River Passage Planning

Fish ladders are important to allow our native fish to reach the upstream reaches of their habitat and complete their life cycle.

Goondaloo and Wadda Mooli Creeks on the Townsville Campus are important fish habitats and each year at the start of the wet season, several species of native fish swim upstream into these creeks.

But without the help of fish ladders, their journey is unlikely to be completed, as dams, weirs and culverts stop these fish from making it to their destination.

Fortunately, JCU has installed fish ladders on Goondaloo Creek at Solander Rd and Discovery Drive, which have been successful in allowing native fish to travel upstream through the University creeks.

The fish ladders are designed by Ross Kapitzke, one of JCU’s Senior Research Engineers. Ross has designed and installed several fish ladders across the state, allowing fish to access their natural habitats each year.

Ross has developed the Culvert Fishway Planning and Design Guidelines, which give in-depth information about fish ladder design.

A new fishway prototype was installed in 2011 at Solander Rd and a second has recently been installed at Discovery Drive and are being used for research purposes.

Supporting Info

JCU Fish Passage Planning and Design website