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Keeping native fish in the Murray-Darling Basin
Southern Queensland Landscapes is helping to protect fish and farming.

Significant numbers of native fish are lost from Murray-Darling Basin rivers every year after being sucked into irrigation pumps and diverted into on-farm storage and channels.  

This impacts the sustainability of ongoing native fish populations and can cause damage to irrigation infrastructure. 

SQ Landscapes’ Fish-Friendly Water Extraction project, supported by a $6.8 million investment from the Australian Government, is transforming water management through the installation of cutting-edge fish screens on irrigation pumps and other water extraction infrastructure. 

By keeping fish in the rivers where they belong, the screens play a crucial role in preserving aquatic ecosystems. 

Collaborating with landholders, the project is on track to install 12 fish-friendly screens across the Border, Condamine, and Lower Balonne Rivers by May 2026.  

Initial results are promising, with recent sampling at a Condamine property revealing zero fish at the outlet after an hour of pumping. Previously, the landowner would often find hundreds, even thousands, of fingerlings and gudgeons in their pond after pumping water. 

The Australian Government-funded Fish Friendly Water Extraction (Qld) project is part of the Northern Basin Toolkit Measures.  

The Fish Friendly Water Extraction project is installing innovative fish screen technology to reduce the impacts of water extraction on native fish populations.

 

Benefits of fish screens

  • Boosting fish populations: Screens can reduce fish loss to water extraction by over 90%,
  • Protecting aquatic wildlife: In addition to fish, the screens help safeguard animals like platypus, turtles, and crayfish.
  • Cleaner water, less maintenance: Farmers benefit from cleaner water, reduced blockages, and lower maintenance costs for pumps and sprinklers.
  • Healthier rivers and wetlands: Supporting native fish populations improves the overall health of the river system.
  • Recreational fishing and tourism: Healthier fish populations enhance fishing opportunities, boosting regional economies and social activities.