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Edgbaston Goby (Chlamydogobius squamigenus)

The Edgbaston goby is a small, bottom-dwelling freshwater fish restricted to permanent Great Artesian Basin spring wetlands and associated groundwater-fed waters in central Queensland. On development sites, the main risks are damage to spring wetlands, changes to groundwater discharge or surface flow, excavation, stock and feral animal disturbance, and the spread of eastern gambusia.

Conservation status

Commonwealth, EPBC Act 1999: Vulnerable.

Queensland, Nature Conservation Act 1992: Critically endangered.

Breeding season

The wild breeding calendar is not known. The pattern below combines the available captive breeding information with field observations that juveniles occur year round but are less common in winter, and that movement may occur during floods or heavy rainfall.

Before clearing or construction, survey permanent spring-fed wetlands and associated groundwater-fed waters using experienced fish ecologists. Visual census is suitable for these shallow habitats, but fish can hide in dense vegetation and absence during one search is not proof of absence.

  • Breeding: Spawning occurs above 20°C in captivity. The December to February peak is a warm-season field-planning indicator, not a confirmed wild breeding season.
  • Young: Juveniles may occur throughout the year but appear less common during winter. Newly hatched larvae are about 5 to 6 mm long.
  • Movement or dispersal: Rainfall or flooding may allow movement between springs, creek sections and bore-fed waters. The timing varies with local rainfall and flood events.
  • Highest clearing risk: Risk is year round because permanent spring habitat can contain adults, juveniles and potential spawning sites at any time. Warm-season disturbance may also coincide with breeding, but the wild breeding months are not known.

Identification

The Edgbaston goby is a small benthic fish found in very shallow artesian spring water. It is most likely to be detected by careful visual searches in clear water among emergent vegetation, rather than by relying on tracks or other terrestrial signs.

Adults grow to about 60 mm total length and are bottom-dwelling. Males in breeding condition are colourful, with an olive back grading to a golden-yellow belly, dark chequered blotches on the back and sides, blue to black fins with greyish-white margins, and a yellow flash along the top of the first dorsal fin.

Females are mostly mottled and drab, with uncoloured fins. Juveniles are generally found in shallower parts of the spring than adults.

Identification: Similar fish

The species is one of several closely related Chlamydogobius gobies in isolated arid-zone waters. The Elizabeth Springs goby occurs at Elizabeth Springs in western Queensland, while related species occur at Dalhousie Springs, in the Finke River and in the southern Lake Eyre Basin.

Eastern gambusia, also called mosquitofish, may occur in the same springs and bore drains. Small fish seen during a visual census should not be assumed to be Edgbaston gobies. Identification should be confirmed by an experienced freshwater fish ecologist or relevant Queensland agency staff.

  • Record the fish's body pattern, fin colour, size, waterbody, vegetation and associated fish.
  • Use expert identification for fish that could be Edgbaston gobies or gambusia.
  • Do not handle fish unnecessarily. If capture is authorised, keep handling time short and keep the fish in water.

Identification: Field signs and survey cues

There are no reliable tracks, scats, calls, nests, sloughs or eyeshine associated with this species. The principal field sign is the fish itself, seen moving or sheltering in shallow water.

During daylight, adults shelter near or among emergent vegetation. At night, adults may be some distance from cover and appear to forage. Fish often flee into dense vegetation when disturbed and do not school, so a single visual search can underestimate presence.

Visual census is an appropriate method in the shallow artesian springs and bore drains used by this species. Survey access may be difficult after rain, and surveys should be planned with relevant landholders and Queensland authorities.

  • Search shallow open water, narrow channels, spring outflows and dense emergent vegetation.
  • Inspect both the spring source and connected shallow habitat, because individuals may shelter in cover.
  • Record gambusia and other fish, water depth, water temperature if measured, flow condition and the extent of wet vegetation.

Distribution: National range

The Edgbaston goby is known only from Queensland. Its confirmed natural distribution is concentrated in the Barcaldine spring group and nearby groundwater-fed waters in the Thomson River catchment.

