Fish friendly council videos
A series of Fish friendly workshop videos developed to help local council staff keep fish and coastal habitats healthy have been released online by DPI Fisheries.
A program of face-to-face workshops for local councils was launched in 2019 and was due to be delivered to councils across NSW. Covid-19 has postponed these workshops, with the focus now on sharing this valuable information online.
Four videos have been produced to help local council staff and are a useful resource for a wide range of stakeholders.
The videos explain the legislative requirements for works in and around waterways that may harm key fish habitats.
These include:
- Harming marine vegetation
- Obstructing fish passage
- Dredging and reclamation works, and
- An overview of the Fisheries Management Act, Permits and Orders
Each video emphasises the importance of discussing project design and construction techniques with DPI Fisheries as part of the planning and approval process. This ensures that potential negative impacts to fish and fish habitat are considered, and where possible avoided and minimised.
The videos cover the common types of construction work that require a permit as well as the reasons why permits are needed. The aim is to ensure council staff and others understand why it is important to consider the damage construction can cause in waterways and the steps to take to avoid or minimise any problems.
The take home message is to speak to DPI Fisheries before undertaking works in or around tidal or freshwater waterways do those works in a way that avoid harming or damaging fish, fish habitat and fishing.
Read more marine estate news.