New fish species discovered

Two fish species new to science have been discovered in the Northern Gulf Region of Queensland after an extensive survey of the Gilbert River Catchment covering 380,000 hectares, or 82 per cent of the catchment.

The discovery is not only of scientific value, but also reflects that more than 125 years of grazing land management has conserved the ecosystems of the Gilbert River.

The survey aim was to determine the biodiversity in the Gilbert River catchment as an indicator of ecosystem health and also to discover whether there was a relationship between that and the condition of adjacent land

Fish researcher Alf Hogan said it was a credit to landholders that water quality in the Gilbert Catchment was excellent at most sites. The freshwater reaches had a rich fish fauna, with 38 different species recorded.

Funding

The comprehensive survey - which saw 20 sites surveyed over 10 days - was funded by the Australian Government via the Northern Gulf Resource Management Group. The State Government has also provided support.

Activities

"With the help of about 60 locals, our field team surveyed 20 sites from the Einasleigh uplands to the lower end of the Gilbert floodplain," Alf said. "These sites included two upland springs, four off stream lagoons and 14 in stream waterholes.

"Sites were chosen to represent as much of the varied aquatic habitat existing in the Gilbert catchment as possible.

Achievements

"The field work saw 1,557 fish measured and 38 species recorded - two new to science, three potentially new and nine other species recorded for the first time in the Gilbert catchment."

Any unidentified fish specimens were sent to the Queensland Museum for positive identification. One unexpected find was that the Gilbert Catchment had a huge population of freshwater crocodiles, which Alf said they "encountered at almost every site."

A total of 75 aquatic macroinvertebrate (animals without backbones) classifications and 3,599 individual specimens were recorded from the 20 sampling sites in the Northern Gulf Region. Twenty four habitats were sampled over 10 days.

More information

1. Alf Hogan, Queensland Department of Primary Industries: (07) 4091 9321 or alf.hogan@dpi.qld.gov.au
2. Northern Gulf Resource Management Group 

Australian Government NRM Team
GPO Box 787
Canberra ACT 2601 Australia
1800 552 008 (toll-free)

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