Fishers have joined forces with conservationists in order to inject some life back into the Tarcutta Creek ecosystem, which has suffered from years of erosion, lower water levels, and deforestation.
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The team of volunteer anglers and environmentalists have been hard at work planting trees, restoring fish habitats, and stabilising the creekbank so that it can withstand the test of time.
The idea was spearheaded by OzFish president Hugh Kanaley, who said anglers were well aware of the poor health of their local fishing spots and had decided to take matters into their own hands.
Several flooding events between 2010 and 2016 had wreaked havoc on the dwindling fish population, resulting in high sediment, low oxygen, and crumbling creekbanks.
"We're like-minded fishermen who want to give back and repair these areas so we can go fishing more and make fishing better," Mr Kanaley said.
"We're starting from scratch and trying to rehabilitate this area to what it was 50, 60 years ago: nice and natural, with beautiful shrubs, trees, and grasses."
So far they have planted a mix of 1000 native plants and trees alongside the creekbank with the help of volunteers from Murrumbidgee Landcare, which has lent its expertise to the project.
Landcare executive officer Tina de Jong said the trees were "powering along" due to this year's rain, saying they would make a world of difference to the local ecosystem once they were fully grown.
"They'll provide a food source for a lot of threatened woodland birds, they'll provide some shading for the fish, and they'll bring a lot of different insect species for the fish to feed on," Ms de Jong said.
"The more we can provide little shrub and grass layers, the more little habitat niches and different species will come along and enjoy the area."
IN OTHER NEWS:
Creekbank stabilisation works have been done along the length of the river, with around 150 tonnes of rock and 22 large snags placed strategically in the water to create deeper fish habitats.
They have also set up fences to keep the neighbouring sheep from trampling over the saplings and eating the young vegetation.
The volunteers will be returning over the coming weeks to continue weeding and tending to their tree saplings, which are expected to reach adult size in about eight years.