Fisheries habitat restoration program

North Coast Local Land Services has received funding under the Australian Government’s Fisheries Habitat Restoration Program to:  

• preserve marine biodiversity 

• ensure the resilience of ecosystems 

• support the well-being of coastal communities.

Project objectives

This project aimed to:

• preserve biodiversity by creating water and habitat conditions that help the recovery of various fish species
• improve ecosystem resilience by creating a more balanced and interconnected habitat network
• support sustainable fisheries and therefore fishing communities and consumers, as well as tourism and recreational fishing activities.

Project background

Fisheries habitat restoration plays a key role in maintaining the health and sustainability of marine ecosystems. Over the years, human activities such as pollution, overfishing, and habitat destruction, have taken a toll on fish populations and their habitats. By restoring these habitats, we can reverse some of the damage done and ensure the long-term viability of our rivers and oceans.

Key threats to fisheries habitat on the North Coast include:

• historical clearing of the vegetation adjacent to waterways which has led to habitat loss and water degradation.
• riverbank erosion caused by the lack of vegetation, land management practices and wave action due to boat wash.

Project delivery

This project was delivered across key locations including:

• Emigrant Creek  
• Byron
• Nambucca heads
• Tweed rivers.

Activities delivered as part of the project include:

• revegetation
• weed control
• stock exclusion works.

Each of the specific areas also received tailored rehabilitation work, according to the area's needs.  

Project outcomes

Riparian areas have been rehabilitated by:

• use of reefballs at Emigrant Creek to provide a shelter, nursery for juvenile fish, hiding places, feeding grounds, and breeding sites for a variety of fish species
• the installation of composite timber and rock structures in the Nambucca, Tweed, and Byron Shires to help stabilise the bank, create fish cluster structures and act as a mangrove recruitment area by trapping sediment and creating a nursery for mangrove propagules.
• installing large eucalypt root balls and logs embedded into the Nambucca and Tweed Rivers banks to create snags and areas of intertidal vegetation for fish habitat
• installing a mix of additional contemporary bank stabilisation techniques such as revetment and rock fillets to protect the riverbank at Nambucca heads from erosion and provide important instream habitat for fish and encourage the natural recovery of mangroves
• fencing off waterways to keep cattle out of rivers and streams
• revegetating fenced off areas to increase bank stability, provide bank structure and increase important vegetation communities.

Bank Stabilisation

• 1.2km along the Nambucca River.  
• 500m along the Tweed River.
• 160m along the Brunswick River.

Habitat Rehabilitation

• 25 Reef balls were installed into Emigrant creek.

Rehabilitating Riparian Vegetation

• 5.5ha along Emigrant Creek.  
• 0.5ha along the Tweed River.  
• 0.3ha along the Brunswick River.  
• 0.75ha along the Richmond River.  
• 2.36ha along the Nambucca River.