Tim Marsden

• Graduate Certificate in Fisheries Management
• Researcher at Australasian Fish Passage Services

Infrastructure-induced fragmentation of riverine ecosystems has prompted the need for more effective aquatic restoration efforts globally. Fragmentation assessments have been extensively undertaken to inform connectivity restoration efforts for fish and other aquatic biota, but they have potentially underestimated the extent of fragmentation by fix...

Fisheries in many tropical river-floodplain systems are under threat from physical obstructions caused by ongoing river infrastructure development. There is a growing need for innovative, cost-effective technologies to mitigate the impacts of these obstructions. This study examined the effectiveness of a new cone fishway for facilitating lateral mi...

Combined fishway-culvert facilities are common in many tropical river systems in South East Asia, but little is known regarding their mutual passage effectiveness. We investigated the lateral passage of Lower Mekong Basin fish in Lao PDR, through a combined cone fishway-sluice gate culvert facility between the Mekong River and an adjacent wetland....

In tropical coastal lowland rivers, there are frequently biodiverse upstream migrations of post-larval and juvenile diadromous fish from estuaries into freshwater. Tidal barriers completely block major migratory pathways for these fish and have contributed to major losses of freshwater biodiversity. In northern Australia, early efforts to improve t...

Fishways are being provided more regularly than ever before and new designs are needed to provide passage for whole fish communities. Despite recent progress, fishways have frequently performed poorly, especially for small-bodied fish (i.e. 10–100 mm long), which can form large aggregations below stream barriers. This was the genesis for the develo...

Irrigation infrastructure expansion threatens the diversity of freshwater fish worldwide. Irrigation infrastructure creates migration barriers which can block access to important nursery, feeding and spawning habitat. Lao PDR is a landlocked country situated within the Lower Mekong River Basin where there is a substantial dependency on rice and fis...

River infrastructure poses a serious threat to diverse and productive fish stocks in many tropical river-floodplain systems; particularly the Lower Mekong River, where the fisheries are vital for food security. Dams and weirs block fish migration pathways and prevent access to feeding, spawning or nursery habitat. Fishways are becoming increasingly...

The Fish Friendly Fitzroy: Bypassing the Barrage project was initiated to improve fish passage in the lower Fitzroy Basin and restore fish communities in the lower 150 km of stream habitat. The major specific objective was to evaluate the success of an innovative new cone fishway technology as well as remediate the existing vertical slot fishway to...

The Glenore Weir Fishway project was initiated to meet the legislative requirements for the continued provision of fish passage in the Norman River as part of the raising of Glenore Weir. The major specific objective of this report was to evaluate the success of the new cone fishway technology constructed on the new weir. In the 2017 wet season, mo...

The objective of this project was to assess and identify all potential barriers to fish passage and lows flows in the Barwon and Moorabool River basins. This included natural barriers as well as artificial barriers that will affect fish passage and flow. Artificial barriers included but are were not limited to weirs, culvert crossings, ford crossin...

This report covers captive breeding of jungle perch Kuhlia rupestris for restocking into suitable habitats within their historical range. One chapter is devoted to following the fate of stocked fingerlings in three different stream systems.

The Queensland Department of Agriculture and Fisheries (DAF), Australia has a statutory role in the assessment of the impacts a proposed development may have upon fish passage. The decision on the importance of a waterway to fish passage (a waterway determination) was previously made on a case-by-case basis. Although the definition of a waterway is...

The project sought to primarily develop the first criteria for fish passage developed for Lower Mekong species but also understand the extent of current irrigation development and quantify potential social and economic benefits.

The OceanWatch project, Performance monitoring and assessment of common rail field test components and baffle-type fish passage systems for culverts, forms part of the OceanWatch Culvert Research and Development Initiative and takes up the question of culvert fish passage through two elements: a. The field trial of a common rail field test system,...

The Fitzroy barrage vertical-slot fishway provided adequate functionality in the 1990s but new technology is now available to vastly increase its functionality. The objective of the present report was to experimentally determine the suitability of various new hydraulic control innovations, including sills and keyhole slots, to provide significantly...

This report outlines information collected for the first objective of the “Development of fish passage technology to increase fisheries production on floodplains in the lower Mekong and Murray-Darling River basins” project. The aim of this is to identify and prioritise potential barriers to fish migration so that informed investments in barrier reh...

Fish passage through an experimental vertical-slot fishway was assessed at a floodplain regulator on the Mekong River in Central Laos between April and July 2009. Experiments were conducted to investigate the influence of fishway floor slope (1v:15h or 1v:7.5h) on fish passage success with a view to developing a series of optimal design criteria fo...

Irrigation development in Lao P.D.R. has led to construction of numerous water regulation devices (over 10,000) which limit migratory fish movement. Movements of fish (and other aquatic animals) between rivers and floodplains is subsequently restricted, or may be entirely prevented, and this has led to severe declines in fish production in many are...

Construction of the fishway on Waterpark Creek has opened up 130km of fish habitat upstream. Pre construction fish community sampling was conducted at two sites above the weir using electrofishing techniques. A total of 342 individual fish comprised of 13 species were sampled at two sites upstream of the weir. In September 2010 a vertical slot fish...

In 2009, Southern Gulf Catchments approached Fisheries Queensland to undertake a complete prioritisation of all barriers in the Southern Gulf Region. This report details the prioritisation process and lists the current top 20 barriers within the region based on this prioritisation, outlining recommended remediation works.

