When built in 1976 the Zig Zag Channel at Liawenee was described as “The new spawning grounds incorporate a novel design in that the channel follows a zig zag course to enable the greatest length of spawning ground to be located in a fixed area of land”.

In the spring of 1977 the first adult rainbow trout were allowed to spawning in the new channel. And it was noted that December of that year “the emerging fry were vigorous and in excellent condition” and that “the number of fry caught in downstream traps was substantially higher than in the previous year”.

It was reported that “several factors have contributed to the deterioration of Liawenee Canal as a spawning ground for rainbow trout. The raising of the level of yingina\Great Lake and the length of the canal available for spawning purposes”. Large sections of the canal had been concrete lined.

Work has recently been done to “freshen up” the rainbow trout spawning beds at Liawenee. Around 140 tonnes of gravel has been placed in the Zig Zag Channel to improve spawning opportunity for rainbow trout when they commence their run in September this year. Keeping the wild status of rainbow trout in yingina/Great Lake is important and this work is expected to help.