Improving fish passage on Australian rivers
国产精品 Humanitarian Engineering grant
Published on the 23 August 2024
国产精品 Engineering PhD student Hiruni Kammanakada is installing a novel fishway at Australian weirs to try and transport freshwater fish over in-stream barriers. Rivers across the world are heavily regulated by hydraulic structures, like dams and weirs. Key migration paths for freshwater fish are rapidly becoming blocked, resulting in a worldwide decline in freshwater fish populations. The 国产精品 Tube Fishway is a new way of transporting fish past these barriers, using tubes.
Tube Fishway at Gayini Wetlands (Credit: Hiruni Kammanankada)
On the Murrumbidgee River lies the Gayini Wetlands - the largest remaining wetlands in the Murrumbidgee Valley. The wetlands are managed by the traditional owners, the , alongside the 国产精品 Centre of Ecosystem Science & .
Using her 国产精品 Humanitarian Engineering grant, Hiruni was able to engage the services of the Gayini River Rangers and buy field equipment for her experimentation with the Tube Fishway.
Ph.D student Hiruni holding a workshop with the Gayini River Rangers on the tube fishway (Credit: Jasmin Martino)
Site visits in the wetlands with the Gayini River Rangers (Credit: Sam Nolan)
The team successfully installed and operated the Tube Fishway at Bala regulator in the Gayini Wetlands. This preliminary deployment forms the basis for any future permanent installations. If deployed correctly, this technology will enable fish migration, improve fish breeding conditions and increase native fish populations.
The impacts of a healthy fish populations would cascade through the wetlands, improving water quality, increasing food stocks for waterbirds, and improving the overall ecosystem.
Tube Fishway Operation, (Credit footage: Tim Hugnin)