Speaker

Natural Resource Management (NRM) South

Fisheries habitat restoration of saltmarsh and seagrass in southern Tasmania

Saltmarsh and seagrass are key habitat for many fish species. Under the Fisheries Habitat Restoration Program, NRM South are working to restore seagrass in North West Bay and saltmarsh at Pitt Water-Orielton Lagoon.

Seagrass communities can be damaged by traditional chain mooring systems, which scour the seabed. Environmentally Friendly Moorings (EFMs) will be installed in North West Bay, and the changes in the seagrass communities will be monitored. These moorings are effective in restoring seagrass habitat, and over the last few years the CSIRO has developed solutions to make it easier and cheaper to install them.

At Pitt Water-Orielton Lagoon, sections of saltmarsh have become stranded from tidal inundation, altering the connectivity of fish habitat and exposing waterways to increased nutrient inputs. Sixty-five hectares of saltmarsh habitat will be re-flooded, fenced to exclude livestock, and corridors of native buffer vegetation re-established to improve coastal biodiversity and healthy waterways.