February update - Native Fish Recovery Strategy

It’s been another busy month for the Native Fish Recovery team as we refine the draft Strategy for public consultation. With the Strategy to be released in early March our Joint Government Steering Group have met frequently to refine content and ensure it is relevant for communities and government.

We have also been working closely with members of our Cultural Advisory Group (CAG) to develop a clear section which articulates First Nations perspectives and the needs of Traditional Owners with respect to native fish in the Basin. In addition, we have been working to better understand recreational fishers perspectives on native fish recovery and how we can include their insights within the Strategy.

Our Technical Advisory Group (TAG) have been applying their varied and broad expertise on fish and river ecology to articulate the status of native fish in the Basin. This work will help us to identify realistic outcomes for fish, and projects which will address historic declines in numbers.

We have also been making an effort to get out into the Basin, heading along to the OzFish “Thinking Fish” event in Dubbo on 25 February. This event was the first in a series of public talks about fishing and its future across Australia with another event coming up in Wagga Wagga on the 12^th of March. This seminar is a free event for community members of all ages who not only love fishing but equally love their rivers and what they give back to communities across Australia. For more info go to: https://ozfish.org.au/projects/thinking-fish-public-talks/

After another difficult summer, it has been great to see some rivers receiving decent flows, allowing communities to once again enjoy our rivers. While heavy rain has sometimes exacerbated the impacts of fire ash in our waterways, fish have been taking advantage of flows, moving through our waterways.

Look out for the draft Strategy in March on the MDBA’s GetInvolved page – we are eager to get feedback from a broad range of stakeholders across the Basin. The draft Strategy will remain open to public submissions until early April after which they will be collated and incorporated into the final Strategy.