News Release:
Government interest in UNE 'fishway'
| Date 14/11/03 No 204/03 Natural resource planners from the NSW Government believe a novel "fishway" model developed at the University of New England could help protect biodiversity in the State's rivers. Four of the planners, from the Department of Infrastructure, Planning and Natural Resources (DIPNR), visited the University this week to inspect the working model and discuss its potential. The fishway, developed as a final-year project by Environmental Engineering student Sean Craig, allows fish to swim upstream around obstacles such as dams and weirs. The four visitors to UNE are involved in planning for the rivers and streams of north-west NSW, including the Gwydir, Namoi, Barwon and Macintyre river systems. They all agreed that ensuring "fish passage" was a vital factor in the conservation of species needing to swim upstream to maintain breeding and behavioural patterns. The Landscape Planning Manager for DIPNR's Barwon Region, Rod Browne, pointed out that the cost of building fish-passage structures (typically with boulders) increased with distance west of Tamworth. He said a pre-fabricated structure, such as offered by the UNE design, would cut on-site construction and testing costs. Mike Lloyd, a Natural Resources Project Officer based at Inverell, works with community groups on methods of preventing erosion along the bed and banks of streams. He said erosion control structures often needed to provide for the passage of fish, and so he was interested in the potential of the UNE fishway.
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The fishway uses a "vertical slot" configuration to guide fish up a gently sloping channel. A series of baffles, each incorporating a vertical opening, reduces the flow velocity, allowing the fish to swim against the current. One unique feature of the UNE design is the use of large pebbles to form a textured bed for the channel, further reducing flow velocity near the bottom and providing shelter for small fish. Rex Glencross-Grant, a Senior Lecturer in UNE's School of Environmental Sciences and Natural Resources Management, who supervised Sean Craig's project, believes the UNE fishway model is the first of its kind to be built in Australia. "It adapts the 'vertical slot' design to Australian conditions and native fish," he said. "Problems related to drought and inland salinity mean that it is all the more important to protect the migratory breeding patterns of our riverine fish. The UNE fishway, designed for construction from pre-cast concrete units, offers a lot of cost advantages. Its modular structure will make it easier and cheaper to install, and will mean less impact on the environment during installation." Media contact: Rex Glencross-Grant, School of Environmental Sciences and Natural Resources Management, UNE, Armidale (02) 6773 2668, Rod Browne, Landscape Planning Manager (Barwon Region), DIPNR, Tamworth (02) 6764 6818, or Jim Scanlan, Public Relations, UNE, Armidale (02) 6773 3049. A photograph showing Rod Browne (left) and Mike Lloyd (right) of DIPNR and Rex Glencross-Grant of UNE (centre) inspecting the fishway model is available for download. |
