Native freshwater fish fights back from extinction

Through a collaborative effort, the locally extinct Yarra pygmy perch has been successfully reintroduced into the wild on Hindmarsh Island. It’s the first time these beautiful native fish have tasted freedom in the region since the Millennium Drought all but wiped them out some 15 years ago.

They are not found any further west than the Lower Lakes region and their extinction was the first known modern freshwater fish extinction in the Murray Darling Basin.

Fortunately, a few ecologists including Michael Hammer and Nick Whiterod, acted in time to save some Yarra pygmy perch from this population area during the drought before they succumbed to the unfavourable conditions. For the past 16 years, these fish have been bred in captivity, including private landholders’ surrogate dams, preparing for this moment.

The program, managed by Nature Glenelg Trust’s Senior Aquatic Ecologist Sylvia Zukowski, has led three successful wild re-introductions of Yarra pygmy perch back to their former habitats on Hindmarsh Island over the past six months. Surveys since the release indicate that the fish are reintegrating into the environment and are set to persist in their natural home.

Landscapes Hills and Fleurieu’s Regional Ecologist Luke Price spoke more about the collaborative effort, which spans conservations organisations and government agencies.

“This is such an exciting program, giving real optimism to the process of using captive breeding and re-introduction to save native fish species. The use of surrogate dams made possible by the support of private landholders, and the collaborative efforts between project partners has made it an excellent example of threatened species conservation.

“Landscapes Hills and Fleurieu is proud to support the program with funding. These efforts align with our Natural Heritage Trust Back from the Brink project, which is focussing on the protection of the southern bell frog, western beautiful firetail, hooded plover and Murray hardyhead fish. The efforts to align this work with the Yarra pygmy perch surrogate breeding program has elevated the success of the whole program.

“We really need to thank Nature Glenelg Trust and the Murraylands and Riverland Landscape Board, as well as the private landholders and other partners involved. These operations are never simple and take several years to pull off, so it’s been an amazing effort, and one that will continue,” said Mr Price.

Efforts to save the Yarra pygmy perch have been led through a great partnership between Nature Glenelg Trust and the Murraylands and Riverland Landscape Board and Landscapes Hills and Fleurieu with support from the Big Little Four Fish committee, Flinders University, The University of Adelaide, Department for Environment and Water, Cleland Wildlife Park, and the Ngarrindjeri Aboriginal Corporation.

This project is jointly funded by the Australian Government Natural Heritage Trust, Hills and Fleurieu Landscape Board and Murraylands and Riverland Landscape Board, members of the Commonwealth Regional Delivery Partners panel.