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Lake Eacham Rainbowfish (Melanotaenia eachamensis)

The Lake Eacham rainbowfish is a small, endangered freshwater fish confined to the Atherton Tableland and nearby Wet Tropics catchments of Queensland. It uses permanent lakes, upland streams, tributaries and some impoundments, so works that disturb aquatic habitat or enable fish translocation can affect remaining populations and their genetic integrity.

Conservation status

Commonwealth, EPBC Act 1999: Endangered.

Breeding season

The supplied documents do not establish a seasonal breeding calendar for the Lake Eacham rainbowfish. The species uses permanent freshwater habitat, so aquatic habitat protection and fish management should be maintained throughout the year.

Months are January to December. A value of 0 means that the supplied documents do not identify a typical occurrence period, while 1 marks a precautionary management period rather than a documented seasonal peak.

  • Survey activity: The species occurs in permanent lakes and streams. Survey timing should be selected for safe access and suitable water conditions, with seines and traps used by authorised personnel.
  • Highest clearing risk: Treat all months as a potential risk period because the species occupies permanent aquatic habitat and its breeding and young periods are not defined in the supplied documents. Risk is highest whenever works dewater, isolate, pollute or physically disturb occupied habitat.

Identification

This is a small, laterally compressed rainbowfish from upland freshwater habitats in north Queensland. Identification in the field is difficult, particularly where it overlaps or hybridises with other rainbowfish.

Adults may reach 8 cm standard length, but most are less than 6 cm. Sexual maturity occurs at about 2 to 3 cm in both sexes.

Males are more strongly coloured than females. Described Lake Eacham males have an overall bronze body, a jet-black first dorsal fin and maroon-red second dorsal and anal fins. Females are plainer and have smaller, more rounded dorsal and anal fins.

Maximum size: 8 cm standard length

Usual size: Less than 6 cm standard length

Maturity: About 2 to 3 cm

Identification: Separating similar fish

The species is difficult to separate from eastern rainbowfish, Melanotaenia splendida splendida, and Utchee rainbowfish, Melanotaenia utcheensis. Relevant differences include body shape, fin ray counts, scale counts, head shape and the position of the dorsal fins, but field identification is not always reliable.

Hybridisation with M. splendida has been reported in the Wet Tropics. Genetic samples may therefore be needed for confirmation. High-quality side-on photographs of live fish can assist identification, and selected individuals may require fin clipping under appropriate permits.

  • Treat an uncertain rainbowfish from suitable Atherton Tableland habitat as a potential Lake Eacham rainbowfish until an experienced fish ecologist confirms its identity.
  • Record the exact capture location, habitat, photographs and associated rainbowfish species.
  • Use genetic confirmation where the field characters are intermediate or where M. splendida or M. utcheensis occurs nearby.

Identification: Field signs and survey detection

There are no species-specific tracks, scats, calls, nests, burrows, sloughs or eyeshine signs. Detection relies on seeing or capturing fish in freshwater habitat.

Recommended survey methods include seines, baited or unbaited traps, small seine nets and scoop nets. Traps and nets should be used by suitably authorised personnel and handled in accordance with animal ethics, biosecurity and threatened species requirements.

  • Use a combination of seine and trap methods because a single method may not detect the species.
  • Obtain clear side-on photographs before releasing fish where identification is uncertain.
  • Prevent transfer of water, equipment and fish between catchments to reduce the risk of spreading fish, pathogens or genetic material.

Distribution: National range

The species is restricted to Queensland, principally the Atherton Tableland and adjoining Wet Tropics catchments. Its distribution is complicated by historical translocations, hybridisation and uncertainty in separating it from closely related rainbowfish.

The Lake Eacham rainbowfish is known only from Queensland. Records and studies place it in the Atherton Tableland and the Barron, Johnstone, Tully and Herbert River drainages in the Wet Tropics region.

