Australia’s freshwater system contain a diverse variety of fish species, which include both native and invasive fish species. Many people may thinks of the rivers of Australia as containing muddy water only, but the country’s rivers contains ecosystems including numerous fish species. To understand the rivers of Australia, it is important for individual to understand the different types of fish that live within them; the ancient native fish species of Australia and the more moddern invasive fish species that has entered the ecosystem of the countrys freshwater systems.
While size is not the only factor that determine the importance of a fish species, many individuals tend to focus on fish species that contain great amounts of size. For instance, the Murray Cod is a fish species that contains great size and live in inland areas of Australia. Additionally, the lifespan of a Murray Cod can reach as long as fifty years within a single river system throughout Australia.
River Fish of Australia: Native and Invasive Species
The Barramundi is another fish species that contains great size, and which live in the northern areas of the country. Additionally, sportfish enthusiast target the Barramundi due to the power of the species. Despite the importance of these large fish species, there are others with different importance to the overall ecosystem.
The other fish species that live within Australia’s rivers and are of smaller size than those mentioned above, such as the Rainbowfish and Blue-eyes fish species, live along the margins of the water in which they reside. These smaller fish species adds color to the nation’s rivers, and while they are of interest to individuals who keep aquarium, these smaller species are also important to the health of the river systems of Australia. The smaller fish species are important as they are the first to indicate that the water systems of Australia are no longer healthy for the species that live within those ecosystem.
The Murray Darling Basin is one area in Australia that contain many different fish species, yet in which many of those species struggle to survive. The Golden Perch is one species that is exhibiting resilience within the basin. The Golden Perch species require floodwaters to spawn their eggs.
The Silver Perch is another species that lives within the Murray Darling Basin. However, the Silver Perch is a species that is becoming more difficultly to spot than it was within previous years. The reason for the decrease in the visibility of the Silver Perch is due to the changes in the river system throughout the basin, which the construction of dam to regulate the rivers throughout Australia caused.
In addition to the native fish species of Australia, there are some species that have become invasive, and which have begun to damage the environment. The Common Carp is one of these invasive species. The Common Carp species destroys the environment in which it live due to its tendency to stir the muddy waters and destroy native plant.
The native fish species of Australia rely upon these plants to hide from other fish. Thus, the introduction of the Common Carp has led to issue for the native fish species of Australia. Additionally, the Mosquitofish is another invasive fish species.
Many individuals has introduced this species into Australia with the intention of managing the number of pest in the environment. However, the species has become a problem within the country due to its tendency to attack the fry of various native fish species. The introduction of the Mosquitofish has, therefore, create a problem for the native fish species of Australia.
The ecosystems of Australia are fragile, and many of the fish species that live within them are at risk of dissapearing. Some of these species, like the Murray Hardyhead and the Pedder Galaxias, are only located in a few specific location throughout the country. Additionally, the classification of any species as critically endangered within Australia indicate that the species is at risk of becoming extinct.
The disappearance of these species has the potential to impact the entire evolutionary lineage of that type of fish. Finally, one way of managing the extinction of these species is through the legal aquarium trade. Breeding these native fish species within tank will create a “lifeboat” for these species that may disappear from the wild.
Additionally, breeding these species will allow individuals to appreciate the complexity of the ecosystems of Australia without adversely impacting their native river with the species that live within them.