The species is restricted to central Queensland and has not been reported as a naturally occurring species from other Australian states. The main records are from the Edgbaston and Myross properties near Aramac, with additional records from groundwater-fed sections of Pelican Creek.

The known sites are within the Thomson River catchment and the Barcaldine Great Artesian Basin spring supergroup.

State: Queensland only

Catchment: Thomson River catchment

Spring group: Barcaldine supergroup

Distribution: Strongholds and subpopulations

The principal natural stronghold is the Edgbaston and Myross spring complex near Aramac. The complex contains about 40 individual springs spread over approximately 50 square metres, although the individual wetlands range from a few square metres to about one hectare.

The species has also been recorded in a spring-fed section of Pelican Creek, a bore-fed section of Pelican Creek, and a bore drain on Ravenswood approximately 30 km south-west of the main Edgbaston area. A population at Crossmoor Station was recorded historically, but the bore was later capped and the population is considered extinct in the Queensland spring-group assessment.

Distribution: Population and trend

Population estimates are difficult because disturbed fish flee into dense vegetation and hide. Monitoring from 1991 to 2005 found that subpopulations in individual springs were transient. The species was recorded in 23 springs, including one translocated population, but was confirmed in every systematic survey at only four springs.

Natural populations were present in 12 springs and a section of Pelican Creek in April 2005. Edgbaston goby numbers in individual springs were often small, with the Queensland spring-group assessment reporting populations commonly below 50 individuals. The available records indicate persistence across several sites but continuing vulnerability to loss of surface water and local habitat change.

Population estimate, Crossmoor bore drain: About 1,500 to 2,000 individuals in April 2005

Population estimate, Pelican Creek: More than 1,000 individuals in April 2005

Known springs during 1991 to 2005 monitoring: 23 springs, including one translocated population

Natural locations recorded in April 2005: 12 springs and a section of Pelican Creek

Typical small spring population reported for the Barcaldine group: Often fewer than 50 individuals

Habitat: Spring wetland habitat

Edgbaston gobies depend mainly on permanent, groundwater-fed wetlands associated with Great Artesian Basin discharge springs. The habitat is usually shallow, warm and vegetated, and can be very small.

The species mainly occurs in permanent wetlands supplied by Great Artesian Basin groundwater. Recorded habitats include artesian springs, spring-fed sections of Pelican Creek and a bore drain.

Springs may range from a few square metres to approximately one hectare. Individual springs generally have little surface flow beyond the source, but may connect with watercourses during overland flooding.

Spring wetland size: A few square metres to approximately one hectare

Typical water depth: Often less than 30 mm in small springs; 30 to 70 mm in areas with tussocks; pools usually less than 200 mm and occasionally up to 500 mm

Habitat: Vegetation and structure

Important spring vegetation includes tussocks of Sporobolus pamelae, shallow-water sedges such as Fimbristylis dichotoma and Cyperus laevigatus, and mats of Myriophyllum artesium and Eriocaulon carsonii. Black tea-tree, Melaleuca bracteata, occurs around some wetlands.

Suitable habitat includes a patchwork of shallow open water, emergent vegetation, organic substrate, narrow channels and deeper areas near the spring outflow. Juveniles use particularly shallow water, while adults shelter near emergent vegetation.

Habitat: Water and climate

The species tolerates large temperature variation. Recorded spring water temperatures ranged from 3°C in June to 38.5°C in November. Temperatures can differ by 1.5 to 4°C over distances as short as 0.3 m, depending on proximity to a groundwater vent.

The defining habitat requirement is persistent groundwater discharge. A spring may remain wet in an otherwise dry setting, but reduced aquifer pressure can reduce or stop spring flow.

Recorded water temperature range: 3°C to 38.5°C

Temperature difference over short distances: About 1.5 to 4°C over 0.3 m in some spring areas

Critical habitat area identified in the recovery plan: Permanent GAB spring-fed wetlands within 5 km of the Edgbaston and Myross springs

Foraging habitat: Food and feeding sites

Edgbaston gobies feed close to the bottom of shallow spring water and use vegetation for cover during the day. Their diet is inferred partly from anatomy and captive observations.

