A CONCRETE crossing blocking native fish from swimming freely in the MacIntyre River is scheduled to be removed by spring.
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Holdfast Crossing is located on a private farm about 14 kilometres north of Yetman.
State government workers hope to complete their demolition of the crossing by the end of August.
That would reinstate more than 64 kilometres of fish passage along the MacIntyre River in the northern Murray-Darling Basin, NSW Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water, director - infrastructure projects, Andrew Lavelle, said.
"We need to ensure fish can move through our rivers while there's plenty of water in the system because we know in a changing climate, with unpredictable rainfall, those opportunities can literally dry up," Mr Lavelle said.
"Restoring connectivity is at the heart of this program. Removing barriers will increase the movement of water through the system and boost the health of our rivers."
The work follows a year of consultation with the landholder and Inverell Shire Council.
It is part of the state government's Fish Passage: Reconnecting the Northern Basin project.
Mr Lavelle said the program sought to improve connectivity across the Northern Basin by reinstating the movement and abundance of migratory native fish species, while at the same time balancing the needs of local water users.
The project aims to address barriers to fish passage by installing rock-ramp fishways at priority weir sites at Banarway, Calmundi and Louth, in the Walgett Shire, as well as an assessment of reinstated fish passage at Toomelah Weir, north of Moree.
Native fish need to migrate to complete key life stages and to avoid drying habitats during drought. The distance migrated ranges from a few kilometres to entire river systems in the case of species such as Golden Perch.
In all, the project, which is federally funded, will reinstate more than 370 kilometres of fish passage along the Barwon-Darling River system.
