Modern fish protection screening in Australia

The Gulbali Institute, in partnership with the NSW Department of Primary Industries (DPI) has successfully installed modern fish screens in waterways in New South Wales. The new screens are pump operated, differentiating them from the original gravity-fed design. The modern screens help preserve aquatic life, while clearing water for human use, without compromising the volume of water diverted.

Between 2018-2024, 36 modern fish protection screens have been installed in NSW, the majority of which are in the northern Murray–Darling Basin. These protect approximately 819,126 native fish per year and deliver up to 2600 ML of cleaner water to water users per day across 234.09 km2 of irrigated agriculture. The project is continuing using a community approach, engaging with stakeholders through an Expression of Interest (EOI) process, enabling interested parties to nominate themselves as ‘early-adopters’, and receive support either financially or technically, to install screens in local waterways.

It is predicted by 2026 there will be 46 sites in operation.