Are you living in a fish friendly neighbourhood?

Posted on April 18th, 2018

Fishing is a favourite past-time for many, and seafood and fresh fish contribute to our economic and nutritional wellbeing as well as our Australian cuisine. Many of us even celebrate important events throughout the year with this flavoursome and nutritional food source – it’s hard to imagine our lives without it.

That’s why this year we’re taking a moment to highlight World Fish Migration Day 2018 (Saturday, 21 April) which aims to create world-wide awareness about the importance of migratory fish, the need for healthy waterways, and the steps we can all take to look after fish and their habitat.
So what do migratory fish need? For a start, many fish species need access to fresh and salt water to successfully breed, feed and grow. Our favourite CQ fish the Barramundi is one of them. They also need clean and safe lakes, rivers, creeks, estuaries and oceans and easy access between these different habitats. This means keeping these places free of rubbish, chemicals, dirt and weeds as well as exotic fish which compete for food and space.
It also means helping fish to swim upstream and find safe places to stay occasionally! Barriers, like the Fitzroy Barrage which shores up our water supply, are an issue for fish that need to travel beyond them for breeding and feeding. That is why fish passages or ‘fish ladders’ are installed. These structures help fish move upstream beyond a wall they’d never otherwise pass. Other structures – like the fish hotels in Yeppen Lagoon, are installed to provide safe places for baby fish to hide until they’re big enough to survive predators. A lot of work is conducted every year by landholders, councils and other organisations to monitor water quality, reduce pollutants entering waterways, remove feral species like tilapia, pick up rubbish and control weeds that choke waterways.

We hope you’ll help us create fish-friendly neighbourhoods today and every day – here are five top tips on how to get involved!