Modern fish-protection screens are usually promoted for their environmental benefits, but their value to irrigators is just as important for driving adoption. This synthesis draws on selected NSW Murray–Darling Basin case studies assessing fish-friendly irrigation screen installations across horticulture, viticulture, mixed farming and broadacre systems. The case studies show that screens can deliver clear on-farm benefits by reducing debris ingress, filter blockages, backflushing, labour, fuel and maintenance costs, while improving irrigation reliability during critical production periods. Economic performance varied widely, with a range of benefit–cost ratios and payback periods. Private returns were strongest where screens solved persistent operational problems in pressurised irrigation systems. Environmental returns extend beyond the farm gate by reducing entrainment of native fish, larvae and eggs, keeping more fish in rivers and supporting recruitment, population recovery and river health. At sites where fish protection was estimated, individual installations were expected to protect from more than 1,500 to close to 3,000 native fish each irrigation season, with broader Australian uptake likely to protect many more. These findings highlight a shared-investment challenge: where farmer ROI is strong, private uptake is likely; where fish benefits are high but private returns are weak, targeted public co-investment may be needed.