Shannon Lagoon, located in the Central Highlands close to the community of Miena, has an interesting history and has provided for numerous values including hydro-electricity, trout fishing, biodiversity and recreation.

Over recent years, Shannon Lagoon has not been a quality trout fishing venue because of high levels of turbidity. With the loss of Lagoon of Islands as a fishery, and increasing fishing pressure on Little Pine and Penstock Lagoons, the IFS believes that it is important to explore opportunities to improve Shannon Lagoon with the aim of providing another quality fishing location.

The Inland Fisheries Service (IFS) and Hydro Tasmania (HT) have commenced a joint project to determine the current environmental condition and evaluate options for enhancing recreational values at Shannon Lagoon. The project will systematically assess the environmental and economic feasibility of options to enhance fishing opportunity and reach an agreed management approach for the lagoon.

We are monitoring turbidity through data loggers installed in the lagoon, and we will be mapping aquatic plants and monitoring native fish and trout. Hydrological data will also be assessed. We will evaluate the feasibility, likely effectiveness and cost of the various management options that have been proposed in the past, and communicate our findings to anglers to enable open discussion on future management.

The IFS is currently in the process of acquiring a strip of land along the northern shore of the lagoon to ensure future access for anglers.

IFS and HT aim to hold a workshop to discuss management options towards the end of 2014, and will provide web based updates on the project throughout the year.