Fish habitat funding for Macintyre River

Original story by Michèle Jedlicka, The Inverell Times

Biodiversity and sustainability along the Macintyre River in Inverell will be helped along with a dose of funding.

Inverell Shire Council has secured a grant for $13,625 to eradicate weeds from the river’s banks. The project will focus on woody weeds along an 800 metre stretch between Clive Street and the Tingha Bridge.

Removing weeds will make room for native vegetation, and improve fish habitat by providing shade, cover, water temperature regulation and a food source for native fish.

The funding comes from the NSW Department of Primary Industries, out of $570,000 awarded to recreational angling clubs, community groups, landholders and local councils for 30 fish habitat projects.

Minister for Agriculture Katrina Hodgkinson said projects cover many popular coastal and inland fishing spots in NSW, with nearly $1.1 million committed as in-kind support from the successful applicants.

 “These grants are funded through the Recreational Fishing Trusts,” Ms Hodgkinson said.

“The program was highly competitive with 71 applications submitted and there was strong support by local recreational anglers for the applications.”

Weed control activities along the Macintyre River will be completed during 2014 and will include initial weed control and follow up spot spraying activities on any re-growth.

Inverell council general manager Paul Henry said the project is one of many identified when completing the council’s river plan. A river planner targeted 15 trouble spots.

Mr Henry said local community groups have expressed interest in addressing specific issues along the river.

“The Inverell Rotary Club put their hand up to look at the area near John Northey look-out/Kurrajong Park. They looked at repairing that area and planting out the areas with native plants to try to rejuvenate (it) and create a link all along the river for birds and animal habitat.”

He said the grant money will tackle invasive introduced weeds along the high bank level. Once cleared, replanting may begin.

Phil Sutton is the environment compliance co-ordinator for council and indicated the project has other benefits besides environmental restoration.

He said the project would help to increase public awareness about the weeds control and prevention.

“It’s an effort to provide a flow-on benefit to landholders and communities further down the river. Obviously if you don’t treat (weeds) now, they go further down the river.”

Contract sprayers will be engaged to treat the weeds and Phil said it will be a 12 month project with wildlife sustainability in mind.

“What the area will be treated with is a weed-control agent that is a bioactive control, which doesn’t affect the riparian area; it doesn’t affect the water or the frogs or anything like that.”