MUCH like the air that humans breathe, clean water is the life-sustaining ingredient that underpins the survival of fish and countless other species that comprise healthy aquatic ecosystems. However, throughout Australia from mass fish kills in the Murray Darling, to the algal bloom that is currently killing fish in South Australia, declining water quality has become a major threat to the future viability of many fisheries in freshwater and marine areas alike. This rapidly worsening situation is, of course, completely unacceptable to the broader community, particularly so for the recreational fishing sector.
A project newly funded by the NSW Recreational Fishing Trust is aiming to put the spotlight on water quality, as a first step towards hopefully reversing this trend. The project, entitled “Community Water Quality Audits – Our journey towards breathing life back into NSW waterways” is being co-ordinated by Fishing World’s own Dr Ben Diggles, and has been developed in collaboration with a team of experienced and diverse experts in the fields of water quality, fish health and fish biology, as well as representatives of OzFish, Australia’s foremost fish habitat restoration group.
The first stage of this ambitious project has been funded to scope the concept of designing a scientifically robust method for independent water quality assessments. The aim is to identify how recreational fishers can be mobilised to use digital tools which will allow transparent reporting of key water quality data at various locations throughout NSW.
The research team will also undertake a roadshow of 7 meetings throughout NSW to meet
with regional recreational fishing and indigenous community groups. These regional meetings will not only provide education on water quality threats, they will aim to compile a list of locations in NSW where detailed water quality assessments and pilot remediation projects can undertaken during phase 2 of the project.
It is envisaged that by activating the considerable (but currently latent) statewide citizen science capability of the recreational fishing community, the project will develop a process whereby water quality problem “hotspots” can be identified, then rectified through remediation and habitat restoration, with a resulting improvement in fish stocks. The longterm goal is to use successful Phase 2 projects as case studies to increase uptake and roll out of water quality monitoring, audit and remediation projects at more locations throughout NSW, with project locations being prioritised based on site selection criteria that will be developed as part of the project.
Fishos who want to provide input should keep an eye out for community meeting announcements in early 2026. Those who can’t wait to provide input, and want to help improve fish habitat straight away, can go to https://ozfish.org.au/membership/ and sign up to become a member of their local OzFish chapter.
