scholarly journals A review of on-ground recovery actions for threatened freshwater fish in Australia

2013 ◽  
Vol 64 (9) ◽  
pp. 775 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mark Lintermans
Keyword(s):  
Freshwater Fish ◽  
Threatened Species ◽  
Management Interventions ◽  
Murray Darling Basin ◽  
Social Challenge ◽  
Eastern Australia ◽  
Prolonged Drought ◽  
Conservation Concern ◽  
Habitat Enhancement ◽  
General Conservation

Freshwater fish are a highly threatened group and recovery of these threatened species is an increasingly difficult ecological and social challenge. There are many different on-ground recovery actions available to managers, but no synthesis of what, how or why these recovery actions have been deployed. The present paper reviews 428 reported on-ground recovery actions from a survey of practitioners of threatened freshwater-fish recovery in Australia. Recovery actions were grouped into 12 categories, with the most commonly utilised recovery categories being harvest control, translocation, habitat enhancement and stock enhancement. Major drivers of recovery actions were general conservation concern, recovery plans and emergency responses. The number of recovery actions grew significantly in the decade beginning 2000 as the impacts of prolonged drought in south-eastern Australia intensified. In all, 58% of recovery actions occurred in the Murray–Darling Basin, although this region holds only 27% of the 74 listed threatened freshwater fish in Australia. Few or no recovery actions were reported for many species, and few actions occurred in northern or western parts of the country. More than 80% of recovery actions reportedly had some form of monitoring. The diversity of management interventions is reviewed, and patterns and issues are identified to guide future recovery efforts.

Conservation of an inauspicious endangered freshwater fish, Murray hardyhead (Craterocephalus fluviatilis), during drought and competing water demands in the Murray–Darling Basin, Australia

2013 ◽  
Vol 64 (9) ◽  
pp. 792 ◽  
Author(s):  
Iain M. Ellis ◽  
Daniel Stoessel ◽  
Michael P. Hammer ◽  
Scotte D. Wedderburn ◽  
Lara Suitor ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Freshwater Fish ◽  
Environmental Water ◽  
River Regulation ◽  
Isolated Populations ◽  
Conservation Units ◽  
European Settlement ◽  
Water Demands ◽  
Murray Darling Basin ◽  
Conservation Concern ◽  
Australian Freshwater

Approximately 40% of Australian freshwater fish species are of conservation concern, largely because of the impacts of river regulation, habitat fragmentation and alien fishes. Murray hardyhead is a threatened fish endemic to the southern Murray–Darling Basin in Australia, which has declined significantly in range and abundance since European settlement. Conservation of the species has relied largely on environmental watering of off-channel wetlands where isolated populations persist. This became problematic during recent drought (1997–2010) because of competing demands for limited water, and resentment towards environmental watering programs from communities that themselves were subject to reduced water entitlements. In response, emergency conservation measures prioritised the delivery of environmental water to minimise applied volumes. Captive maintenance programs were established for fish rescued from four genetically distinct conservation units, with varying levels of breeding success. Several translocations of wild and captive-bred fish to surrogate refuge sites were also conducted. Future recovery of the species should secure existing natural and stocked populations and translocate fish to additional appropriate sites to spread risk and reinstate natural pathways for dispersal. The approach to the conservation of Murray hardyhead during extreme environmental conditions provides insights to inform the management of fishes in other drought-prone regions of the world.

Phylogeography of a threatened freshwater fish (Mogurnda adspersa) in eastern Australia: conservation implications

2008 ◽  
Vol 59 (1) ◽  
pp. 89 ◽  
Author(s):  
Leanne K. Faulks ◽  
Dean M. Gilligan ◽  
Luciano B. Beheregaray
Keyword(s):  
Freshwater Fish ◽  
Integrative Approach ◽  
Restricted Gene Flow ◽  
Evolutionary Diversification ◽  
Conservation Implications ◽  
Low Genetic Diversity ◽  
Murray Darling Basin ◽  
Eastern Australia ◽  
High Conservation ◽  
Australian Freshwater

Phylogeography is a field that has the potential to provide an integrative approach to the conservation of threatened species. The southern purple spotted gudgeon, Mogurnda adspersa, is a small freshwater fish that was once common and widely distributed throughout south-eastern Australia. However, habitat alteration has dramatically reduced the size and the range of Murray–Darling Basin populations, which are now classified as endangered. Here patterns of genetic structure and evolutionary history of M. adspersa in southern Queensland and the Murray–Darling Basin are elucidated using three regions of the mitochondrial DNA, the ATPase 6 and 8 and the control region. Murray–Darling Basin populations are characterised by lineages with highly localised endemism, very low genetic diversity and restricted gene flow. Phylogenetic reconstructions show that Murray–Darling Basin populations comprise a monophyletic clade that possibly originated by range expansion from the coast around 1.6 million years ago. It is proposed that the divergent Murray–Darling Basin clade is of high conservation priority and requires separate management. The present study further exemplifies the role of drainage rearrangement in driving evolutionary diversification in Australian freshwater fishes, an historical process with profound implications for conservation management.