The species has been recorded from upland and tributary habitats, including the North and South Johnstone systems, upper Tully River tributaries, Koombooloomba Dam and parts of the Herbert drainage. The supplied sources do not establish a current continuous range.

Australian states: Queensland only

Bioregional setting: Atherton Tableland and Wet Tropics region of north Queensland

Reported drainages: Barron, Johnstone, Tully and Herbert River drainages

Distribution: Known populations and strongholds

The original type locality was Lake Eacham, a 43 ha volcanic crater lake. The species was abundant there in the 1970s but was not found during the 1987 survey and is regarded as locally extinct from that lake.

Wild populations were later identified in surrounding streams and other waterbodies. Dirran Creek was identified as a relatively pure population in earlier work. The species was also recorded in several Johnstone River sites, upper Tully tributaries, Koombooloomba Dam, Bromfield Swamp and parts of the Herbert drainage.

Some reported occurrences contain M. eachamensis genes, M. splendida genes or mixed populations. Current site status should therefore be checked with recent records and, where necessary, genetic testing.

Lake Eacham: 43 ha; locally extinct by 1987

Johnstone drainage: Detected at 14 of 25 sites examined in one study, usually with M. splendida also present

Dirran Creek: Identified as a pure or relatively pure population in the cited study

Tully drainage: Recorded mainly in upstream areas, including Koombooloomba Dam

Population size: No total wild population estimate is provided in the supplied documents

Distribution: Trend and survey interpretation

The species suffered a major decline and local extinction at Lake Eacham after translocated native fish became established. Wild populations were subsequently found elsewhere, so the species was not extinct in the wild.

Distribution estimates differ between studies because morphology can overlap and hybridisation occurs. A presence or absence decision based only on visual identification should be treated cautiously.

Habitat: Waterbodies and streams

The species is primarily associated with permanent freshwater habitats on the Atherton Tableland and in nearby Wet Tropics catchments. Although named for a lake population, research indicates that it should generally be treated as a stream-dwelling rainbowfish.

Recorded habitat includes permanent volcanic crater lakes, upland tributaries, forested streams, river reaches, swamps and impoundments. Lake Eacham is deep and permanent, with seasonal water-level fluctuation and a maximum depth of 65.5 m during the wet season.

The species was most often recorded in upland parts of the Johnstone and Tully systems. In the Johnstone drainage it occurred above 80 m elevation and was most common at elevations above 100 m in the cited study. In the Tully drainage, most records were from streams above the Tully Falls at more than 700 m elevation.

Lake Eacham area: 43 ha

Lake Eacham maximum depth: 65.5 m during the wet season

Reported water temperature: 18 to 28°C in Lake Eacham

Johnstone records: Above 80 m elevation, with the species most common above 100 m in the cited survey

Tully records: Mainly above the Tully Falls, at more than 700 m elevation

  • Map all permanent and seasonal freshwater features within and downstream of a project area before clearing or construction begins.
  • Include small tributaries, irrigation channels, swamps, lake margins and impoundments in the habitat assessment.
  • Assess upstream and downstream connectivity where works may alter flows or provide pathways for fish movement.

Habitat: Catchment and vegetation setting

The species occurs in the forested Wet Tropics region, including upland tributaries surrounded by rainforest or former rainforest. The supplied documents do not define a particular vegetation community, riparian width or channel dimension required by the species.

Bromfield Swamp is a shallow, partially breached volcanic crater in the North Johnstone headwaters. Its example shows that shallow swamp habitat, as well as deeper lakes and flowing streams, can support records of the species.

Foraging habitat: Feeding information

The supplied documents do not provide a species-specific diet, prey list or measured foraging range. Field assessments should therefore treat all suitable aquatic habitat used by the fish as potential feeding habitat.

No documented diet, feeding depth, feeding rate or foraging-range measurement is given in the supplied sources. Do not infer that a site is unimportant because fish are not seen feeding during a brief inspection.

