Reflections Holidays is investing $1.13 million to protect endangered fish in Australian waterways in partnership with NSW’s Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development (DPIRD), with a focus on saving some species from possible extinction.
The 10-year investment by Reflections, the largest holiday park group in NSW and the only one nationally that is a social enterprise, aims to boost threatened native fish species like the Macquarie Perch by enhancing DPIRD’s threatened species recovery initiatives, by funding essential research to better understand the species’ biology.
On May 12, NSW DPIRD Fisheries staff set off on a five-day expedition travelling via raft along the Shoalhaven River in the hope of locating any remnant populations of the Kangaroo River Perch, a genetically distinct sub-species of the Macquarie Perch, which was last sighted over 20 years ago.
Kangaroo River Perch are currently classified as Macquarie Perch, however significant evidence suggests they are a separate unique species.
The purpose of the expedition was to collect water samples from over 100km of almost inaccessible sections of the Shoalhaven River and then have these samples analysed to see if they contain the DNA of the Kangaroo River Perch. The team also undertook targeted fyke netting surveys every night to increase their chances of detection.
Hope remains for the Kangaroo River Perch, considering that the species has been historically located in extremely remote and inaccessible locations, the Kangaroo River Perch population decline is symptomatic of the reduction in native freshwater fish species, with 47 per cent now considered threatened.
Working with Traditional Owners
During the expedition, DPIRD Fisheries worked with local Traditional Owners, utilising their knowledge to identify and target key areas of importance to them, while providing training and skills in collecting Environmental DNA (eDNA) samples.
“This is a long-term project that we’re proud to be supporting. As soon as we started conversations with NSW DPIRD Fisheries and they highlighted the funding and work required to protect threatened native fish species we knew it was something we wanted to be involved with,” Reflections Holidays CEO Nick Baker said.
“The decline of native fish species across wider NSW is sad to see – we’re determined to do everything we can, alongside DPIRD, to reverse this decline and try to recover some of our threatened native fish species – to bring them back from the brink.”
The Reflections-DPIRD partnership comes amid a concerted effort by the NSW Government to recover threatened native fish species, with the election promise of developing a 10-year plan to bring back the Trout Cod, further highlighting the issue at hand and the work required.
In addition to its $1.13M investment for the DPIRD partnership and associated programs, Reflections is poised to launch a Waterways Warrior program across its portfolio of 41 parks and properties. The program will educate guests about the importance of protecting waterways for future generations.
“This is a key area of focus for the NSW Government with native fish species experiencing an alarming decline in recent years – it’s critical that we act now and expand on current recovery programs.” DPIRD Senior Fisheries manager Luke Pearce said.
“The investment and input from Reflections Holidays will provide a huge boost to efforts, without this investment and involvement from industry, the future could look quite bleak for several of our native fish species here in NSW.”
