National recovery plan for the Variegated Pygmy Perch (Nannoperca variegata)
Stephen Saddlier, Department of Sustainability and Environment, Victoria
Michael Hammer, University of Adelaide, South Australia
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- National recovery plan for the Variegated Pygmy Perch (Nannoperca variegata) (PDF - 367 KB) | (RTF - 1.3 MB)
Summary
The Variegated Pygmy Perch Nannoperca variegata is a small freshwater fish endemic to south-eastern Australia, where it occurs in a very restricted area in south-eastern South Australia and south-western Victoria. The species is listed as Vulnerable under the Australian Government Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999, and is also designated as Vulnerable on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Animals (IUCN 2006) and the Australian Society for Fish Biology 'Threatened Species List' (ASFB 2001). In Victoria the Variegated Pygmy Perch is listed as Threatened under the Flora and Fauna Guarantee Act 1988, and is considered Endangered (DSE 2003). In South Australia the species is protected under the Fisheries Act (1982) and has been listed as Endangered (Draft Threatened Species Schedules of the National Parks and Wildlife Act 1972).
It is likely that the Variegated Pygmy Perch has suffered a significant decline in abundance due to habitat changes to rivers and creeks through habitat alteration and groundwater extraction. This decline appears to be continuing, as at least one population has become extinct in recent decades. Major threats to Variegated Pygmy Perch include wetland drainage and groundwater extraction, climate change, habitat damage through grazing and lack of regeneration, and introduced fish competitors and predators. This is the first national Recovery Plan for the Variegated Pygmy Perch, and details its distribution, habitat, conservation status, threats, and recovery objectives and actions necessary to ensure its long-term survival.
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