Freshwater fish habitat
Australian native fish need a range of habitats to complete their life cycle.
Widespread, healthy and protected fish habitats:
- supply food for a variety of aquatic animals
- ensure safe fish movement between habitats during their lifecycle
- reduce the impact of invasive pest fish (e.g. carp, tilapia and gambusia) and weeds by giving native species a competitive advantage
- increase the distribution and abundance of native fish
- improve water quality
- increase biodiversity
- help native fish adapt to changing environmental conditions (e.g. fire, drought and floods)
- support fisheries resources.
Habitat zones
Freshwater fish habitats are habitat zones in the upper, middle and lower sections of:
- rivers
- lakes
- wetlands
- creeks
- catchments
- swamps.
Microhabitats
Freshwater habitat zones include microhabitats within them:
- banks
- snags
- rocks
- channels
- substrates
- riffles
- macrophytes (aquatic plants)
- riparian vegetation zones.
Riparian vegetation
Riparian vegetation zones include plants growing on the water's edge along the banks of rivers, creeks, and the edges of wetlands.
Healthy riparian vegetation means a healthy fish habitat.
Riparian vegetation:
- protects against erosion
- gently filters water, improving its quality
- regulates water temperature through shade and cover
- buffers against surrounding land use
- provides food sources (detritus and insects)
- Includes logs, roots, branches and leaves that form fish habitats.
Protect fish habitats
- Maintain and protect aquatic and riparian vegetation.
- Protect and restore the natural water flow and the connectivity of waterways.
- Increase buffer zones.
- Maintain and re-introduce snags.
- Don’t erect unauthorised waterway barriers that slow or stop fish passage.
- Avoid introducing any weeds or invasive fish species.
- Report pest fish.
- Avoid damage or removal of instream habitat (e.g. sediments and aquatic vegetation).
- Revegetate the riparian zone.