This project operated across five Catchment Management Authorities (now Local Land Services) in coastal NSW and sought to enhance aquatic ecosystems and restore stream connectivity by improving fish passage and rehabilitating key aquatic habitats. As a result of this project, migrating fish now have improved access to 1,235 km of coastal waterways through remediating 94 priority sites including: installing fishways, removing or modifying weirs at 10 priority weirs, modifying or removing 22 road crossings and modifying and improving management of 45 floodgates. Native fish populations also benefited from aquatic habitat rehabilitation works that improved core habitat health to 1,907 ha at 8 key habitat sites by creating seagrass friendly moorings, stabilising banks with rock fillets, riparian revegetation, wetland re-inundation and re-snagging. The Bringing Back the Fish project provided approximately $2.5 million towards the completion of on-ground works; with in-kind funding from project partners bringing total project expenditure to $9 million. Completed in 2009.

Organisation	NSW Department of Primary Industries (Fisheries), Southern Rivers Catchment Management Authority (lead) and other coastal Catchment Management Authorities
Contact	Dr. Matthew Gordos, Ph: (02) 6626 1395, email: [email protected] or Scott Nichols, Ph: (02) 6626 1396, email: [email protected]
Funding Body	Natural Heritage Trust