Bug Blitz helps shape future of fishing on the Barwon

RESIDENTS will now have the chance to see the Barwon River’s important waterbugs up close and personal as part of a data gathering “blitz” at the Fyans Park Boat Ramp.

The Oz Fish Geelong Chapter is hosting a family-friendly waterbug blitz on the Barwon River in Highton on November 27 to help further understand the river’s health and the bugs’ health that live on it. The event will run from 11am to 1pm.

Oz Fish, a recreational fishing charity, and the Corangamite Catchment Management Authority (CCMA) are collaborating to help prepare for potential issues that may arise in the future on the Barwon River with the objective of getting initiatives starter earlier rather than later.

Oz Fish and the CCMA hope to achieve this by restoring numerous fish and waterbug habitats throughout the river, according to Regional Citizen Science project officer Deidre Murphy.
“These restoration actions will increase the wood and snags in the waterway, and this will provide the conditions needed for waterbugs to flourish,” Ms Murphy said.

“The improved habitat will provide the food and shelter needed by healthy fish populations.”
On November 27, friends, families and interested individuals who attend the event will undertake bug collection and identification on the bank of the river.

From there, Dr Sophie Pryor from Oz Fish will aid participants with filling in the data sheets available at the event and then collate the results to determine how healthy the river is and log the different waterbug types on the river.

“We will get what is called a signal score and the number you get from that is the waterway’s health,” Dr Pryor said.

“The results we get will then go into the National Waterbug Blitz database, which runs off GPS markers where anyone can access that data so people can update results all over the country if a similar project is done.

“It’s good to do these initiatives two to three times per year.”

The CCMA and Oz Fish invites all interested community members, whether they are families, individuals or recreational fishers, to become a citizen scientist for the day and participate in the National Waterbug Blitz.

To get involved, register on the Oz Fish website at ozfish.org.au/event/barwon-river-waterbug-monitoring.