NATIVE fish recovery works in the Loddon River and Pyramid Creek are set to deliver healthier habitats for Murray cod and silver and golden perch.
Environmental flows began flowing through the Loddon Weir on Monday and Pyramid Creek on Tuesday.
The North Central Catchment Management Authority-managed project will see the flow gradually increase to target 700 megalitres a day for 10 days at Kerang Weir.
It is planned to trigger fish movements into improved waterways that will better allow the critically endangered silver perch and golden perch through the Lower Loddon and up Pyramid Creek to Kow Swamp and access the great habitat in the Loddon River around Canary Island and below Loddon Weir.
“We want to create a world-class trophy fishery in this region and bring fish numbers and sizes back to what they once were,” Minister for Water, Lisa Neville said.
“There is no reason we can’t, once again, expect to see metre-long Murray cod and thousands of silver and golden perch to swim in our local waterways.”
The flow builds on recently completed works, including 26 fixed snag piles in Pyramid Creek, fencing, weed control and revegetation improvements along the river banks.
Goulburn-Murray Water has also constructed a new fishway at Kow Swamp, giving fish access to the fertile feeding ground for the first time since the system was modified.
Native fish, such as silver and golden perch, need to build their condition over winter, to help them have a strong spawning season.
Kow Swamp and the reaches around Canary Island have great habitat which support plenty of water bugs, which in turn are highly valuable sources of food.
The new snags in Pyramid Creek will provide the fish with resting points and food as they travel and, for the first time, they will no longer bump their heads on the Box Creek Weir.
