Native Dwarf Galaxias fish may be small, but they are mighty important to the Gippsland Lakes Ramsar Site. That’s why we have just released 900 into the freshwater wetland of Macleod Morass.
The exciting event is part of the Love Our Lakes ‘Improving the wetlands of Jones Bay and Lake King’ project that aims to improve environmental conditions and habitat for native fauna in the fringing wetlands and shorelines of Jones Bay and Lake King.
The fish were bred by Chris Lemin, who specialises in growing native fish species at Middle Creek Farm, and released into several key identified areas of the freshwater morass that is part of the Gippsland Lakes Ramsar wetland.
Project partners East Gippsland Catchment Management Authority, Greening Australia, Parks Victoria and Gunaikurnai Land and Waters Aboriginal Corporation joined Chris Lamin to watch the release.
Just five centimetres long, Dwarf Galaxias are listed as Vulnerable at a national level and were upgraded to Endangered in Victoria in 2021. This includes the eastern populations of the fish in the Gippsland Lakes.
“It’s great to see so many partner organisations working in collaboration to complete another Love Our Lakes project to improve the health of the Lakes,” said Kim Allan, Project Coordinator for East Gippsland Catchment Management Authority.
This program is funded as part of the Victorian Government’s $248 million investment over four years (2020-2024) to improve the health of waterways and catchments across regional Victoria and made possible through $7.5 million to support the Gippsland Lakes Coordinating Committee and deliver onground works and community engagement.
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