National recovery plan for the Yarry Pygmy Perch (Nannoperca obscura)
Stephen Saddlier, Department of Sustainability and Environment, Victoria
Michael Hammer, University of Adelaide, South Australia
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- National recovery plan for the Yarry Pygmy Perch (Nannoperca obscura) (PDF - 250 KB) | (RTF - 1.2 MB)
Summary
The Yarra Pygmy Perch Nannoperca obscura is a small freshwater fish endemic to south-eastern Australia, where it occurs in South Australia and Victoria. The species is listed as Vulnerable under the Australian Government Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999, and is also designated as Vulnerable on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Animals ( IUCN 2003) and on the Australian Society for Fish Biology threatened species list (ASFB 2001). In Victoria the Yarra Pygmy Perch is listed as Threatened under the Victorian Flora and Fauna Guarantee Act 1988, and as Near Threatened (DSE 2003). In South Australia the species is protected under the Fisheries Act (1982) and has been listed as Endangered (Draft Threatened Species Schedules of the National Parks and Wildlife Act 1972).
The Yarra Pygmy Perch is still widely distributed, but populations are fragmented and patchy across the landscape. It is likely that the species has suffered a significant decline in abundance due to habitat changes to rivers, creeks and shallow freshwater wetlands (particularly wetland drainage). This decline appears to be continuing, with at least three populations apparently becoming extinct in recent decades. Major threats to the Yarra Pygmy Perch include wetland drainage, climate change, habitat damage through grazing and lack of regeneration, and introduced fish competitors and predators. This is the first national Recovery Plan for the Yarra Pygmy Perch, and details its distribution, habitat, conservation status, threats, and recovery objectives and actions necessary to ensure its long-term survival.
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