Agriculture minister hopes ‘Noah’s ark’ plan will prevent severe fish kills, but critics accuse Nationals of tending to ‘self-inflicted wound’

This article is more than 1 year old

This article is more than 1 year old

The New South Wales government says it is planning a $10m “Noah’s ark”-style plan to stave off a “potential fish Armageddon” facing the state this summer, but critics say the Coalition is sticking a Band-Aid on a gaping self-inflicted wound.

The Berejiklian government’s plan aims to combine better research and increased breeding with fish rescue operations to save some of the state’s native fish from a forecast ecological disaster as the drought drags on.

It will involve additional fish rescue teams and emergency fish housing with stock returned to their natural habitat once the acute conditions subside, the NSW agriculture minister, Adam Marshall, said in a statement on Wednesday.

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It’s also hoped artificial aeration, oxygenation and chemical treatment could support water quality and fish survival across NSW rivers.

“The situation we are facing this summer is nothing short of a potential fish armageddon,” Marshall said.

“There’ll be more severe fish kill events this summer and we know there’s not a lot we can do to prevent it.”

“[But] we’ll create a virtual Noah’s ark for native fish species through the largest breeding and restocking effort to save native fish species.”

Millions of fish died in a number of mass death events near Menindee last summer, sparking calls for the Murray-Darling Basin Plan to be scrapped.

Nature Conservation Council coordinator Jack Gough said the government was now creating a “fish zoo” instead of taking action to improve river conditions.

“This announcement is the National party trying to stick a Band-Aid on a gaping, self-inflicted wound,” he said in a statement on Wednesday.

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“Successive National party water ministers have overseen a regime of over-extraction by large irrigation corporations which has undermined the resilience and health of our mighty inland rivers.”

The Natural Resources Commission – an independent government agency – reported in July that over-extraction from the Barwon-Darling River brought on drought conditions three years early.

The water minister, Melinda Pavey, disputed the report’s findings and criticised commissioner John Keniry, who hit back saying she was “shooting the messenger”.