05 June 2024
Fish living in the Harvey River recently received an accommodation upgrade.
And last month, Year 7 students from Harvey Senior High School swapped their classrooms for the riverbanks, to get a close-up view of the exciting conservation project.
Students were introduced to nine ‘fish hotels’ that were being installed into the river to create new homes for different aquatic species.
Harvey Senior High School students learning about the endangered species.
Experts from Murdoch University, the Department of Water and Environmental Regulation, and OzFish Unlimited taught the students about the importance of things such as sticks, twigs, and tree stumps for the small fish and invertebrates which call the river their home.
“I got to learn about the endangered species living in the river,”. said Matthew, one of the students. “I really enjoyed learning about the fish hotels and the improved habitat they can offer aquatic species”.
The Harvey River Restoration Taskforce led this initiative, as part of their effort to restore the river's ecosystem and encourage the return of native species.
With funding from organisations such as the Alcoa Foundation and the State Natural Resource Management Program, the ‘fish hotels’ project is part of the larger ‘Marron, more than a meal - Revive our Rivers’ program.
Students appreciated the amazing opportunity to see something unique being created.
“I learned how to clean up the rivers and make them safer for the native species,” said David, another student. “I would like to do more of these activities at school and continue to help restore the Harvey River”.
Harvey Senior High School principal David Gault highlighted the value of the experience, noting that students developed a deep understanding of the native animals that will benefit from the fish hotels.
The fish hotels were built by the Waroona Men's Shed and students from the WA College of Agriculture - Harvey. Picton Civil Pty Ltd provided their services for free to help with the installation. The Parks and Gardens team from the Shire of Waroona also played a crucial role, transporting the hotels and sourcing additional tree stumps.
Find out more information about the ‘Marron, more than a meal – revive our rivers’.