The species has a long, coiled intestine, which suggests that algae form an important part of the diet. Captive fish have also eaten small planktonic crustaceans.

Adults are apparently more active away from cover at night and are likely to forage over shallow spring substrates, vegetation and open-water patches. Juveniles occupy shallower areas than adults and may feed throughout the shallow spring habitat.

  • Search for feeding habitat around algal growth, emergent vegetation, shallow turf and organic-rich spring substrates.
  • Avoid disturbing algal mats, submerged vegetation and shallow channels during access or construction.
  • Treat all permanent spring water and connected shallow wetland as potential foraging habitat, even where fish are not seen.

Foraging habitat: Foraging range

A defined home range or daily foraging distance has not been reported. The species uses individual springs, shallow outflows and, during suitable flooding, connected creek or bore-drain habitat.

Subpopulations can appear and disappear from individual springs. This pattern may reflect movement between nearby waterbodies during floods as well as local changes in free surface water.

Breeding habitat: Breeding biology

Breeding habitat appears to be sheltered structure within warm, shallow permanent water. Wild spawning sites have not been identified, so captive observations provide the main available description of reproduction.

In captivity, males select a site often beneath a rock and attract females by extending their fins and making jerky swimming movements. Spawning usually occurs at night and lasts about one hour.

The male guards the eggs, which are attached to the roof of a cave or sheltered site. Mature males in spawning colouration have been found near crayfish burrows or undercut tussocks, and these sites may be vigorously defended.

The exact breeding season in the wild is not known. Spawning has been recorded in captivity at temperatures above 20°C, and juveniles have been observed throughout the year, although they appear less common in winter.

Spawning temperature: Above 20°C in captivity

Eggs per spawning event: About 40 to 100 eggs

Egg attachment site: The roof of a cave or sheltered site, often beneath a rock

Egg size: About 2.5 to 3.0 mm long and 0.8 to 1.0 mm in diameter after water hardening

Hatching: Starts after about 10 days and may continue over several days

Larval size at hatching: About 5 to 6 mm

Age at maturity: Anecdotal observations suggest a few months

Lifespan: Anecdotal observations suggest about two years

Breeding habitat: Features to retain

Potential breeding habitat includes shallow permanent water with undercut tussocks, rocks, crayfish burrows, dense emergent vegetation, small caves or cavities, and stable flow near groundwater vents.

The recovery information does not identify a separate breeding season or a specific wild nest structure. All suitable permanent spring habitat should therefore be treated as potential breeding habitat during site assessment and works.

  • Do not fill, excavate, reshape or dewater spring pools, undercut margins, shallow channels or vegetated outflows.
  • Maintain groundwater discharge and surface-water connections between spring pools where these connections occur naturally.
  • Plan fish surveys before works and obtain specialist advice if suitable habitat is within or downstream of the disturbance area.

Sheltering habitat: Daytime refuge

The Edgbaston goby shelters in dense shallow-water cover and uses small cavities or undercut structures for breeding and possibly refuge. Shelter can be destroyed by trampling, excavation, channel maintenance or loss of surface water.

Adult fish shelter near or among emergent vegetation during daylight. Dense tussocks, sedges, submerged plants, narrow channels and small open-water patches provide the main recorded cover.

Juveniles are usually found in shallower water than adults. When disturbed, fish flee into dense vegetation and hide, so absence from open water does not demonstrate absence from the spring.

  • Inspect dense emergent vegetation and shallow margins rather than searching only open water.
  • Keep vehicles, machinery, stock and people out of wet spring margins unless access is authorised and controlled.
  • Do not remove aquatic vegetation, organic substrate or accumulated material without specialist assessment.

Sheltering habitat: Sheltered spawning sites

Captive males selected sites beneath rocks, while mature males in the field were often found in or near common yabby, Cherax destructor, burrows or undercut tussocks. Wild spawning sites have not been confirmed.

