Summary of the 2019/20 Bushfire Impacts on Freshwater Fish and Emergency Conservation Response in South-Eastern Australia
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
Summary of the 2019/20 bushfire impacts on freshwater fish and emergency conservation response in south-eastern Australia J.J. Shelley1, T.A. Raadik1 and M. Lintermans2 August 2021 1 Arthur Rylah Institute for Environmental Research 123 Brown Street, Heidelberg, Victoria 3084 2 Centre for Applied Water Science, Institute for Applied Ecology, University of Canberra Canberra, Australian Capital Territory 2601 Cite this publication as: Shelley, J.J., Raadik, T.A., and Lintermans, M., 2021. Summary of the 2019/20 bushfire impacts on freshwater fish and emergency conservation response in south-eastern Australia. NESP Threatened Species Recovery Hub Project 8.3.6 update report, Brisbane. Acknowledgements We would like to acknowledge the valiant efforts of all those who took part in and facilitated the aquatic response to the 2019/20 bushfires. Furthermore, we thank those that generously contributed their time to provide us information for this report. We also acknowledge the help of Daniel Stoessel (Arthur Rylah Institute for Environmental Research) in compiling this report. Front cover image: A stream in East Gippsland impacted by fire and debris flow. Image: Daniel Stoessel. 2 Contents Summary ...............................................................................................................................................................................................................................4 1. Introduction ....................................................................................................................................................................................................................5 1.1 Aquatic mortality events ..................................................................................................................................................................................... 7 1.2 Water quality.......................................................................................................................................................................................................... 7 1.3 Emergency interventions and their relative success .................................................................................................................................. 7 2. Short-term impacts to fish and aquatic habitats following the 2019/20 bushfires .....................................................................................8 3. Coordination and decision making ........................................................................................................................................................................ 15 4. Aquatic animal recovery actions during and following the fires .................................................................................................................... 17 4.1 New South Wales ............................................................................................................................................................................................... 17 4.1.1 Eastern Freshwater Cod (Maccullochella ikei) .............................................................................................................................. 17 4.1.2 Oxleyan Pygmy Perch (Nannoperca oxleyana) ............................................................................................................................ 17 4.1.3 Stocky Galaxias (Galaxias tantangara) ............................................................................................................................................. 17 4.1.4 Short-tail Galaxias (Galaxias brevissimus) ....................................................................................................................................... 17 4.1.5 Macquarie Perch (Macquaria australasica) ....................................................................................................................................18 4.1.6 Olive Perchlet (Ambassis agassizii)...................................................................................................................................................18 4.1.7 Southern Purple Spotted Gudgeon (Mogurnda adspersa) ........................................................................................................18 4.2 Victoria ..................................................................................................................................................................................................................18 4.2.1 Macquarie Perch (Macquaria australasica) ....................................................................................................................................18 4.2.2 Murray Cod (Maccullochella peelii) .................................................................................................................................................18 4.2.3 Dargo Galaxias (Galaxias mungadhan) ...........................................................................................................................................19 4.2.4 East Gippsland Galaxias (Galaxias aequipinnis) .............................................................................................................................19 4.2.5 Yalmy Galaxias (Galaxias sp. nov. 'Yalmy') ......................................................................................................................................19 4.2.6 McDowall’s Galaxias (Galaxias mcdowalli) ...................................................................................................................................19 4.2.7 Cann Galaxias (Galaxias sp. nov. ‘Cann’) ........................................................................................................................................19 4.2.8 River Blackfish − South-east Victoria Gadopsis( sp. nov. ‘SEV’) ................................................................................................19 4.2.9 East Gippsland Spiny Crayfish Euastacus( bidawalus).................................................................................................................19 4.2.10 Orbost Spiny Crayfish Euastacus( diversus) .................................................................................................................................. 20 4.2.11 Arte Spiny Crayfish Euastacus( sp. nov. ‘Arte’) .............................................................................................................................. 20 4.2.12 Variable Spiny Crayfish (Euastacus yanga) .................................................................................................................................... 20 4.2.13 Depressed Freshwater Mussel (Hyridella depressa) ................................................................................................................... 20 4.2.14 Glenelg Freshwater Mussel (Hyridella glenelgensis) .................................................................................................................. 20 4.3 Queensland ....................................................................................................................................................................................................... 20 4.3.1 Mountain Galaxias (Galaxias olidus) ................................................................................................................................................ 20 4.3.2 River Blackfish (Gadopsis marmoratus) ......................................................................................................................................... 20 4.3.3 Lamington Spiny Crayfish Euastacus( sulcatus) .......................................................................................................................... 21 4.4 Australian Capital Territory ............................................................................................................................................................................... 21 5. What did and didn’t work during the conservation response .........................................................................................................................22 5.1 Governance and decision making ................................................................................................................................................................22 5.2 Was the emergency response effective? ....................................................................................................................................................25 6. Conclusion ...................................................................................................................................................................................................................26 References ..........................................................................................................................................................................................................................27 Appendix ..............................................................................................................................................................................................................................31 Appendix A1. Media focussed on the aquatic conservation response to the 2019/20 bushfires ................................................................ 31 Appendix A2. Questionnaire sent to those who worked on the various aquatic conservation responses