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What is the Victorian
State Fishway Program?
The Victorian Government initiated the State Fishway Program in 1999 to
improve fish access to critical habitat and spawning areas in all coastal
and inland streams and rivers throughout the State. As part of improving
the health of Victoria’s Rivers, the Victorian Government provided
$1.85 million to the State Fishway Program for the construction of fishways.
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In partnership
with Catchment Management Authorities, Melbourne Water and other
water authorities, the State Fishway Program has installed fishways
at priority sites as determined by a Fishway Implementation Committee.
The Committee comprises of fish biologists, Government representatives
and other key stakeholders. The Committee provides advice to Government
on the location of high priority barriers from a statewide perspective. |
Construction of Fishways |
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Key Achievements
The State Fishway Program conducted an inventory of barriers across the State
and identified almost 2500 potential barriers to fish movement, including farm
dams, weirs, major dams, and natural obstructions such as waterfalls. Over 100
sites have been identified as high priority for restoration of fish passage.
To date, 52 fishways have been completed, to open fish passage to at least 4500
km of riverine habitat throughout the State. |
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Fishway being constructed on the Bunyip River under State Fishway Program |
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Future Directions
Fishways on high priority barriers in many regions are now either complete
or nearing completion. The State Fishway Program is now identifying the
next priority list and coordinating a review to identify and manage potentially
redundant structures on waterways that may longer serve important functions.
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Future management
options for providing fish passage at all sites will consider whether
the barrier should be removed, modified structurally or operationally,
or whether a fishway should be built. The decision to remove any
barrier will only be made after full consultation, to determine whether
the structure still serves an important function to the community
for either water supply, social issues (eg. recreational value),
economic (eg. cost of maintenance) or environmental value (eg. preventing
spread of pest species). |
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Further
Reading
DNRE (1999). An inventory of fishways and potential barriers to fish movement
and migration in Victoria. State Fishway Program. Waterways Unit, Department
of Natural Resources and Environment, Melbourne. p. 144 |
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