Fish in streams and estuaries
Fish in Victorian streams and estuaries: statement of responsibilities and policy
Summary
The Department of Sustainability and Environment (DSE) is responsible for managing the environment in which fish live and has legislative obligations under the Flora and Fauna Guarantee Act 1988 (FFG Act) to protect, conserve and manage threatened fauna, including native fish.
DSE recognises that fishing for salmonid species (trout and salmon) is a popular hobby that supports a large industry in regional Victoria. While salmonid can impact native aquatic fauna, they are an important recreational species that permanently occur in many Victorian waterways.
All aquatic life benefits from healthy rives and catchments. Consequently, there are joint benefits in managing waterways for both native fauna and salmonid fisheries.
In waterways where salmonids may impact on the viability of important and highly endangered native species, appropriate management plans will be developed in consultation with recreational fishers.
Full statement
Native fish in Victoria
Victoria’s aquatic ecosystems are home to a diverse range of native fish species. Fifty native freshwater fish species are found in our rivers and wetlands, while estuaries play a role in the life of over 150 native estuarine and marine species.
Healthy rivers, estuaries and wetlands are essential for maintaining native fish populations, and in a broader context play an important role in the social, economic and environmental wellbeing of Victoria. Yet despite their value, all available evidence suggests that the health of Victoria’s waterways are under pressure. One third of our major streams are in poor to very poor condition, two thirds of our wetlands have been lost or degraded, and nearly half of our estuaries are significantly modified (Victorian Catchment Management Council, 2007).
The challenges faced by our inland aquatic ecosystems have been reflected in the health of native fish populations. Over the past 100 years, populations of native fish species have suffered declines in both distribution and abundance. Many factors have contributed to this decline, including changes to water flows, loss or degradation of habitat, barriers to fish movement, declining water quality, and the introduction of alien flora and fauna.
Healthy native fish populations are a key indicator of healthy waterways. These populations of native fish, along with introduced angling species, provide significant economic advantages to the recreational fishing and tourism sectors, underpin cultural values and community connectedness to rivers, and enhance biodiversity conservation and ecosystem health.
A Victorian study undertaken in 2009/10 confirmed that fishing in streams and estuaries is one of the basic ways that the community engage with and value our waterways. Some native fish species, such as Murray Cod, have key status as cultural icons for indigenous people, and native fish often play a key role in many Australians' sense of personal and family history, and connection to place and country.
Responsibilities for managing freshwater and estuarine fish in Victoria
DSE is responsible for managing the environment in which fish live. DSE has legislative obligations under the Flora and Fauna Guarantee Act 1988 (FFG Act) to protect, conserve and manage threatened fauna, including native fish. Further obligations exist under the Commonwealth Environment Protection and Biodiversity Act 1999 (EPBC Act).
Victoria is also a partner in the Murray-Darling Basin Authority Native Fish Strategy (NFS), which recognises that native fish populations in the Murray-Darling Basin have fallen to 10% of pre-European settlement levels. The NFS aims to increase native fish populations back to 60% of their estimated pre-settlement levels, within 50 years, through a suite of key driving actions. These include rehabilitating river reaches, restoring fish passage, and managing fish translocation and stocking.
In Victoria, nine native freshwater and estuarine fish species are listed as being nationally threatened and 21 species (and one native fish community), are listed as being threatened under the FFG Act. The conservation status of many of our native fish, and hence DSE's legislative responsibilities, demand action in supporting native fish and implementing recovery actions. Victorian communities also place high values on our native freshwater fish, and have strong expectations that populations will be well managed.
DSE is committed to recovering the environments that will allow native fish populations to recover. This is occurring through a number of actions described in the Victorian River Health Strategy (VRHS) and will soon be renewed in the Victorian Strategy for Healthy Rivers, Estuaries and Wetlands (VSHREW). These actions include protecting existing fish populations, restoring fish passage, providing environmental flows, rehabilitating habitat in river reaches, and providing strategic research into waterway ecology, threatened species, and invasive species.
Catchment Management Authorities (CMAs) implement DSE programs through both on-ground works (e.g. fencing and revegetation, building stabilisation structures, controlling invasive species, improving public access to waterways and establishing fishways) and regulating activities that could threaten fish, by using their ‘works on waterways permits’ (under the Water Act 1989). For action on a designated waterway to be undertaken, a permit is required from a CMA. These permits can protect fish and fishing interests along streams. For example, if a permit application was received asking to remove instream timber that formed important fish habitat, then the CMA would reject the application. In the majority of such cases there is advantage in fostering stream conditions that will benefit all fish species.
Within the Department of Primary Industries (DPI) , Fisheries Victoria is responsible for direct management of angling species (under the Fisheries Act 1995), and for working with anglers to improve their fishing experience. For example, DPI manage the stocking of waterways with angling species, fishing licences, the translocation of fish species, and protect fish of recreational and economic importance from invasive competitors.
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Introduced Recreation Fish Species: Salmon and Trout
Generations of Victorians have enjoyed catching salmonids (trout and salmon) in the state’s waterways. Not only is fishing for salmonid species a popular hobby, it supports a large industry in regional Victoria. While salmonid fish can impact native aquatic fauna, they are an important recreational species that permanently occur in many of our waterways. All aquatic life benefits from healthy rivers and catchments, including good water quantity and quality, complex food webs, appropriate habitat, and access for movement up and down streams. Consequently there are joint benefits in managing waterways for both native fauna and salmonid fisheries. In waterways where salmonids may impact on the viability of important and highly endangered native species, fish populations will be considered in the context of state and national conservation legislation and policy, and appropriate management plans developed in consultation with recreational fishers.
While native fish remain DSE's primary legislative responsibility, it is common for DSE and CMAs to improve conditions for salmonids as a consequence of restoration works aimed at providing healthy waterways which assist in the recovery of native fish populations. One such example of mutual gain is the more than ten years of work carried out by the Goulburn Broken CMA along the upper Goulburn River. While the CMA was using DSE resources to improve the general condition of the river by fencing and revegetating the stream banks, and by controlling willows, at the same time, the CMA was using resources from the Fishing Licence Grant Program (managed by DPI) to improve access for anglers and build artificial habitat works along the stream.
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