A threatened native fish species, an Australian grayling, has been found at the top of the newly constructed fishway in the Buchan River.
The Buchan River rock ramp fishway was built to address the barrier to native fish migration caused by the Buchan River’s potable water supply log weir.
Post-construction fish monitoring was completed last week with the exciting find of an Australian grayling. The fish was found at the top of the fishway, a section of the river that they wouldn’t have been able to get to before the fishway was constructed.
“This is inspiring news and exactly what we were hoping monitoring would prove, that fish can now migrate upstream of the weir, and the fact that a threatened species was found is icing on the cake.” Said Bec Hemming, East Gippsland Catchment Management Authority’s CEO.
Monitoring before construction of the fishway provided a snapshot of native fish populations close to the weir. Seven species of native fish were detected, with fewer upstream than downstream.
The East Gippsland Catchment Management Authority worked with East Gippsland Water to construct the fishway designed and built to allow fish to migrate a further 127km along the upper reaches of the Buchan River.
The Buchan Fishway project forms part of a $248 million investment by the Victorian Government to improve the health of waterways and catchments across regional Victoria.
East Gippsland is home to some of Victoria’s 2000 hectares of Alpine Peatlands.
Alpine peatlands, or Alpine Sphagnum Bogs and Associated Fens, are a nationally threatened ecological system found high in the Alps at the head of Victoria’s catchments.
Peatlands act as a sponge, absorbing and holding moisture, and are a great water filtration system. They also provide habitat to several endemic and threatened species of flora and fauna, including the Alpine Tree Frog, Baw Baw Frog, and the Alpine Water Skink.
During a five-year cross regional project and for over a decade, Parks Victoria has worked with partners, experts and volunteers to protect these peatlands through invasive species control, weed management, research and monitoring.
The five-year Cross Regional Victorian Alpine Peatland Protection Project, delivered by Parks Victoria, in collaboration across three CMA regions (North East, East Gippsland and West Gippsland), through funding from the Australian Government’s National Landcare Program
Acting East Gippsland CMA CEO Amber Clarke said this cross-regional project focussed on improving the resilience of the fragile peatlands to protect and enhance these unique environments.
“Partnerships are paramount in completing a project like this, as they foster collaborative efforts, share resources and expertise, ensuring a comprehensive and effective approach to addressing any challenges.” Said Amber
“To mark the completion of this five-year Cross Regional Victorian Alpine Peatlands Protection project, North East CMA has released a video that can be viewed here.”
Partners in the video include Parks Victoria, North East CMA, East Gippsland CMA, West Gippsland CMA and Gunaikurnai Land and Waters Aboriginal Corporation.
These Peatlands are crucial not only because they provide homes for many species, including threatened ones, but they also regulate the flow of water, ensuring the balance of surrounding ecosystems and influencing water health further down the catchment. This is important for the whole community.
East Gippsland Catchment Management Authority partnered with East Gippsland farmers, groups, and agencies to look at ways to improve drought resilience for East Gippsland farms. The project, known as Sowing the Gap, has now been completed.
Bec Hemming, CEO at EGCMA, met with Trevor Caithness, CEO of Gippsland Agricultural Group (GAgG), to discuss the project findings. Bec said, “GAaG, Southern Farming Systems, East Gippsland Shire, Wellington Shire and Ag Vic have all worked together to build knowledge and understanding of cropping options to manage future droughts.”
Trevor said, “Projects like this allow farmers to discuss crop varieties, techniques and strategies together that have worked well. We know not all options work every time, but we have been able to practice cropping techniques and see how various varieties respond. Learning is partly about the data but also the practice. In this project, we have done both these things together.”
“Seeing people working together to test new options and trial them in different parts of East Gippsland has been fantastic.”
The project has comprised two main parts. Firstly, farmers have been trialling different fodder cropping methods and varieties in areas of East Gippsland from the high country to the coast. Trevor said, “farmers have been visiting the sites and discussing how they performed. We had some challenges with continued wet weather, but that is the type of variability we have to cope with in our normal businesses.”
By documenting and sharing knowledge and findings, the project has been a source of information sharing for many farmers.
Bec said, “the project has also collected stories from farmers on how they managed in the last drought. The stories were published as newspaper and can be found here.”
Trevor says, “we also videoed each farmer involved to provide their insights. These are linked to the partner agencies’ websites for people to view in their own time. I think farmers would be well served to have a look at these. They are simply stated and give great insight into people’s approaches to dry times.”
All farmers know that managing through drought is very difficult. What works on one farm may not suit another.
Trevor said, “the most important thing is to have a plan and implement it. It can be as simple or complicated as you choose, but having a plan is super important before the next dry period hits.”
This project is supported by East Gippsland Catchment Management Authority through funding from the Australian Government’s Future Drought Fund, East Gippsland Shire Council, Gippsland Agricultural Group and Southern Farming Systems.
