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| article: fish’n’tip 0609 habitat makes fish happen by rob paxevanos |
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Dated: 4 November, 2011
 | | Golden Perch are just one of many native species that benefit from Habitat Restoration. |
Rob’s weekly FISH’N’TIP 0609 written for the week of Wed 2/11/2011
This years Native Fish Awareness Week is going online with its “Habitat makes fish happen!” theme in a new strategy aimed at reaching around half a million recreational fishing buffs in Australia’s Murray-Darling Basin.
Native fish species in the Basin have suffered serious declines in both distribution and abundance since European settlement mainly due to the loss of habitat. The goal of the Native Fish Strategy is to rehabilitate native fish numbers back to 60 per cent of their estimated pre-European settlement levels.
Fishers and communities of the Basin are being encouraged to learn more about how they can help bring back native fish by visiting the new native fish week website (www.nativefishweek.com.au) and getting involved. Native Fish Awareness Week runs from November 5 to 12 across the Murray-Darling Basin.
The week will raise awareness of the plight of native fish across the Basin and promote activities in which everyone can be involved, including planting trees, removing weeds and putting logs back into waterways.
The week will celebrate efforts by communities and recreational fishers that contribute to improving populations and habitats of native fish across the Murray-Darling Basin.
These were the fish friendly messages delivered today by Chair of the Native Fish Strategy Community Stakeholder Taskforce, Adrian Wells of the Murray-Darling Association.
“Native fish have declined across the Murray-Darling Basin because essential habitat such as deep pools, aquatic plants, submerged logs and riverbank vegetation have been severely degraded,” Mr Wells said. “But there are plenty of great stories in the Basin where community groups, including recreational fishers, are increasingly involved in more effective ways to boost native fish populations, such as improving river banks, tree planting, education and helping to monitor fish,” he said.
Showcasing this will be the launch of the big week on Sunday November 6 at Coorong and the Lower Lakes in South Australia. An intensive line-up of community engagement activities will continue across the Basin throughout the week.
Details of community focused activities in cities, towns and riverbanks across the Murray-Darling Basin will be available online and from State-based Native Fish Strategy staff and the Murray-Darling Basin Authority.
Adrian Wells said schools, local communities and recreational fishers can meet specialist staff from natural resource management agencies throughout the Murray-Darling Basin during the week to hear about the lifestyle of native fish, including their habitat, friends and foes, breeding and how fish travel through our river systems.
Native Fish Awareness Week will see also the launch of the Basin-wide ‘Talking Fish’ project – a collection of stories, anecdotes and photos from fishers, community members and Aboriginal people illustrating what fishing ‘used to be like’ across the Basin.
Events will be hosted throughout the Basin from Coorong and the Lower Lakes and Goolwa in South Australia, to Marysville and Wangaratta in Victoria, and Wentworth and Bourke in NSW, to Eulo and Toowoomba in Queensland.
The NSW launch of Native Fish Awareness Week and the Talking Fish books will be held against the backdrop of the dazzling freshwater display at the Sydney Aquarium on Monday November 7. The Native Fish Strategy is a partnership program between the Queensland, News South Wales, Victorian, South Australian and the Australian Capital Territory governments and their communities, under the leadership of the Murray-Darling Basin Authority.
See you on the water.
Rob Paxevanos
Robs Column brought to you by the new Hellenic Club in the City.
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| Rob Paxevanos
Fishnet Pro Angler
Report brought to you by fishingaustralia.tv
Email : robpax@netspeed.com.au
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