The Moama Local Aboriginal Land Council helped instal the customised fish hotels at Barham Lakes.
Western Murray Land Improvement Group, in collaboration with North Central Catchment Management Authority and funded by Tri-State NRM Alliance, has established a small-bodied fish nursery at Barham Lakes.
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This project focuses on Lake 3, which has been restocked with southern purple spotted gudgeon, a threatened small-bodied fish species local to this area.
On July 25, 18 customised fish hotels were installed in the lake to provide habitat for the southern purple spotted gudgeon.
The installation process involved canoes and the participation of Traditional Owners from the Moama Local Aboriginal Land Council.
The fish hotels were constructed using recycled materials by volunteers from Barham Landcare.
These fish hotels feature short sections of PVC pipe to offer refuge and hard surfaces for egg laying, as southern purple spotted gudgeon lay eggs on solid substrates which are fanned and guarded by the male parent until they hatch.
The pipes were anchored in the lake using bricks, and 14 lengths of custom-cut terracotta pipes were also installed.
The fish hotels were constructed using recycled materials by volunteers from Barham Landcare.
The CluBarham Lakes Precinct, initially constructed in the 1980s, has been closed to public access since 2014.
Its proximity to the Murray River and Eagle Creek makes it an important ecological site for developing threatened native fish breeding and providing hypoxic blackwater refuge using environmental and consumptive water.
To enhance fish habitat, an old wooden bridge and a large dead tree were positioned in the lake to offer cover from predators and sites for biofilm food production.
The completed fish hotels, waiting to be installed in the lake.
The funding partners emphasised the importance of emergent and submerged vegetation to build habitat and provide a feed source for small-bodied native fish.
Following the fish release in May 2024, about 120m of vegetation were sourced and transferred in collaboration with the Moama Local Aboriginal Land Council.
Further efforts to increase species diversity will continue as weather conditions permit.