Occurrence of Contracaecum bancrofti larvae in fish in the Murray–Darling Basin

2018 ◽  
Vol 93 (05) ◽  
pp. 574-579 ◽  
Author(s):  
S. Shamsi ◽  
A. Stoddart ◽  
L. Smales ◽  
S. Wassens
Keyword(s):  
Freshwater Fish ◽  
Fish Species ◽  
Native Species ◽  
Parasite Prevalence ◽  
Fish Parasites ◽  
Introduced Fish ◽  
Suitable Host ◽  
Nematode Larvae ◽  
Murray Darling Basin ◽  
Eastern Australia

AbstractThere is a paucity of information on the diversity and occurrence of freshwater fish parasites in Australia. This study investigates the distribution and occurrence of a parasitic nematode of the genusContracaecumin freshwater fish from south-eastern Australia. Fish (n= 508) belonging to nine species and eight families were collected from eight wetlands associated with the Murrumbidgee River floodplain in the southern Murray–Darling Basin and subjected to laboratory examination. Third-stage nematode larvae were found in eight of the nine fish species. The exception was the fly-specked hardeyhead (Craterocephalus stercusmuscarum), although only one specimen of this species was examined. Nematode larvae were identified asContracaecum bancroftiusing a combined morphological and molecular approach. The parasite was most prevalent in weather loach (Misgurnus anguillicaudatus; 34.8%) and Australian smelt (Retropinna semoni; 21.4%), followed by carp (Cyprinus carpio; 9.5%), of which the former and latter are non-native species.Contracaecumprevalence differed between locations, with Two Bridges having the highest number of infected fish. This may be due to the higher number of suitable host species collected at these localities.Contracaecumspp. are parasites with low host specificity that have also been reported in Australian marine fish, humans and piscivorous birds. The high parasite prevalence in the two abundant non-native fish species in the region suggests that they act as a suitable host for this endemic parasite, resulting in the increase in the parasite population. It would be interesting to study host–parasite interactions in this area, especially if introduced fish populations declined dramatically in the attempt to eradicate them or control their population.

Illegal trade of aquarium species through the Brazilian postal service in Ceará State

2018 ◽  
Vol 69 (1) ◽  
pp. 178 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lívio M. Gurjão ◽  
Glaura M. L. Barros ◽  
Daniele P. Lopes ◽  
Daniel A. N. Machado ◽  
Tito M. C. Lotufo
Keyword(s):  
Natural Resources ◽  
Freshwater Fish ◽  
Marine Fish ◽  
Threatened Species ◽  
Betta Splendens ◽  
Illegal Trade ◽  
Postal Service ◽  
Paulo State ◽  
Eastern Brazil ◽  
Renewable Natural Resources

Brazil is one of the main suppliers of aquarium species globally, and Ceará state is a recognised trading centre for this activity. Despite Brazilian Postal Law forbidding the mailing of live or dead organisms, smugglers still use this service to transport aquarium species throughout the country. To assess this unlawful practice, the Brazilian Institute of the Environment and Renewable Natural Resources (IBAMA, Instituto Brasileiro do Meio Ambiente e dos Recursos Naturais Renováveis) and the Brazilian Post and Telegraph Co. (ECT, Empresa Brasileira de Correios e Telégrafos) conducted 57 confiscations involving domestic transportation only. The main origin and principal destination of the confiscated packages was south-eastern Brazil, especially São Paulo state, where package inspections must be intensified. Considering all groups of seized species, freshwater fish were by far the most represented organisms due to intense translocation of Betta splendens. Some of the confiscated marine fish, echinoderms and cnidarians are included in the Brazilian List of Threatened Species; thus, their exploitation is restricted or forbidden. In addition, only 18 of the seized species were native to Brazil, and just 12 of them occur naturally in Ceará state, which both raises concerns about potential bioinvasions and demands more control by the Brazilian authorities of smuggled species. Although some illegal traders were repeatedly caught mailing organisms, confiscations do seem to mitigate the illicit transportation of species to some extent.

scholarly journals What is needed to restore native fishes in Australia’s Murray–Darling Basin?

