Tag: Murry

Ozfish: International Day of Action for Rivers

Transformation on the Murry River

Restoration of Bottle Bend Reserve

On the 28th International Day of Action for Rivers, we celebrate the inspiring restoration of Bottle Bend Reserve on the Murray River in NSW – a powerful example of what community and collaboration can achieve.

Once severely degraded, Bottle Bend is now a flourishing ecosystem, thanks to the efforts of NSW and Commonwealth environmental water and land management agencies, OzFish, First Nations partners, Landcare NSW, volunteers, and environmental groups.

Native fish such as the Murray Cod have returned, wetlands are flourishing, and significant Kureinji Nations cultural heritage is being protected and celebrated.

Marni Holden, Acting General Manager of Landcare NSW, notes, “This transformation at the Bottle Bend Reserve is an inspiring achievement. Restoration at this level has been possible because the communities have come together to bring a degraded ecosystem back to thriving with life.”

Congratulations and well done to everyone involved on this wonderful achievement.

The project is part of the Driving Fish Habitat Action partnership between OzFish and Landcare NSW, made possible with funding support from NSW DPIRD Fisheries, NSW Recreational Fishing Trusts and BCF Boating Camping and Fishing.

Ozfish: Bottle Bend

Photos: OzFish River Culture Officer and Kureinji man, Drew Fincher, assisting volunteers with habitat restoration at Bottle Bend (via OzFish)

Ozfish: Don’t forget the little guys

Ozfish: Don’t forget the little guys

by Sean P. Graham, Ozfish

Let’s chat about the little guys in the water, those small fish we often overlook. In Australia, when people go fishing, they’re usually focused on the big catches like Murray cod and trout cod. But what about the little ones? The ones we call “gudgeons,” “guppies,” or just “white bait”? These small fish might not be the stars of the fishing world, but they sure deserve some attention.

 

Most of the native fish in Australia are actually small. Take the Murray Darling Basin, for instance. Out of all the fish species there, only about six are big enough to get anglers excited. The rest? They’re these cool little creatures like rainbowfish, Hardyheads, Galaxias, Perchlets, Pygmy Perches, and Gudgeons.

What’s wild is that most of these fish are found only in Australia, but sadly, they’re close to extinction. More than half of them in the Basin are threatened or endangered.

To see how one of our Women in Landcare finalists – Janet Heffernan – is doing to reverse this trend visit:  Don’t Forget About The Little Guys | OzFish Unlimited

  • Ozfish - Gudgeon