Ensuring the sustainability of fish communities throughout Australasia
Fish Community Conservation
Australasian Fish Passage Services (AFPS) has over 40 years combined experience in all aspects of freshwater fisheries research and can provide the biological knowledge and technical capacity required to successfully complete your fisheries project.
Planning through to Construction
Having constructed over 100 fishways and waterway enhancement projects in the last 20+ years, we can provide the expertise needed for your project. We can undertake project planning, GIS analysis, stakeholder engagement, fishway design, development approvals, construction supervision and fishway and fish community monitoring.
AFPS staff have worked within both Fisheries Queensland and NSW Fisheries and have detailed knowledge of the planning processes of Government. This experience can greatly enhance the success of projects, ensuring a smooth transition through the government development approval process.
The extensive experience AFPS has in the planning and implementation of fisheries projects throughout Australasia makes it the ideal partner for your fisheries project.
Types of fishways that we produce
Rock Ramp Fishways
Rock ramp fishways are commonly used for low barriers up to about two metres high. They are essentially a series of rock ridges placed immediately below a barrier, creating a series of stepped pools that simulate a rocky stream bed. Each of the rocks placed on the ridges has a gap between them, through which the water flows, allowing fish to move from pool to pool and eventually past the barrier. The way that the rocks are placed, the gaps between them and the falls they create, are designed specifically for the unique fish community within the waterway to create conditions suitable for migration.
Cone Fishways
Cone fishways use a similar principle to the rock ramp fishway but uses concrete cones in place of rock to create the ridges. This design is particularly suitable for sites where the supply of rock is limited, or where flows need to be gauged. The concrete cones are used to create a series of ridges that provide a series of stepped pools with low turbulence and velocities through which fish can ascend. The concrete cones can be sized to suit any site, and can be pre-cast or cast on-site.
Vertical Slot Fishways
The vertical slot fishway design consists of a concrete channel extending from the top of the weir (headwater) to the base of the weir (tailwater), with baffles inserted at regular intervals along its length to slow the velocity of the water. Within each baffle there is a vertical slot through which water is transferred to the next pool downstream. This creates a series of pools and small steps, with low velocities that fish are able to swim through. The vertical slot fishway is one of the most successfully applied design worldwide but can have high capital costs.
Fish Friendly Culverts
Fish-friendly culverts are characterised by box culverts that are installed below bed level with natural stream bed material forming the floor and that have a continuous low-velocity zone for fish migration throughout their length. This low velocity zone is typically achieved by the installation of baffles. Baffles are a set of vertical protrusions from the walls of a culvert that break up the water flow, slow the water down adjacent to the culvert walls and provide resting areas and migration pathways for fish. The baffles are usually made of steel and fixed to the wall with suitable materials. They work on the same principal as other fishways in that they break up the fast flow into a series of small steps with manageable velocities for fish. Fish-friendly culverts also ensure that there is no drop from the downstream apron to the water level by incorporating appropriate scour protection.
Fish Friendly Scour Protection
Fish friendly scour protection is typically used at culvert and bed level crossings to prevent scour occurring on the downstream side. Scour that occurs downstream of culvert aprons or crossings, can create a vertical barrier to fish passage during both low and moderate flows. Scour protection consists of a rock ramp or chute, that is constructed from different sized rock at differing depths that are locked together. The ramps abut the apron/crossings and are graded (sloped) appropriately to ensure that water velocity is sufficient for fish migration. The rock ramps may also include large protruding rocks to break up and diversify flows for fish migration.
Fish Lifts
Fish lifts are most commonly used at large barriers higher than 10 m. The lifts utilise an entrance chamber that attracts fish to a hopper, which traps the fish and lifts them up and over the barrier, releasing them upstream. These fishways are highly technical and involve high costs.
Lock Fishways
Fish locks are used to move fish over barriers that are typically 5–15 m high. The operate in a similar way to a maritime navigation lock designed to move boats past barriers, with gates at the entrance, a holding chamber, and gates at the exit. Fish locks have four basic phases: attraction, filling, exit, and transition. In the attraction phase, the entrance gates are open to allow fish to enter the holding chamber. The entrance gates are then closed during the filling phase, then the exit gates open to allow fish to exit the chamber upstream of the barrier.
Projects we have worked on ...
The extensive experience AFPS has in the planning and implementation of fisheries projects throughout Australasia makes it the ideal partner for your fisheries project.
Rookwood Weir Fish Community and Fish Lock Monitoring 2022-2027
Completed in late 2024, Rookwood Weir will supply 86,000 megalitres of water annually to central Queensland, and a comprehensive monitoring program is now underway to assess its effects on fish communities across the Fitzroy Basin. Beginning with pre‑construction baseline surveys, ongoing monitoring upstream and downstream of the weir, the Fitzroy Barrage, and at the fish lock is tracking changes in species composition and habitat use. Early results show a shift toward lentic‑adapted species such as bony bream, mouth almighty, sleepy cod and tilapia within the new weir pool. The fish lock is being closely assessed using traps, video, electrofishing, netting and PIT‑tag detections, with acoustic tagging to follow. Across 29 sampling days in 2025, 8,153 fish from 23 species were recorded moving through the lock, revealing clear movement patterns that will guide ongoing optimisation of fish passage.
Fitzroy Barrage Tidal Lock Monitoring 2025-2026
The new Tidal Lock Fishway on the north bank of the Fitzroy Barrage marks a major advancement in tidal fish passage design. Developed with AFPS, it combines two fishway systems in one structure, enabling both lavae, juvenile and adult fish to move upstream across the barrage’s 5–6 m tidal range. Since opening, the fishway has recorded nearly 57,000 fish from 20 species, ranging from 8 mm to 700 mm.
New Zealand Fishways 2025
Following the 2023–2024 New Zealand Fish Passage Workshops, AFPS has partnered with councils to design and deliver rock‑ramp fishways across the country. These projects translate workshop guidance into on‑ground outcomes, improving connectivity at priority sites while providing demonstration and study locations that build capability for future fish passage initiatives.
Seaham Weir Monitoring 2025-2026
The Seaham Weir upgrade delivered new low‑flow gates and a contemporary vertical‑slot fishway on the lower Williams River. AFPS monitoring has recorded just under 400,000 fish from 18 species, ranging from 8 mm juveniles to 1.2 m eels, confirming strong fishway performance and improved river connectivity.
Big Al’s Brook Realignment 2020-2025
The 350 m realignment of Big Al’s Brook created refuge ponds with stepped sandstone walls, vegetated banks, and run habitats to support fish passage and habitat complexity. AFPS monitoring recorded 83 fish from nine species, with strong use of instream vegetation and sandstone wall voids by fish, shrimp, Macrobrachium spp., and eels. A turtle sighting further demonstrates the habitat diversity supported by the new alignment.
Oyster Creek Realignment 2018-2026
The Oyster Creek realignment reshaped 870 m of waterway and integrated modern fish passage and habitat features, including refuge ponds with LUNKERS, woody debris, and run habitats with cross‑vanes. AFPS monitoring has recorded strong ecological performance, with 11 fish species (11–445 mm) and eels to 1.2 m using the system. The presence of 11 mm larvae confirms effective passage, and the new habitats are supporting diverse birdlife such as pelicans, swans, and ducks.