Department of Environment and Science officers have saved a rare native fish species from bushfire-affected waters near Killarney.
Minister for Science, Leeanne Enoch said leading ecologists from the Department had moved the threatened river blackfish (pictured) to a special aquaculture facility until river conditions improved.
“Department ecologists discovered stream flows had stopped at a monitoring station near a unique population of river blackfish, an ancient cold-water species that is only found in the upper Condamine River catchment upstream of Killarney in Queensland,” Ms Enoch said.
“This population is isolated with no chance of recolonising locally and without immediate action, local extinction was likely.”
She said two other important species, the mountain galaxais and spiny crayfish, also inhabited the same area and were facing the same risks.
“Blackfish die if the water temperature rises above 28 degrees,” Ms Enoch said.
“The ongoing drought, extreme heat and recent bushfire conditions in the area combined to create an extreme risk that simply could not be ignored,” she said.
‘The Department, in collaboration with experts from James Cook University, Griffith University and Jardini Pty Ltd, developed the rescue plan, which was supported by emergency funding from the Murray Darling Basin Authority.”
She said a team of experts travelled to Killarney and captured 50 blackfish, 150 mountain galaxais and 50 crayfish over the two-day operation.
“The captured fish and crays have now been transported to a specialised refrigerated aquaculture facility where they will be kept as an ‘ark’ or ‘insurance’ population until the natural conditions improve,” Ms Enoch said.
