An Implementation Plan for the site has been developed in consultation with the Katfish Reach Steering Group which identifies 17 key threats across nine project site assets. The major threats are caused by past and current River Murray management and drought. However, one threat in particular, the lack of environmental flows has been identified as a threat of significant importance across the site.

A number of actions have been proposed to curb the rapid and widespread ecological decline currently being experienced throughout the Katfish Reach floodplain. This includes the implementation of hydrological and fish passage management options, to achieve an adaptive hydrological system. With the ability to manipulate the site’s hydrology, the ecological integrity of the site will hopefully be maintained during future droughts, as well as the impacts of climate change.

The hydrological adaptive system will be created by:

• increased flows and fish passage through 56 kilometres of waterway;
• flooding at low flows of over 1000 hectares of floodplain;
• temporary partial dry and vary pool level of 20 kilometres of waterway and associated wetlands.

Funding of $8m through the Murray Futures Riverine Recovery Project has been secured to implement stage 1 of the Katfish Reach Implementation Plan. The Riverine Recovery funding will enable the following actions to be undertaken over the next three years:

• Six major in-stream barriers to be replaced to improve flow management and fish passage through the Katarapko/Eckert creeks anabranch system (Figure 1);
• Development of an integrated hydrological operational plan;
• Implementation of the non fish component of the monitoring framework;
• Secure the present Murray hardyhead population at the Berri Saline Water Disposal Basin;
• Restore the Katarapko Island Saline Water Disposal Basin.