Conservation of the endangered red-finned blue-eye, Scaturiginichthys vermeilipinnis, and control of alien eastern gambusia, Gambusia holbrooki, in a spring wetland complex

The red-finned blue-eye is the only pseudomugilid fish known from inland Australia and it is found only within an isolated cluster of Great Artesian Basin springs on Edgbaston Reserve in central-western Queensland. Surveys conducted in early 2009 revealed that red-finned blue-eye was present in four individual springs and that invasion of the spring complex by alien eastern gambusia was the most likely factor contributing to local extirpations. A three-year project commenced in the same year, with the twin aims of investigating methods for removing gambusia from springs and relocating small populations of red-finned blue-eye to fish-free springs. Gambusia removal with rotenone has been successful in a trial spring at Edgbaston and aquatic invertebrates have not been adversely affected. From a total of seven relocation events conducted in the same period, red-finned blue-eye populations have persisted in three. The results indicate that gambusia removal and red-finned blue-eye relocation are both suitable methods for red-finned blue-eye conservation, and as the fish is both endangered and declining, these methods and other strategies such as captive breeding should be implemented to prevent species extinction.

Kerezsy and Fensham 2013