June 25, 2019
Geelong’s recreational anglers are invited to get their hands dirty on Saturday, 13 July to help revegetate the Barwon River. Thousands of native trees, shrubs and grasses will be planted on the banks of the lower Barwon River near Marshall, south of Geelong, to help return a one kilometre stretch of the river to its original Floodplain Riparian Woodland habitat.
The Corangamite Catchment Management Authority has partnered with VRFish, the Geelong and District Angling Association, Australian National Sportfishing Association Victoria, and the Geelong Gun and Rod Association to host an angler riparian planting day.
Native vegetation along waterways improves fish habitat by providing shade, buffering water temperature extremes, filtering nutrients and sediments from catchment run-off, reducing erosion, and providing food and woody debris for fish to shelter from predators.
The Corangamite CMA’s angler riparian planting project is supported by the Victorian Government’s Angler Riparian Partnerships Program, which is engaging recreational fishers in riparian habitat improvement projects across Victoria.
To register for the Barwon River planting day, register through Eventbrite or contact Tony Byrne, Corangamite CMA, Land & Catchment Health Officer on 0407 885 143.
What else is being done to improve fishing on the Barwon River?
- The Corangamite CMA is improving angling access along the Barwon through Geelong by constructing two new multi-use platforms and refurbishing two existing platforms. This project is supported by the Victorian government.
- In May, the Corangamite CMA took delivery of seven truckloads of timber stumps, thanks to an agreement between VicRoads and the Victorian government to re-purpose felled timber from road construction works. The timber will be used to create instream habitat (re-snagging) in the lower Barwon River, which will complement the ‘fish hotels’ scheduled to be constructed and installed this spring.
- The Corangamite CMA installed a fish ladder on the lower Barwon barrage in 2013 to enhance movement of migratory fish species. Monitoring has shown the fish ladder is being used by estuarine angling species, as well as endangered fish species such as the Australian Grayling and Australian Mudfish.
- The Victorian Fisheries Authority released 75,000 Estuary Perch fingerlings into the lower Barwon River in the summer of 2018-19.
