ninety new fish habitat complexes have been located in the Darling-Baaka between Louth and Tilpa.
Four hundred and nineteen locally sourced Bimbil Box (Eucalyptus) weighing approximately 180 tonnes were repurposed to create the snags.
Native fish can use them as shelter from predators and currents, to feed and spawn and as a nursery for juvenile fish.
The project worked with local Aboriginal stakeholders to ensure due diligence for cultural heritage was undertaken before actual works began in the river.
The installation of these logs in the river helps to provide flow variation and an opportunity for long-term carbon storage.
Joe Brennan, the Department of Primary Industries and Regional development fisheries manager for Habitat Rehabilitation, said the river was altered at the turn of the century and it was important to reintroduce snags for the health of the river.
“The Darling-Baaka was completely de-snagged around the turn of the 20th century, with thousands of trees removed from the bed of the river to enable safe navigation of watercraft to carry cargo up and down the river,” he said.
“There was little to no understanding at the time what long lasting impact this would have on native fish and other natural processes.
“We have surveyed the snag loading in the river from the Queensland border through to Wilcannia, calculated the amounts of timber required and now more than a hundred years later, we are reintroducing this important habitat back.”