These features should be retained wherever they occur in permanent spring-fed habitat. The relevant shelter structures can be small and may be damaged by hoofprints, excavation or channel re-contouring.

  • Retain rocks, undercut tussocks, crayfish burrows and stable vegetated banks in suitable spring habitat.
  • Do not delve or re-contour bore drains without checking for Edgbaston gobies and obtaining specialist advice.
  • Use exclusion fencing and alternative stock water where stock access is damaging spring margins.

Threats: Groundwater and flow change

The main risks to Edgbaston gobies arise from loss of permanent water, physical damage to very small spring wetlands, and introduced fish. Project activities should be assessed beyond the construction footprint because groundwater and surface-flow changes can affect connected spring habitat.

Aquifer drawdown reduces groundwater pressure and can reduce or stop spring flow. The Great Artesian Basin recovery information reports that pastoral bores have caused major pressure declines and that many spring complexes have become partly or completely inactive.

Bore capping, groundwater extraction, dewatering, trenching and other activities that alter groundwater pressure or discharge can affect habitat even when the work is outside the wetland itself. Artificial bore wetlands are not a reliable substitute for natural springs.

  • Map springs, groundwater-fed drainage lines, bores and bore drains within and downstream of the project area.
  • Assess whether excavation, pumping, dewatering or changed drainage could reduce spring flow or alter the connection between spring pools.
  • Maintain natural groundwater discharge and avoid uncontrolled changes to flow, water depth and wetland extent.

Threats: Physical disturbance

Excavation of springs, ponded pastures, bore-drain maintenance, vegetation removal and trampling can remove shallow pools, cover, undercut margins and spawning structures. The recovery plan identifies excavation, ponded pastures and stock disturbance as threats.

Feral pigs can damage spring margins and vegetation. Heavy stock use can create hoof depressions, increase turbidity and break shallow channels or vegetated edges.

  • Fence or otherwise exclude stock and feral pigs from sensitive springs and provide alternative water points.
  • Keep construction plant, laydown areas, access tracks, spoil and sediment controls outside spring wetlands and their immediate drainage paths.
  • Do not excavate, drain, deepen, straighten or re-contour spring habitat or bore drains without a species-specific assessment.

Threats: Introduced fish and other pests

Eastern gambusia can compete with Edgbaston gobies and may affect their persistence. The extent of the impact on Edgbaston gobies is not fully resolved, but increasing gambusia abundance has been associated with concern for the species.

Bore drains and artificial watering points can provide pathways or stepping stones for aquatic pests. Cane toads and other introduced animals are recognised threats to spring fauna generally, although their species-specific effect on Edgbaston gobies is less certain.

  • Record and report gambusia during fish surveys and prevent transfer of fish, water, mud or aquatic vegetation between waterbodies.
  • Clean and dry nets, traps, pumps, boots, vehicles and other equipment before moving between wetlands.
  • Do not release aquarium fish, bait or captured fish into springs, drains or creeks.

Threats: Clearing, fragmentation and fire

The documents do not identify a separate road or fire threat for Edgbaston gobies. However, clearing or fragmenting spring vegetation can remove cover, increase access by stock and machinery, alter runoff and damage the shallow wetland structure on which the fish depend.

Fire should be planned so that it does not remove all emergent cover from a spring or increase erosion and sediment entry. Any burn near a spring should account for the permanent wetland, its vegetated margins and access controls.

  • Treat all permanent spring-fed wetland, wetland margins and connected shallow channels as potential habitat during clearing assessments.
  • Use exclusion zones and clearly marked no-go areas around springs before vegetation clearing or earthworks start.
  • Prevent sediment, hydrocarbons, concrete washout and other pollutants from entering spring water.

Survey methodology: 1. Confirm potential habitat and survey scope

The Edgbaston goby is a small, cryptic fish of permanent, shallow, groundwater-fed wetlands and artesian bore drains. Surveys must be led by experienced freshwater fish ecologists, especially where works may affect Great Artesian Basin discharge springs near Edgbaston and Myross in central Queensland.

