Member for New England, Barnaby Joyce, said more than $57 million will be spent installing fish ladders (also known as fishways or fish passes) to improve native fish access to more than 2000 kilometres of aquatic habitat between the Southern and Northern Basins and into Queensland.
The proposed project, “NSW Fish for the Future: Reconnecting the Northern Basin”, will see 12 structures built along the Barwon-Darling river system and 10 structures in the Border Rivers region of New South Wales and Queensland, including the Macintyre and Dumaresq Rivers and other tributaries, which flow into the Barwon River upstream of Mungindi.
“$610,000 will also be spent on clearing barriers in rivers, floodplains and wetlands in the west of the Gwydir Valley,” Mr Joyce said.
Minister for Resources, Water and Northern Australia, Keith Pitt, said the funding is being provided through the Northern Basin Toolkit that will create jobs in Basin communities and improve the health of northern rivers.
“The projects should start this year and provide much-needed economic stimulus to regional communities and improve environmental outcomes,” Minister Pitt said.
Mr Joyce said the projects will improve the health of local rivers in New England and protect water for the environment.
More information visit: www.mdba.gov.au/basin-plan/northern-basin-projects
(ENDS)