Learning just got a whole lot wilder in classrooms across East Gippsland.
Our young environmentalists got up close and personal with some Australian native animals to help them discover the importance of our catchments and what we can do to protect them.
From the cute and cuddly to the cold and scaly, our friends from Black Snake Productions brought along their display of awesome wildlife to teach the students how each animal plays a crucial role in maintaining a balance of biodiversity in our environment.
Armed with newfound knowledge, the students brainstormed ideas on actively contributing to healthier catchments for us all to live in and enjoy from our backyard, urban areas and into our forests and national parks.
Native fish can now migrate freely up the Buchan River with construction of the first fishway in East Gippsland now complete.
Minister for Water Harriet Shing visited the Buchan River to officially open the completed rock ramp fishway in the Buchan River between Lousadas Road bridge and the Buchan water supply log weir.
Removing this barrier will provide native fish populations with access to an additional 127km of the largely undisturbed forested reaches of the Buchan River upstream of the Buchan township.
The project was funded from a $275,000 investment by the Andrews Labor Government and will remove the barrier caused by the weir and allow fish to migrate further along the river.
Construction of the fishway involved placing a range of different sized rocks within the Buchan River in accordance with a specialised design, that allows fish to swim up and over the weir.
Monitoring of fish populations before construction showed seven native fish species lived downstream of the weir. Species identified included Long-finned eel, Australian bass, Congoli or Tupong, Common galaxias, Flat-headed gudgeon, Australian smelt and Southern pygmy perch.
Finding Southern pygmy perch in the Buchan River is particularly significant because they are listed as a threatened species.
The results from the monitoring confirmed there were fewer fish species upstream of the weir compared to downstream.
The Buchan River is a much loved destination for locals and visitors to fish and explore nature, this new fishway will help boost the native fish populations and health of the river for generations to come.
This great project is a first for the East Gippsland and will ensure our precious native fish species can now move freely upstream on the Buchan River and access high quality habitat to feed and breed.
Further fish monitoring will be undertaken in Spring 2023.
The fishway is part of a $248 million investment by the Andrews Labor Government to improve the health of waterways and catchments across regional Victoria.
The East Gippsland Catchment Management Authority has announced the appointment of its new Chief Executive Officer.
Following a rigorous recruitment process and a field of highly competitive candidates, the Board has announced that East Gippsland local Bec Hemming will be the new CEO for the EGCMA.
Bec is well known and respected in the East Gippsland region and has been leading the EGCMA over the past 12 months as Acting CEO and prior to that was Delivery and Program Manager for 9 years. Bec has been working with the EGCMA since 2004.
Bec will bring to the role a deep knowledge of the East Gippsland region, strong relationships with partners and connection to communities, expertise in natural resource management and focus on supporting self-determination of Traditional Owners and First Nations people. Bec will also drive innovation and collaboration in areas such as climate adaptation and has recently established the Climate Change Collective across East Gippsland region government agencies.
EGCMA Chair Ewan Waller said: “Bec is an innovative leader with a passion for serving communities and clear understanding of the responsibilities of stewardship of our natural resources for future generations.”
“I also want to recognise and thank our retiring CEO, Graeme Dear, for his outstanding leadership, vision, and service over the last 20 years”.
Bec said: “I am thrilled to be appointed as the new CEO. East Gippsland is a beautiful region, and I am passionate about working with communities to enhance our landscapes, biodiversity, and cultural heritage.
I’m looking forward to getting started in the role, continuing with bushfire and flood recovery works, strengthening partnerships with Traditional Owners, mitigating and adapting to climate variability, and improving the health of the Gippsland Lakes and surrounding catchments.”
Bec will formally commence in the role on 1 September 2023.
On a day out with Alluvium consultants to better understand fluvial geomorphology or, in simpler terms, the study of how streams function and the interaction between streams and the landscape around them, EGCMA staff visited a site on Forge Creek.
For the last 20 years, this site has seen hours and hours of work put in by volunteers from Romawi Landcare Group and Waterwatch volunteers with a significant amount of effort installing rock chutes, planting vegetation to control erosion and monitoring water quality.
The pictures show how much the landscape has changed thanks to the efforts put in by so many.
The local community has been integral to the Shellfish Reef Restoration Project in the Gippsland Lakes.
The Gippsland Lakes Shellfish Reef Restoration Project, led by The Nature Conservancy in partnership with the Australian Government and with support from the East Gippsland Catchment Management Authority (EGCMA), started in early 2022.
The first stage of the project, the construction of the shellfish reefs, was completed in March 2022. Since then, around 3.5 million baby native flat oysters, grown on recycled scallop shells, have been placed onto the reefs in order to kick start the reef building process. Millions of baby blue mussels have also naturally settled onto the limestone reefs along with some native flat oysters.
