Merri River celebration this Saturday

The Merri River Celebration from 10am to noon at the reserve next to the South Warrnambool kindergarten in Stanley Street will involve a free come and try fishing session, information about current and future projects in the Merri River catchment and a free sausage sizzle. 

It has been organised by Fishcare South West in conjunction with the Glenelg Hopkins Catchment Management Authority, Friends of Merri Marine Sanctuary (FOMMS) and Making a Difference (MAD) for the Merri.

Fishcare south-west president Justin Harzmeyer said two floating jetties for anglers had been installed along the river this year in the section of between the former Warrnambool woollen mill and the Stanley Street bridge.

Mr Harzmeyer said concrete boulders and a wooden “fish hotel’ had also been placed in the river near the former woollen mill to improve the habitat for fish after a survey found their numbers in the area were low.

He said the CMA and community groups such as MAD for the Merri and the Warrnambool Landcare and Coastcare group had also done willow removal and revegetation at a number of locations along the river.

These included at Grassmere and Platypus Park that was downstream from Bromfield Street in Warrnambool’s residential area.

Mr Harzmeyer said surveys of the river’s in stream habitat using electrofishing had found there were big and little fish in the river but not many of middle size. 

Electrofishing allows fish to be caught and released with no permanent harm.

Mr Harzmeyer said he expected further studies would be done to determine the state of the river’s in stream habitat. 

The Merri River is formed by the confluence of the Spring and Drysdale creeks and rises near Bushfield.

Along its 31-kilometre course, it is joined by two minor tributaries before reaching the Southern Ocean at Stingray Bay.