27-05-2025
Hunt for rare Aussie species not seen since 1990s funded by $1 million boost
The search is on to find a rare Australian fish that hasn't been seen since 1998. Experts are using funds from a $1.13 million investment by a NSW tourism company to search a remote part of the state where it's hoped remnant populations of the Kangaroo River perch may have survived.
'There's a lot of folklore around this fish that hasn't been seen in ages and is very elusive… So the hunt is on to make sure it's still around,' Peter Chapman told Yahoo News.
The company he works for, Reflections Holidays, is funding work by the NSW Department of Primary Industries (DPIRD) to search over 100km of the Shoalhaven River in the state's south. Funds are also being used to prevent the extinction of other native freshwater fish, 47 per cent of which are listed as threatened.
Whether the Kangaroo River perch is a distinct species remains unclear. It's currently classified as a Macquarie perch, but since 1986, researchers have suspected it's unique.
Throughout May this year, DPIRD senior fisheries manager Luke Pearce has been searching a hard to access stretch of the Shoalhaven River, above the Tallowa Dam, for evidence that the Kangaroo River perch survives.
'It's a really remote, inaccessible part of the world to get to. It's a really steep canyon country, so the only ways to get in are by kayak, hiking, or flying in a helicopter,' Pearce said.
Pearce's team surveyed the river using eDNA testing, a process that can pinpoint the presence of animals and plants in water by detecting tiny traces of genetic material. Their work has yet to reveal the Kangaroo River perch's presence, but if a population can be found, it will be protected and used to breed up numbers again.
There are two other distinct populations of Macquarie Perch, which are located around the Murray-Darling Basin and the Hawkesbury River/Blue Mountains. In the 1920s, numbers were so high, rivers ran black with them, but today the fish is extremely rare, and last year, authorities warned the species could be extinct in five years. Fishing for them is now illegal in both NSW and Victoria.
Macquarie perch is listed as endangered, but if it's found to be three species, the conservation status of each would need to be reassessed.
DPIRD is unsure why the Kanagroo River perch vanished, and historically, there has been very little research into the species.
'There's only a handful of records of the fish occurring and just six specimens in the museum, so we know very little about it,' Pearce said.
'We don't know what the causes were for the decline, but there are a few theories going around. They're generally linked to pathogens or diseases being brought in with fish being introduced into the catchment, but they're all circumstantial, we don't have evidence.'
Declines of perch in the Murray-Darling Basin have been clearly linked to humans modifying the river system with dams and invasive fish which outcompete native species and spread disease. The population in the Blue Mountains was once thought to be largely secure because it's located in a national park, but it was significantly affected by the 2019/2020 Black Summer bushfires.
'By sorting out these taxonomic uncertainties, we'll be able to have a more targeted approach to each population's management and recovery,' Pearce said.
'And without the donation from Reflections holiday parks this research wouldn't be occurring.'
Reflections Holidays hopes its donation will inspire other Australian companies to invest in the environment.
'I think all companies should be doing this. Not necessarily native fish, that's our thing. But really it's the role of all of us to protect the environment,' Chapman said.
He explained there was money already available to study more photogenic and cuddly species like koalas, but not for fish.
'There's a whole heap of environmental issues that go unspoken and untalked about, largely because they're under the surface of the water,' he said.
'We see ourselves as in a key place to raise awareness, educate, and put money behind sorting out issues related to waterways. As soon as we found out some native fish species were in such bad shape, we were keen to work out how we could get behind them.'
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