Great news! Tide/Flood Gates need no longer be a fish barrier – there is a solution

February 17, 2026

Hi everyone,

Today we are looking at a couple of examples in Australia where a new type of tide gate has been installed to improve fish passage and upstream water quality.

First up is Cairns, where the site previously used six standard flap gates that were manually held open for fish passage and released during king tides or flood events.
One of these has now been replaced with a fully automated, adjustable stainless steel tide gate.  The remaining gates are expected to be upgraded in the near future.
Tide gates The next site is in Mackay, where two large wooden gates were replaced with ATS FFGs to improve fish passage and reduce sedimentation through improved flushing.
The concept and function is same for both the Cairns and McKay versions. 
Note: The “double-skin” is for the extra strength required to cover the 3M span.
These two upgrades were commissioned to meet Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry (DAFF) requirements. 

If you want to know more about Fish Friendly Tide/Flood Gates feel free to reply to this email!

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