A native cod has been recorded using the Bremer River fishway near Ipswich for the first time since large-scale restocking began – a major milestone in efforts to restore a species absent from the catchment for more than a century.
Catchment Solutions fisheries ecologist Matt Moore, who constructed the fishway, said recent survey results highlighted broader ecological benefits.
“We’re not just helping Mary River cod,” Mr Moore said.
“Australian bass and sea mullet – both important recreational and Indigenous fishery species – were also recorded using the fishway.”
“With thousands of man-made barriers across our rivers, including dams, weirs and culverts, fish populations have suffered. Well-designed fishways are essential to reversing that decline.”
Ipswich City Council Environment and Sustainability Committee Chairperson Councillor Jim Madden said the sighting marked a significant breakthrough in the long-running program to reintroduce Mary River cod into local waterways.
“Tens of thousands of Mary River cod fingerlings have been released into Ipswich creeks and rivers over the past five years,” Cr Madden said.
“To now see a mature cod successfully navigating the Bremer River fishway is a strong sign those conservation efforts are working.”
Mary River cod, an endangered apex predator capable of growing beyond one metre in length, play a critical role in controlling invasive species such as tilapia, carp and mosquitofish.
The species has been reintroduced into waterways where the now-extinct Brisbane River cod once lived.
The 90-metre rock-ramp fishway, located near Swanbank, was built to allow fish to bypass a 2.4-metre-high weir, restoring connectivity between upstream and downstream sections of the river.
