ASFB Home > The effects of spatial and temporal factors on the abundance of seven key finfish species along south-western Australia.

Aquatic conservation values on Hindmarsh Island, Lower River Murray South Australia

Michael Hammer

CRC for Freshwater Ecology, Department of Environmental Biology Adelaide University, ADELAIDE, AUSTRALIA

THEME: ASFB

Contrasts in species composition and habitat with surrounding regions, and the isolation of species from other populations, literally make Wyndgate an island refuge within a vastly altered Lower River Murray system. Wyndgate, a property on Hindmarsh Island, has recently been acquired for conservation purposes, presenting a rare occasion for freshwater fish and aquatic habitats to be represented within the reserve system. Opportunely the area is one of the most significant regions in terms of fish diversity and composition within the South Australian section of the Murray Darling Basin.

Wyndgate offers exciting opportunities for future study of threatened species and a unique ecological community, as well as challenging opportunities and cautions for adaptive management working within a highly regulated system to maintain aquatic values. In a time where the decline of the Murray has reached a critical point, the unique aquatic community at the terminus of the system is positive news, providing fresh incentive to push for environmental improvements within the Murray Darling Basin. Findings presented form a component of the National Parks and Wildlife (SA) Biological Survey Program and are placed in the context of a recent research program investigating the ecology and genetic structure of the southern pygmy perch, and also serve as introduction to an upcoming PhD program.