Breeding program saves endangered River Murray fish species
From Around South Australia
THREE years after 50 endangered fish - the last of their kind - were rescued from a drying wetland on the River Murray, the species will be returned to the wild.
The purple spotted gudgeon was saved by volunteers from Native Fish Australia and bred in captivity.
Now, the not-for-profit organisation, Healthy Rivers Australia, has secured enough water to maintain a natural refuge for native species at Paiwalla Wetland, between Mannum and Murray Bridge.
Healthy Rivers Australia chairman Dr Mark Siebentritt said a former New South Wales irrigator had donated 50 megalitres of fresh water, to support the wetland for a year.
The priority now is to ensure the long-term survival of the fish and Dr Siebentritt needs donations of water or money to purchase water for the next five years. "Every dollar that comes into the organisation we use to buy water," he said.
Related Coverage
- Kangaroos swim to wetlands Courier Mail, 21 Jan 2010
- Going against the flow for the sake of nature The Australian, 15 Jan 2010
- No berley needed in Burley Herald Sun, 8 Nov 2009
- Frogs, fish thrive with recent rains Adelaide Now, 22 Oct 2009
- Strange tackle is just par for the coarse Herald Sun, 19 Oct 2009
The first batch of more than 200 young fish will be released later this month or early next month.
Native Fish Australia scientific officer Dr Michael Hammer said the purple spotted gudgeon was a "cool fish" that needed help. "The species itself is pretty charismatic," he said.
"It's one of the brightest, most colourful native fish around.
"They're also really good indicators of environmental flow. We find that they spawn when we get those nice spring floods, which inundate aquatic plants around the edges."