Known distribution: Artesian springs in central Queensland, including Edgbaston and Myross, sections of Pelican Creek and a bore drain record from the Thomson River catchment.

Critical habitat description: All permanent spring-fed wetlands with a Great Artesian Basin groundwater source within 5 km of the Edgbaston and Myross springs.

Typical habitat: Shallow, warm, clear, well-vegetated waterbodies, generally less than 10 cm deep in artesian springs.

  • Map all permanent spring-fed wetlands, groundwater seeps, artesian bore drains, connected channels and nearby wetland vegetation within and downstream of the project area.
  • Treat permanent spring-fed wetlands with a Great Artesian Basin groundwater source within 5 km of the Edgbaston and Myross springs as habitat critical to the species' survival.
  • Include areas that could be affected indirectly by altered groundwater pressure, drainage, flooding, sediment movement, construction access or changes to bore flows.
  • Record whether each waterbody is natural spring habitat, a bore drain, a rainfall-fed waterhole or another habitat type, because populations sustained by bore outflows are not considered critical for survival.

Survey methodology: 2. Visual census in shallow springs

Recommended method: Visual census by experienced observers.

Water depth in spring habitat: Generally less than 10 cm, with some documented spring areas 5 to 70 mm deep and associated pools usually less than 200 mm deep.

Detection limitation: Fish do not school when disturbed and usually flee to dense vegetation or other cover.

Published effort level: Low to moderate effort for experts using visual census, but travel to isolated sites and access to private land require advance planning.

  • Use visual census as the primary detection method, as experts familiar with Queensland artesian springs have successfully detected these fish visually.
  • Survey during dry conditions where practicable, because wet weather can make access difficult and may alter surface water connections.
  • Search shallow open water, emergent vegetation, spring outflows, narrow connecting channels and undercut tussocks systematically.
  • Approach slowly and avoid stirring sediment or trampling vegetation before observations are complete.
  • Allow fish disturbed by the observer to settle before continuing the search, because gobies flee into cover rather than forming a school.
  • Record the number of fish seen, their locations, water depth, vegetation cover, water temperature if measured, flow condition and evidence of gambusia or larger fish.
  • Use a qualified fish ecologist who can distinguish Edgbaston gobies from eastern gambusia and other small fish present in the springs.

Survey methodology: 3. Supplementary sampling and habitat assessment

Dispersal context: Rainfall or flooding may allow gobies to move between waterbodies.

Recorded movement areas: The species has been recorded in spring wetlands, a spring-fed section of Pelican Creek, a bore-fed section of Pelican Creek and bore drains.

Important limitation: The available survey guideline gives no prescribed species-specific season, time of day, trap design or trap-night requirement.

  • Use additional fish sampling only where visual census cannot reliably establish presence or absence and where the method is authorised for the site.
  • Select gear and effort with the project fish ecologist and Queensland wildlife or fisheries authority, because the survey guideline does not prescribe a species-specific trap, net or electrofishing method for this group.
  • Do not use sampling methods that substantially alter shallow spring channels, remove emergent vegetation or expose fish to unnecessary handling or stress.
  • Survey connected bore drains and groundwater-fed creek sections where hydrology indicates that fish could move between habitats during floods or heavy rainfall.
  • Inspect for eastern gambusia, noting its abundance and distribution because competition and predation by gambusia are identified threats to the Edgbaston goby.
  • Repeat surveys where water levels, flow, turbidity or recent flooding prevent reliable detection, and document the reason for any repeat visit.

Survey methodology: Minimum effort and reporting

  • Use a qualified fish ecologist and increase effort until all suitable spring, seep, bore-drain and connected wetland habitat has been visually inspected or the ecologist records why further inspection would not improve detection confidence.
  • Document survey dates, start and finish times, weather, recent rainfall, access conditions, water depth, flow, water clarity, vegetation condition, survey area, observer names, method and all fish detections or non-detections.
  • Photograph representative habitat and map each observation with coordinates, including the exact spring, drain section or creek reach.
  • Report records and survey results to the relevant Queensland wildlife or fisheries database and to the relevant database in any other jurisdiction where the species is encountered.
  • Provide records to the project approval holder and include them in any EPBC Act referral, approval reporting, state permit return or environmental incident report that applies to the works.
  • Treat an unexpected detection, a new population or a record outside the documented range as a trigger for immediate advice from the relevant state authority and the project ecologist.