The Whitsundays region has until recently been free of major pest fish incursions with only mosquitofish, Gambusia holbrooki, recorded in a small number of systems. Recent sampling throughout the region in response to the identification of pest species by the public has identified that a number of ornamental species have been released in the region...

In May 2009, a partial width rock ramp fishway was constructed on the concreted rock fill causeway located on Amity Creek, while a culvert baffle fishway was constructed on the road crossing over Bridge Creek. Fish community sampling was undertaken before and after the construction of the two fishways. Fishway sampling was also undertaken on the Am...

This project aims to secure and enhance wetland habitats along the Great Barrier Reef Coast by developing and implanting measures for long term conservation and management. The Mackay / Whitsunday Wetland Fish Habitat Rehabilitation project focused on seven wetland areas within the region. These areas were De Moylan’s Lagoon, Eden Lassie Catchment,...

The Fitzroy Basin Fish Barrier Prioritisation Project (FBFBPP) is the first comprehensive fish barrier prioritisation project undertaken in the Fitzroy Basin Association (FBA) region. The purpose of the FBFBPP is to identify all potential barriers to fish passage in the FBA region and prioritise these barriers for remediation.

Two partial width rock ramp fishways were constructed at the St Lawrence Wetland (Fishway 1 and Fishway 2). These fishway allow access from the estuary below into the freshwater wetlands. Sampling was conducted within the fishways and in the wetlands upstream.

The Mackay Whitsunday Fish Community Condition Survey (MWFCCS) is the first comprehensive fish community survey in the Mackay Whitsunday region. The survey could provide a baseline assessment of freshwater and estuarine fish community condition throughout the region.

Clare Weir is a seven metre high structure that is located 50.3km upstream from the estuary on the Burdekin River in North Queensland. Clare Weir was retrofitted with a fishlock, replacing the old ineffective fishway, to provide passage for fish moving upstream. The fishlock was monitored by the Department of Primary Industries and Fisheries to ass...

Wild fi sheries are declining in the Mekong Basin. One of the many reasons for this is that we are changing rivers so that fi sh can no longer have free passage for breeding, dispersion and growth. Trying to provide fi sh passage past the hundreds of large dams in the basin would be diffi cult, and in the end might not be successful. However, provi...

The aim of this study was to assess the effectiveness of each fishway, on two barriers in Raglan Creek, at passing native fish species and provide recommendations on design modification to improve fish passage if required.

Neville Hewitt Weir was constructed on the Dawson River at Baralaba in 1976 to provide water for irrigation to the surrounding districts. A fishlock was incorporated into the weir in 2000. The effectiveness of the fishway at passing fish was judged by comparing the species composition, number of individuals and size distribution of potentially migr...

The project rehabilitated fish passage at seven barriers along Gooseponds Creek, a significant freshwater nursery habitat in the Lower Pioneer River System. The project also provided an educational focus for freshwater fish habitat rehabilitation in the Mackay Whitsunday Region. The project was a success from both a fish passage and educational poi...

The project has rehabilitated fish passage at three road crossings on three separate creek systems in the Mackay region. The project was a success from both a fish passage and educational point of view, with thousands of fish successfully utilising the fishways and numerous community and local authority groups visiting the fishways to see the imple...

The project rehabilitated fish habitat along a 200m section of Vines Creek, potentially a significant freshwater nursery habitat in the Lower Pioneer River System. The project also provided an educational focus for freshwater fish habitat rehabilitation in the Mackay Whitsunday Region. The project was a success from both a fish habitat rehabilitati...

Goodga Creek Weir is a 1.5m high concrete and steel crested gauging weir constructed across Goodga Creek in Two Peoples Bay near Albany. The weir is used as a reference site, gauging the relatively unimpacted catchment upstream. This barrier has affected passage of a number fish species including Galaxias truttaceus, an endangered species only fou...

Fairmount Weir fishways are the first fishways constructed on a waterway barrier in the Lake Eyre Drainage. In January 2001 a short-term survey of fish migration through the completed Fairmount Weir fishways was undertaken. A total of 1664 individuals of ten species, ten genera and seven families of fishes were captured during entrance and exit sam...

Dumbleton Weir fishlock was sampled for 24 hour periods on 32 occasions between January and May 2000. To complement the fishlock exit trap sampling, electrofisher surveys were conducted on 12 occasions between November 1999 and June 2000 from directly below Dumbleton Weir to approximately 500 metres downstream.

The Marian Weir Fishway Project addresses a number of issues associated with fish passage in the middle reaches of the Pioneer River. These include: Initial Objectives 1. Determine the fish species requiring passage beyond the weir. 2. Ascertain the effectiveness of the existing fishway for providing fish passage 3. Establish the swimming ability o...

The distribution of two freshwater crayfish species Euastacus spinifer (Decapoda: Parastacidae) and E. australasiensis were studied in the streams of the Blue Mountains, near Sydney. Forty sampling sites were established over a range of altitudes and upstream and downstream of sewage treatment plants. Sewage effluent was discharged directly from th...

This the cover & chapter section of the 1997 New South Rivers Survey of Fish and Fish Health. This book was edited by John Harris and Peter Gehrke, and the overall program coordinated by John Harris and Peter Gehrke. The list of other substantive contributors is very long, and includes: Harris JH; Gehrke PC; Bruce A; Brown P; Curran SJ; Driver P;...