Summary report: Removal of Tandanus tandanus from Lake Nimbin, Kalamunda

Beatty, S.ORCID: 0000-0003-2620-2826, Keleher, J. and Allen, M. (2015) Summary report: Removal of Tandanus tandanus from Lake Nimbin, Kalamunda. Freshwater Fish Group and Fish Health Unit, Murdoch University

Abstract

The freshwater fishes of south‐western Australia are highly endemic to the region (~82% found nowhere else) and have been impacted by a number of stressors including habitat and water quality decline and introduced fishes. Introduced freshwater fishes are known to have potentially severe and unpredictable detrimental impacts on aquatic ecosystems. Tandanus tandanus is native to eastern Australia and was recently detected in an artificial lake in Nimbin Reserve, Kalamunda. If it became established in wild aquatic systems in the region, it has the potential to compete with (and predate on) native species of fishes (particularly the endemic Tandanus bostocki) and crayfishes.

The lake is on a tributary to the Piesse Brook. Whilst not known to flood regularly, there is an outlet pipe with a drainage line that leads into Piesse Brook and the Swan River. Therefore, it is paramount to eradicate the species from Nimbin Lake to mitigate the risk of their escape into other systems. Therefore, the current project aimed to undertake an initial, intensive, but one‐off removal program of T. tandanus (and any other introduced fishes encountered) to assess abundance and relative effectiveness of the methods.

The current report summarises the activities undertaken, the results, and outlines recommendations for further controls aimed at complete eradication of the species from the lake.

Item Type:	Report
Murdoch Affiliation(s):	Freshwater Fish Group & Fish Health Unit
Publisher:	Freshwater Fish Group and Fish Health Unit, Murdoch University
URI:	http://researchrepository.murdoch.edu.au/id/eprint/36484

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