The Gippsland Lakes is one of 13 locations across Australia identified for reef restoration under Reef Builder, a partnership between the Australian Government and The Nature Conservancy Australia to bring shellfish reefs back from the brink of extinction to benefit the environment and local communities by supporting fish and other marine species and enhancing recreational and economic opportunities.
Over the past 12 months, the EGCMA has hosted a series of community engagement and citizen science activities, working with over 150 local residents and school children who have played an important part in the success of the project and helped to collect important data.
Amber Clarke, Acting CEO, EGCMA said, “Throughout the project, the local community played a vital role, actively participating in various initiatives aimed at collecting monitoring data, raising awareness and fostering a sense of environmental stewardship.”
“Multiple education events were organised, catering to diverse local community groups, including schools, environmental volunteer organisations, angling clubs, as well as the wider community,” said Amber.
Amongst the highlights was the Oyster Gardening citizen science program, where dedicated local volunteers nurtured and monitored baby native flat oysters that were eventually placed onto the reefs. This hands-on experience allowed volunteers to witness the growth and development of these remarkable creatures while also learning about their remarkable ability to filter water and provide habitat for a range of species in the lakes.
Primary schools were included in the action, as local events were organised to educate students about the broader Gippsland Lakes system and the significance of preserving and improving the health of our catchments for the benefit of future generations. Nungurner Primary School students also played a key part in the citizen science program, caring for and monitoring their own baby oysters.
To “shellebrate” the fantastic achievements over the past 12 months, the community were recently invited to attend a free boat tour of the shellfish restoration site near Nyerimilang, where participants learnt more about the project and its incredible achievements to date.
The restoration of shellfish reefs in the Gippsland Lakes supports the broader Love our Lakes initiative, which fosters a shared responsibility in caring for the Lakes and catchment.
An endangered plant species has been found on the Lower Snowy River. Bolwarra or Eupomatia laurina is sometimes known as Copper Laurel or Native Guava because of the smell and taste of the fruit.
Contractors undertaking weed maintenance works for the East Gippsland Catchment Management Authority (EGCMA) came across a young Bolwarra, which is listed as an endangered species in Victoria under the Flora & Fauna Guarantee Act.
This is a significant find because apart from being endangered, only one particular beetle species germinates this plant. Seedlings take four to six years to fruit, and the plant has a restricted home range along the east coast of Australia, starting south at Nowa Nowa in Victoria through to the Cape York Peninsula.
The Snowy River has experienced considerable environmental changes over the last 100 years. Significant among these was the reduction in flows resulting from the operation of the Snowy Mountains Hydro Scheme and the demise of large stretches of riparian vegetation resulting from extensive agricultural development in parts of the catchment.
The Snowy River Rehabilitation program (the program) commenced in 2002 as part of the larger Snowy Water Initiative that was committed to by the Victorian, New South Wales, and Commonwealth Governments.
The program included warm temperate rainforest restoration works on the Lower Snowy, which are now 15 to 20 years old. Bolwarra were planted upstream during the program in the early 2000s and are now colonising the restoration sites downstream.
Amber Clarke, EGCMA’s Acting CEO, said. “The long-term commitment to improving the health of the Snowy River by the Victorian Government includes projects implemented by government agencies, community groups and landholders.
“With everyone working together over a long time, we have seen positive changes to the river, and to find this endangered species flourishing is very exciting,” said Amber
Snowy River work continues with funds from the Victorian Government’s $248 million investment into improving the health of waterways and catchments in regional Victoria.
The East Gippsland Catchment Management Authority (EGCMA) is working with East Gippsland Water to construct a rock ramp fishway in the Buchan River between Lousadas Road bridge and the Buchan water supply log weir.
The rock ramp fishway will address the barrier to fish migration caused by the weir which prevents native fish from migrating upstream.
Recent monitoring provided a snapshot of native fish populations close to the log weir and the proposed fishway. There were seven species of native fish detected from sites up and downstream of the weir.
Species identified included Longfin eel, Australian bass, Congoli, Common galaxias, Flat-headed gudgeon, Australian smelt and Southern pygmy perch. Finding Southern pygmy perch in the Buchan River is significant because they are listed as a threatened species.
The results from the monitoring confirmed there were fewer fish species upstream of the log weir compared to downstream, providing further evidence that the log weir is a barrier to native fish migration.
Further fish monitoring will be undertaken following the completion of the fishway.
Construction of the fishway will involve placing a range of rocks within the river in accordance with a specialised design, that will allow fish to swim up and over the weir. The weir, which helps provide for Buchan’s potable water supply, will not be disturbed as the rock fishway will be constructed below the weir.
Site preparation and construction have commenced and should be complete before Easter. The work will be dependent on Buchan River flows.
A section of land adjacent to Lousadas Road will be closed, and access to this site will be restricted. There will not be any access restrictions to Lousadas Road during construction. This project is funded as part of the Victorian Government’s $248 million investment into improving the health of waterways and catchments in regional Victoria.
