More snags in the Murray River means more fish
Native fish will soon have more areas to rest, shelter, breed and feed with a re-snagging project close to completion in the Murray River by recreational fishing conservation group, OzFish Unlimited.
Dozens of snags of various shapes have been placed into the Red Cliffs reach of the lower Murray restoring a stretch of habitat more than one and a half kilometres long. The location was determined based on mapping work done by the local OzFish members which highlighted areas of the river lacking snags and in need of restoration.
CEO and Founder of OzFish, Craig Copeland is excited about the completion of the project but said more work needs to be done.
“Snags play such a major role in our native fish life cycle. Fish use snags to stop and rest from fast flows and as a place to breed and shelter. They also provide a great source of food., and with hundreds of thousands of snags removed resnagging will prove to be a winner for fish and fishing.”
A long-term study by scientists from the Arthur Rylah Institute found re-snagging, provided a threefold increase of native fish when a reach of the Murray River was resnagged.
OzFish Project Manager for the Murray-Darling Basin, Braeden Lampard has been heavily involved in the project and is looking forward to this re-snagging work getting completed. Braeden was recently awarded the Most Successful Future Leader Graduate by the Recreational Fishing Foundation in Hobart last week but his passion lies in community education.
“By engaging the public, we hope that the communities can learn the benefits of re-snagging and fish habitat and that is why projects like this are extremely important for our native fishery,” Mr Lampard said.
The restored fish habitat will be regularly monitored by the Sunraysia OzFish members to observe fish life around the structure and ensure they have settled into place correctly.
The project has been two years in the planning and has been funded by the NSW Recreational Fishing Trust Western Local Land Services and OzFish corporate partner BCF – Boating, Camping, Fishing.
To support more of this valuable work, you can donate to OzFish over the counter at any BCF store.
