Guiding the strategic management of freshwater fish

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Guiding the strategic management of freshwater fish

Project start date: 01/04/2023
Project end date: 30/06/2027
NESP funding: $600,000 (GST-exclusive)

Native freshwater fish are facing a range of threats – particularly from climate change, altered water regimes, habitat degradation and invasive species. Many species are at risk of extinction, and informed, evidence-based decisions are needed to manage these threats now and into the future. This project is working closely with river and waterway managers to develop principles and approaches for managing and protecting freshwater fish biodiversity across Victoria.

Underwater image of a macquarie perch. Only the fish's head is visible.
The Macquarie perch is an endangered freshwater fish native to the Murray-Darling River system, including in Victoria. Photo: BenjaminT444 / CC BY-SA 3.0.

Research from the project is improving our understanding of how floodplain fish communities respond to environmental change, how they can be monitored more effectively, and the approaches that can support successful wetland restoration.

We’re taking a strategic approach to identify cost-effective management actions for freshwater fish. The project is building knowledge of where fish occur, the environmental conditions and threats that shape their distributions, how they can be effectively monitored, and which management and restoration actions can best support their persistence.

The research complements the work of Victoria’s Department of Energy, Environment and Climate Action and waterway managers, including development of the new Victorian Waterway Management Strategy and regional waterway planning.

Key research areas

To equip waterway managers and policy-makers with up-to-date evidence, this project is:

developing principles and approaches to guide the prioritisation of freshwater fish management actions
working collaboratively with waterway managers and other stakeholders to test these approaches in regional contexts
translating research findings into strategic, tactical and operational guidance for freshwater fish management in Victoria.

Pathway to impact

This project will support the management of threatened freshwater fish by:

improving knowledge of fish distributions, threats and habitat requirements
strengthening approaches for detecting and monitoring threatened fish
identifying effective restoration approaches for floodplain wetland habitats
supporting management under current and future climate conditions
informing state and regional waterway strategies, monitoring and conservation actions.