- ACIAR has launched initiative to restore river connectivity and fisheries in Mekong
- FishTech Plus will assess fishways and barrier removal.
- The project aims to boost food security and river health.
FishTech Plus is a four-year initiative backed by joint funding from ACIAR and the Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade’s Mekong–Australia Partnership.
Starting this month and ending in 2030, the programme will focus on restoring river connectivity in Laos, Cambodia, Thailand and Vietnam.
Jennifer Blair, ACIAR’s fisheries research program manager, said restoring river connectivity was critical to supporting food security and economic resilience across the region.
“FishTech Plus will help communities and governments restore river connectivity while building the skills, partnerships and evidence needed to manage these important waterways for the future,” she said.
Led by Charles Sturt University, the project builds on the original FishTech programme, which reconnected more than 3,900km of rivers and restored access to 14,000 hectares of aquatic habitat.
The expanded programme will continue to promote fish passage technologies to support inland fisheries that are critical to food security and livelihoods in the Mekong.
Additionally, it will include what organisers described as a regional-first demonstration programme to evaluate the environmental and economic impacts of removing selected obsolete weirs.
Concerns over ageing barriers
The move reflects growing concern that some ageing irrigation structures may no longer deliver sufficient benefits to justify their costs or their impact on fish migration and river health.
“For millions of people in the Lower Mekong, inland fisheries provide an essential source of protein, nutrition, micronutrients and income. As fish populations decline, households and communities become increasingly vulnerable, while river ecosystems lose resilience,” ACIAR said.
The initiative was formally launched by Australia’s Minister for International Development Anne Aly during a visit to a project site in the Mekong region.
Charles Sturt University researcher Lee Baumgartner said the project would combine Australian experience with local expertise.
“The challenges facing river systems are increasingly shared across countries and regions. Through FishTech Plus, Australian research and practical experience will work alongside local knowledge to deliver solutions that support both healthy ecosystems and thriving communities throughout the Mekong,” he said.
River infrastructure such as dams and weirs can block migration routes used by fish to reach feeding and breeding habitats.
This could lead to declining fish populations, threatening food security in communities that depend heavily on freshwater fisheries.
Researchers will also assess whether removing selected barriers altogether could offer a better outcome for both ecosystems and local economies.
According to ACIAR, some older structures have become more expensive to maintain than they would be to remove.
The demonstration program will generate evidence to help governments determine where infrastructure upgrades, modifications or removals could provide the greatest benefits.
Alongside infrastructure trials, FishTech Plus will invest in regional capacity building through professional training, curriculum development and graduate placements.