Reflections invests $1.1M to save endangered fish species

An exhaustive expedition in a remote NSW river has failed to find any trace of a native fish last seen in 1998, however Reflections Holidays, which helped fund the Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development's five-day quest, has vowed to help researchers continue their search and implement programs to bring other endangered species back from the brink.

Reflections, the largest holiday park group in NSW and a Crown land manager which cares for 40 holiday parks and 45 community reserves including vast waterways popular with recreational anglers, has invested $1.1M in a 10-year partnership with DPIRD. The partnership aims to better protect native fish under threat in Australian waterways, including recovery programs designed to stymie the potential extinction of species.

Reflections' investment assisted a recent DPRID expedition along more than 100 kilometres of the Shoalhaven River in the NSW Southern Highlands in search of the Kangaroo River Perch, a long-lost native fish species in NSW. No evidence of the elusive fish was found despite an intensive environmental DNA (eDNA) survey.

Reflections CEO Nick Baker said the organisation - a social enterprise which manages holiday parks at popular fishing destinations including Copeton Waters, Burrinjuck Waters, Tumut River, Lake Glenbawn, Copeton Waters, Lake Keepit and Lake Burrendong, as well as along the NSW coast - shared the disappointment of researchers but was undeterred in its commitment to help DPIRD restore fish populations.

“The decline of native fish species in Australia is confronting, and this expedition shows just how tough the mission ahead is. While this result is sobering, it shows the importance of our investment and partnership with DPIRD - we’re not giving up," Mr Baker said.

Reflections Holidays’ $1.1M investment supports additional targeted conservation strategies in partnership with DPIRD, including:

• A trout relocation project at Winburndale Dam, near Bathurst, NSW, where DPIRD is working with the local recreational fishing community to relocate trout, not native to the area, to a more accessible location for recreational fishing. This relocation aims to improve the chances of survival and establishment of the Macquarie Perch population.
• Taxonomy, or classification, of the Macquarie perch, providing critical scientific data to help conservationists and researchers develop more targeted and effective species management strategies.
• One other point on a recovery program from Luke would be great (only if possible)

DPIRD Senior Fisheries Manager, Luke Pearce, said while the absence of DNA evidence of the Kangaroo River Perch did not conclusively mean the fish was gone, it added to growing evidence that the fish may no longer be present in the Shoalhaven River.

“It’s not the outcome we hoped for, but it shows how important it is to invest in endangered species in Australia. We’re grateful for Reflections Holidays’ support and will continue to strive to make a positive environmental impact," Mr Pearce said.

The next phase will see the DPIRD team analyse all Shoalhaven catchment surveys conducted since 1999, examining coverage and sampling methods to identify any remaining gaps and determine whether further surveys are justified. DPIRD will continue to work with the local community and traditional owners, leaving no stone unturned in the quest to find this elusive and unique Australian fish.

The Reflections-DPIRD partnership comes as the NSW Government ramps up efforts to restore native fish populations, including its recent election promise to develop a 10-year recovery plan for the Trout Cod.