It is not the most romantic way of fishing. But in Menindee, things are a little different these days.

Key points: A fish rescue operation is taking place over the next two weeks in Menindee

A fish rescue operation is taking place over the next two weeks in Menindee The fish will be relocated to the Lower Darling, which has a more secure habitat

The fish will be relocated to the Lower Darling, which has a more secure habitat There are warnings that with a forecast of record dry conditions, the state could be facing a fish "Armageddon"

This week, at the site that triggered an environmental crisis in regional NSW, three blokes in a dinghy with nets were trying to catch some fish.

But instead of eating the fish or throwing them back, they were moving the fish to another spot.

For the next two weeks, the NSW Government is attempting what it has described as a "Noah's Ark" fish rescue operation to avoid "fish Armageddon" — or, in other words, to avoid what the world saw in January from happening again.

At this spot — which is a murky and muddy green from a lack of inflows and at the lower stretches of the Darling River — workers have so far removed 200 fish over the past few days.

Department of Primary Industries staff removing fish in Menindee. ( ABC News: Declan Gooch )

The fish are being transferred to vehicles fitted with oxygen and 2,000-litre temperature-controlled tanks to provide the fish with the best possible chance of survival.

The fish will be taken to a section of the Lower Darling which fishery experts say will offer a better quality habitat and long-term water security for the fish.

NSW Department of Primary Industries hatchery manager Matthew McLellan said it was the "best option" for the fish to survive.

"We certainly expect that there will be more fish kills across the summer," he said.

"And we will do our very best to get to areas where we can help those fish and try to rescue them where possible."

The two-week rescue program was announced on Monday in a bid to avoid the catastrophic fish kills that happened last summer.

Agriculture Minister Adam Marshall said predicted record high temperatures and low water levels would create a "perfect storm" of deadly conditions for fish, resulting in an ecological disaster.

"We are staring down the barrel of what will most likely be a fish Armageddon this summer," he said.

'We're doing all that we can'

Mr McLellan said he expected "very good results" from the rescue program, given the expertise of the staff involved.

"It's been an unprecedented drought and we've seen such little inflows across the whole basin that we're getting into uncharted territory," he said.

"But we're doing all that we can for the fish and we want to have the best outcome we can.

"The summer ahead is not looking good so we're getting in now and trying to do what we can to help these fish out now and get them to a suitable refuge habitat where they can persist through this drought."

The fish rescue program is underway at Pooncarie in far-western NSW. ( ABC News )

The current fish rescue mission is only a two-week program, but Mr McLellan said there was every expectation it will be repeated over the summer.

"We have staff right across NSW at the areas that might be most at risk and that will be a response that's rolled out as the time progresses," he said.

Menindee landowner Paul Gross, who came down to see the rescue operation, said there was a sense of acceptance over the situation in the town.

"I'd rather the river be running, but as soon as the hot weather comes these fish would die," he said.

"The water won't get any better until we get a run.

"But it's got to rain one day."