National recovery plan for four species of handfish
Department of the Environment and Heritage, 25 October 2005
Download
- Recovery Plan for four species of handfish (PDF - 77 KB)
- Issues paper: Population status of and threats to four handfish species (PDF - 290 KB)
About the plan
Handfish are small, colourful, relatively sedentary, benthic fish that prefer to 'walk' on their pectoral fins rather than swim. These pectoral fins are hand-like, hence their common name. Four species of handfish are listed as threatened under the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 (EPBC Act):
- Spotted handfish (Brachionichthys hirsutus)
- Red handfish (Brachionichthys politus)
- Waterfall Bay handfish (Sympterichthys sp. [CSIRO #T1996.01])
- Ziebell's handfish (Sympterichthys sp. [CSIRO #T6.01])
All of theses species of handfish are endemic to Tasmania.
The recovery plan addresses the statutory requirements of the EPBC Act. It identifies targeted actions that will assist the recovery of the species. The recovery plan is supported by a non-statutory, peer reviewed issues paper which describes the biology, threats and conservation status of the species.
About the issues paper
Four species of handfish are listed as threatened under the EPBC Act: spotted handfish (Brachionichthys hirsutus), red handfish (Brachionichthys politus), Waterfall Bay handfish (Sympterichthys sp. [CSIRO #T1996.01]) and Ziebell's handfish (Sympterichthys sp. [CSIRO #T6.01]). This paper provides background information on the biology of and threats to these species. It should be read in conjunction with the recovery plan for four species of handfish.
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