Before habitat disturbance: Avoid and minimise

Plan the project around the spring hydrology, not just the visible wetland footprint. A small change in groundwater pressure, surface flow, access or vegetation condition can affect habitat used by this isolated fish.

Species size: A small bottom-dwelling fish that grows to about 60 mm.

Key habitat feature: Permanent, shallow, warm, well-vegetated waterbodies with groundwater from the Great Artesian Basin.

Connectivity: Flooding or heavy rainfall may allow dispersal between spring groups and other waterbodies.

  • Redesign works to avoid permanent spring-fed wetlands, spring vents, outflows, narrow connecting channels and groundwater-fed sections of creeks.
  • Retain the full wetland and its emergent vegetation wherever possible, including shallow margins used by juveniles and deeper patches used by adults.
  • Avoid activities that could reduce Great Artesian Basin pressure, divert spring flow, drain wetland areas, increase sedimentation or connect the site to gambusia-bearing water.
  • Maintain hydrological and flood connectivity between suitable retained waterbodies where it can be done without introducing invasive fish.
  • Keep construction plant, spoil, fuels, concrete washout and dewatering discharge away from spring water and bore drains.
  • Do not rely on a bore drain or artificial wetland as a substitute for natural spring habitat, because artificial flowing-bore habitat is generally unsuitable for endemic spring species.

Before habitat disturbance: Approvals and work planning

National status: Vulnerable under the EPBC Act.

Queensland status: Critically Endangered in the user-provided listing information; the cited recovery and GAB documents also record an endangered Queensland status in their source-era tables.

  • Check whether the action may significantly affect this EPBC Act vulnerable species or its habitat and obtain project-specific advice on referral and approval requirements before works begin.
  • Obtain all applicable Queensland permits and approvals for handling, capturing, possessing, relocating or disturbing native fish and for work in or near protected wetlands and groundwater infrastructure.
  • Prepare a fauna management plan that identifies the goby, mapped habitat, exclusion zones, survey methods, authorised handlers, stop-work triggers, incident contacts and release locations.
  • Stage works so that no machinery enters suitable spring or drain habitat until the fish ecologist has completed the pre-clearance survey and the site supervisor has accepted the controls.
  • Schedule intrusive works during dry access conditions where practicable, while recognising that fish presence is not excluded by season, rainfall or temporary surface-water change.
  • Consult landholders and the relevant Queensland authority before altering bore flows, capping bores, dewatering drains or changing access to private spring habitat.

Before habitat disturbance: Site preparation

  • Complete a pre-clearance inspection of all mapped suitable habitat immediately before works, using the approved visual census method.
  • Mark spring vents, wetland boundaries, outflows, shallow vegetated areas, connecting channels and no-entry buffers on plans and on the ground.
  • Install exclusion fencing and clear signage around retained springs and wetland margins where fencing can prevent plant, vehicle, stock or pedestrian access without blocking required fish movement.
  • Provide alternative access routes and, where relevant, alternative stock water so retained wetlands are not used as work areas or watering points.
  • Clean and dry machinery, boots, nets, buckets and other equipment before entering or leaving each waterbody to reduce transfer of gambusia, other aquatic pests, weeds and pathogens.
  • Brief all workers on the fish identification image, the no-entry areas, the stop-work process and the requirement to report any fish sighting immediately.

During habitat disturbance: Daily controls and machinery interface

Keep machinery out of retained spring habitat and use a stop-work process for every fish detection. The fauna spotter catcher supports the work crew but does not replace the authorised fish ecologist or state approval holder.

