Saltmarsh ecosystems across the South Coast will get a lifeline under a federal government plan to clean up the degraded habitats.

The $600,000 funding commitment, announced by Gilmore MP Fiona Phillips and Whitlam candidate Carol Berry if the Labor government is re-elected, will help not-for-profit Ozfish partner with Batemans Bay, Burrill Lake and Lake Illawarra communities to rehabilitate saltmarsh sites.

“Saltmarshes provide shelter for juvenile fish and popular recreational fish species, as well as being prawn-production powerhouses,” said Ryan Lungu, OzFish Program Manager NSW Coast.

“But there has been a large decline in saltmarshes across the South Coast.”

Recreational fishers, traditional owners and councils will work with OzFish to monitor and improve the saltmarshes, with funding used to remove rubbish and weeds, plant native species and run educational workshops and waterway assessments.   

The saltmarsh restoration project would boost water quality and better protect native species living in the waterways, said Phillips, who has called on community volunteers to join Ozfish in rehabilitating coastal waterways.

“Our local waterways are so important to our community,” she said. “We have many community groups engaged with keeping our waterways clean, and I am pleased to be giving this money to OzFish so that local volunteers can help maintain our important saltmarshes in the Clyde River and Burrill Lake.”

Berry said locals and tourists were drawn to Lake Illawarra for recreational activities like fishing and swimming. 

“It’s so important that we look after the lake for generations to come,”she said.

“I am pleased that OzFish volunteers have put their hand up to look after our important saltmarshes along Lake Illawarra and am proud to be delivering this funding to them.”