Buchan River
The first fishway in East Gippsland has been constructed and is now ready to welcome native fish freely up the Buchan River.
Officially welcomed by the Minister for Water, Harriet Shing at the Buchan River who in turn officially opened the completed rock ramp fishway in the Buchan River between Lousadas Road bridge and the Buchan water supply log weir, the move is to open the weir and allow the fish to migrate further along the river.
Removing the barrier provides native fish populations access to an additional 127km of the largely undisturbed forested reaches of the Buchan River upstream of the Buchan township.
Construction of the fishway involved placing a range of different sized rocks within the Buchan River in accordance with a specialised design, to allow fish to swim up and over the weir.
Monitoring of fish populations before construction showed seven native fish species living downstream of the weir.
Among the species identified were 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 was 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.
Further fish monitoring will be undertaken in Spring 2023.
The fishway is part of a $248 million project by the Government to improve the health of waterways and catchments across regional Victoria.