2020 ◽  
Vol 71 (11) ◽  
pp. 1464
Author(s):  
John D. Koehn ◽  
Stephen R. Balcombe ◽  
Lee J. Baumgartner ◽  
Christopher M. Bice ◽  
Kate Burndred ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
First Nations ◽  
Native Species ◽  
Cultural Practices ◽  
Native Fish ◽  
The Past ◽  
Murray Darling Basin ◽  
Native Fishes ◽  
Conservation Concern ◽  
First Nations People

The Murray–Darling Basin (MDB) is Australia’s food bowl, contributing 40% of agricultural production and supporting a population of over 4 million people. Historically, the MDB supported a unique native fish community with significant cultural, subsistence, recreational, commercial and ecological values. Approximately one-quarter of the MDB’s native species are endemic. Changes to river flows and habitats have led to a >90% decline in native fish populations over the past 150 years, with almost half the species now of conservation concern. Commercial fisheries have collapsed, and important traditional cultural practices of First Nations People have been weakened. The past 20 years have seen significant advances in the scientific understanding of native fish ecology, the effects of human-related activities and the recovery measures needed. The science is well established, and some robust restoration-enabling policies have been initiated to underpin actions. What is now required is the political vision and commitment to support investment to drive long-term recovery. We present a summary of 30 priority activities urgently needed to restore MDB native fishes.

Historical forest survey data from Eucalyptus - Callitris forests: a valuable resource for long-term vegetation studies

2009 ◽  
Vol 57 (7) ◽  
pp. 541 ◽  
Author(s):  
Robyn K. Whipp ◽  
Ian D. Lunt ◽  
Andrew Deane ◽  
Peter G. Spooner
Keyword(s):  
Survey Data ◽  
Survey Methods ◽  
Quantitative Information ◽  
Data Sources ◽  
Stem Density ◽  
Vegetation Changes ◽  
Management Interventions ◽  
Eastern Australia ◽  
Historical Forest

Quantitative information about historical changes in natural ecosystems is important for guiding management interventions. However, few accurate data sources are available for documenting long-term vegetation changes. In this paper, we describe a neglected source of quantitative information on historical forest structure: forest inventory strip surveys, which were widely used in eastern Australia from 1915 to the 1940s. Strip surveys provide quantitative information on the species composition, stem density, basal area, stem form and size class distributions of dominant tree species. Such information is not available from other widespread data sources. Strip surveys usually surveyed 10% of the total forest area. In this paper, we describe the original survey methods, demonstrate how to decode data-book entries, and analyse a sample dataset from the Pilliga State Forests in northern New South Wales to illustrate the information that can be obtained from this material. Strip survey data-books are poorly archived. Many books exist for Eucalyptus–Callitris forests in northern and central NSW, and additional books may exist for many other forest types in eastern Australia. Strip surveys provide a valuable data source for studying long-term vegetation changes in forest ecosystems. We urge forest managers to search for and preserve this precious archival material.

Movement and mortality of Australian pelicans (Pelecanus conspicillatus) banded at inland and coastal breeding sites in South Australia

2015 ◽  
Vol 21 (4) ◽  
pp. 271 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gregory R. Johnston ◽  
Maxwell H. Waterman ◽  
Clare E. Manning
Keyword(s):  
South Australia ◽  
Population Declines ◽  
Long Distance ◽  
Breeding Sites ◽  
Continental Scale ◽  
South Eastern ◽  
Eastern Australia ◽  
Causes Of Mortality ◽  
Conservation Concern ◽  
South Eastern Australia

Globally, pelican populations have decreased, with three species being of conservation concern. Australian pelicans (Pelecanus conspicillatus) are not regarded as endangered, but have declined across south-eastern Australia. Information on their movements and causes of mortality are required to interpret the importance of these regional declines to the species’ global population. We explored patterns of movement and causes of mortality by analysing recoveries from 14 615 Australian pelicans banded over 37 years between 1969 and 2006. Data from 243 leg band recoveries showed that Australian pelicans move distances of up to 3206 km, and travel across the species’ entire geographic range, within a year of fledging. We found little evidence for the popular notion that these birds move en masse from the coast to inland areas in response to flooding rains. Maximum recorded age of a banded Australian pelican was 15 years. The banding data suggest that the regional pelican declines could reflect long-distance movements rather than an overall population response. However, a concentration of band returns from south-eastern Australia where the declines have been recorded, and the high incidence of human-induced deaths (16.4%) suggest otherwise. Accurate assessment of population trends in long-lived, long-distance nomads such as Australian pelicans requires assessment at a continental scale. Our results emphasise the importance of knowledge about fundamental aspects of a species’ biology for accurate interpretation of regional population declines.

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