  • Inspect exclusion fencing, signage, sediment controls, dewatering controls and equipment hygiene before work starts each day.
  • Have the fauna spotter catcher walk the work edge with the machine operator before disturbance begins and identify the approved disturbance boundary.
  • Use a spotter to maintain visual control of the wetland edge, shallow channels, seepage areas and any water exposed by excavation or dewatering.
  • Stop the machine immediately if water is encountered outside the mapped disturbance area, if a spring vent or wetland connection is exposed, or if fish are seen.
  • Do not pump, divert, fill, drain, trench through or discharge into spring water unless the action is specifically approved and supervised under the fauna management plan.
  • Keep spoil, sediment, fuel, concrete, wash water and contaminated runoff out of all retained waterbodies and flow paths.
  • Prevent machinery, stock and workers from trampling emergent vegetation or entering shallow water unless the approved method specifically requires entry.

During habitat disturbance: Fish handling and relocation

Handling sensitivity: The species is small and bottom-dwelling, and juveniles use shallower areas than adults.

Relocation context: A documented translocation into a spring pool became locally extinct within about 10 months, so relocation is not a routine substitute for avoidance.

  • Treat every small goby-like fish in suitable habitat as a potential Edgbaston goby until identified by the authorised fish ecologist.
  • Stop work, protect the location and notify the project ecologist if a fish is found within the disturbance footprint or in water affected by the works.
  • Do not allow untrained workers to catch, retain, transport or release the fish.
  • Use only the capture, holding, transport and release methods approved by the relevant Queensland authority and the project fauna management plan.
  • Keep handling to the minimum needed for identification and authorised relocation, use wet hands or suitable wet equipment, and keep fish in water for the shortest possible time.
  • Release an authorisedly relocated fish into nearby retained, suitable habitat selected by the fish ecologist, without transferring water, plants, mud or equipment that could carry gambusia or pathogens.
  • Do not relocate fish to an artificial wetland, another property or a different spring complex unless the relevant authority has approved that action.
  • Send injured fish to an approved aquatic wildlife rehabilitator or veterinarian through the authorised project contact, and record any mortality as an incident.

During habitat disturbance: Stop-work triggers and records

  • Stop the affected activity for any confirmed or probable Edgbaston goby detection, unexpected spring vent, loss of flow, fish kill, major sediment release, gambusia detection in a new area or failure of an exclusion control.
  • Maintain the stop until the fauna spotter catcher, fish ecologist, site supervisor and relevant approval contact have agreed on the response.
  • Record the date, time, location, activity, machinery, water condition, fish identification, photographs, number of fish, action taken, personnel involved and time work resumed.
  • Report any death, injury, unapproved handling, habitat damage, water-quality incident or unauthorised wetland entry under the project approval and fauna management plan.
  • Update the habitat map and construction controls when a new spring, drain connection, fish population or invasive fish occurrence is found.

After habitat disturbance: Completion checks

Post-work checks must show that spring flow, shallow vegetated habitat and water quality have been retained. A clean work completion record is not enough if the wetland remains hydrologically altered or invasive fish have spread.

  • Inspect all retained springs, outflows, channels, bore drains and wetland margins after the work area is stabilised and after the first substantial rainfall or flow event, where safe to do so.
  • Check for continuing flow, changed water depth, blocked or redirected channels, sediment deposition, turbidity, fuel or concrete contamination, damaged vegetation and new access by machinery or stock.
  • Remove temporary crossings, pumps, hoses, spoil, sediment barriers and exclusion structures only when the fish ecologist confirms that their removal will not damage habitat or interrupt flow.
  • Complete a post-clearance visual census where works occurred within or adjacent to suitable habitat, using the same mapped locations and observation method as the pre-clearance survey.
  • Inspect nearby retained habitat for fish stranded by dewatering or altered flow and follow the authorised response plan if fish are found.

After habitat disturbance: Monitoring and reporting

Monitoring concern: Sub-populations within individual springs can be transient, and the species has not been reconfirmed in every spring where it was previously recorded.

Known persistence pattern: Monitoring recorded the species in 23 springs, but presence was reconfirmed at every systematic survey in only four springs during the cited monitoring period.

  • Monitor retained habitat at the frequency and duration specified in the approval or fauna management plan, including after flow changes, flooding, dewatering or major construction events.
  • Compare post-work observations with baseline records for fish presence, spring flow, water depth, vegetation cover, water clarity and gambusia occurrence.
  • Report all confirmed records, mortalities, injuries, habitat impacts, control failures and corrective actions to the approval holder and relevant state wildlife database.
  • Notify the relevant authority promptly if the species is absent after disturbance, if habitat dries, or if gambusia appears in a previously unoccupied retained waterbody.
  • Maintain exclusion fencing, hygiene controls, sediment controls and alternative stock-water arrangements until monitoring confirms that they are no longer needed.
  • Apply any approved offset, conservation payment, habitat protection or rehabilitation requirement, noting that artificial watering points do not directly replace natural spring wetlands.

Rehabilitation actions: Restore spring habitat and hydrology

Rehabilitation should restore permanent, shallow, vegetated groundwater habitat and prevent new threats. It should not be treated as successful merely because a disturbed area is wet again.

Recorded spring plants: Sporobolus pamelae occurs within Edgbaston spring boundaries, while Fimbristylis dichotoma, Cyperus laevigatus, Myriophyllum artesium and Eriocaulon carsonii are also recorded from the habitat.

Habitat depth: Tussock areas are commonly 30 to 70 mm deep, turf areas 5 to 50 mm deep, and associated pools usually less than 200 mm deep.

  • Reinstate natural spring contours, shallow pools, narrow connecting channels and low-flow outflows using the pre-work survey and approved hydrological design.
  • Maintain groundwater discharge and avoid designs that lower aquifer pressure, drain the wetland or convert flowing habitat to an unsuitable artificial waterbody.
  • Retain or re-establish emergent vegetation, including local sedges and grasses such as Fimbristylis dichotoma, Cyperus laevigatus and Sporobolus pamelae where they are appropriate to the local spring community.
  • Use local seed or plant material from an approved source and do not introduce fish, aquatic plants, soil or water from another spring complex.
  • Remove or control introduced prickly acacia and parkinsonia around the wetland where they threaten spring vegetation, following the approved weed management method.
  • Stabilise disturbed ground with methods that prevent sediment entering spring water and do not bury vents, shallow pools or wetland margins.

Rehabilitation actions: Control predators, competitors and access

  • Prevent eastern gambusia from entering rehabilitated springs through equipment hygiene, screened water transfers, flow management and approved barriers where appropriate.
  • Develop gambusia control with the relevant fish ecologist and authority, because the effects of gambusia on Edgbaston goby populations require site-specific assessment.
  • Repair and maintain pig fencing and continue approved feral pig control around spring wetlands.
  • Fence selected springs where stock damage is occurring and provide alternative water sources that do not connect stock water to the springs.
  • Keep cattle, pigs, vehicles and people from trampling shallow vegetated habitat while plants and channel structure recover.
  • Do not introduce cane toads, gambusia or other aquatic animals during rehabilitation, and inspect water sources and equipment before use.

Rehabilitation actions: Success measures and follow-up

  • Set measurable success criteria for retained groundwater flow, water depth, wetland area, emergent vegetation cover, absence of construction contamination, absence or controlled abundance of gambusia and confirmed goby use where detection is feasible.
  • Inspect and photograph fixed monitoring points before rehabilitation, during establishment and after major rainfall or flow events.
  • Repeat visual fish surveys by an experienced observer and interpret non-detection cautiously because individual spring populations can fluctuate and fish hide in dense vegetation.
  • Record the condition of each spring separately rather than relying on a site-wide presence result, because the species can occur in some springs and disappear from others.
  • Continue monitoring until the approved authority and fish ecologist agree that hydrology, vegetation, access controls and invasive fish controls are stable.
  • Submit the final rehabilitation, fish survey and incident records to the approval holder and relevant state wildlife database.

Sources