As a small freshwater rainbowfish, it may occur throughout the occupied waterbody or stream reach, but the documents do not support a more specific description of feeding locations or prey.

  • Inspect shallow margins, pools, runs and vegetated or structurally complex areas when assessing potential habitat.
  • Use repeat sampling with seines and traps rather than relying only on daytime visual searches.
  • Retain water quality, flow, bank cover and aquatic habitat through the full reach likely to be affected by works.

Breeding habitat: Breeding biology

The supplied sources provide a size at sexual maturity but do not give a confirmed breeding season, clutch size, egg development time or lifespan. Breeding habitat should be protected wherever adults or suitable habitat occur.

Rainbowfish breeding observations, clutch size and egg incubation details for M. eachamensis are not provided in the supplied documents. The species has been successfully maintained in captivity, but those sources do not provide field breeding parameters.

Hybridisation with M. splendida has been documented or reported in the Wet Tropics. This makes protection of locally distinct populations and prevention of unauthorised fish movement important during project planning.

Sexual maturity: About 2 to 3 cm for both sexes

Breeding season: Not specified in the supplied documents

Clutch size: Not specified in the supplied documents

Egg incubation: Not specified in the supplied documents

Lifespan: Not specified in the supplied documents

  • Do not schedule aquatic disturbance on the assumption that the species has a harmless season unless a current species expert or recovery authority confirms the timing.
  • Avoid moving fish, water, sediment or aquatic plants between catchments or isolated waterbodies.
  • Treat occupied streams, lake margins, swamps and impoundments as potential breeding habitat until survey and genetic information indicate otherwise.

Breeding habitat: Breeding habitat features

The documents identify permanent lakes, streams, tributaries, swamps and impoundments as occupied habitats, but do not define a particular spawning substrate or aquatic plant association for this species.

Works that remove aquatic cover, isolate pools, alter flow or introduce predatory fish may affect recruitment even where adult fish are not observed during a single survey.

Sheltering habitat: Known refuge settings

No species-specific refuges, burrows, hollows or shelter dimensions are described. Shelter is provided by the aquatic habitat itself, including persistent waterbodies and stream habitat.

The species has been recorded in deep permanent lakes, upland streams, tributaries, swamps and impoundments. Lake Eacham reached a maximum depth of 65.5 m during the wet season, but the sources do not show that the fish requires deep water for shelter.

The supplied documents do not identify a minimum pool depth, bank-cover type, aquatic plant species, refuge size or preferred woody debris structure.

Deep-water example: Lake Eacham has a reported maximum depth of 65.5 m during the wet season

Shelter dimensions: No species-specific dimensions are provided

  • Keep fish habitat connected during staged clearing and construction, including isolated pools and small tributaries.
  • Prevent sudden dewatering, sediment deposition or blockage of stream channels and lake margins.
  • Use qualified aquatic fauna personnel if fish must be captured, held or relocated under an approved procedure.

Threats: Introduced and translocated fish

The strongest documented threat is predation by translocated native fish. Habitat disturbance, altered connectivity, unauthorised fish movement and hybridisation are also relevant to projects in the Atherton Tableland and Wet Tropics.

Translocated native fish became established in Lake Eacham before 1983. Mouth almighty, Glossamia aprion, was identified as the principal predator associated with the local extinction of the Lake Eacham rainbowfish. Banded grunter, archer fish and bony herring also became established during the same period, and their diets indicate potential predation or competition.

The species may also be affected by other introduced fish in occupied streams and impoundments. Translocation can alter predator and prey relationships, food availability and habitat use.

  • Do not release, stock or transfer fish into project waterbodies.
  • Inspect proposed water transfers, fish salvage and dewatering procedures for pathways that could move predatory or non-local fish.
  • Report suspected introduced fish in or near occupied habitat to the relevant Queensland authority.

Threats: Habitat alteration and hydrology

The sources describe decline in the natural condition of Lake Eacham and records of fish movement through irrigation channels and impoundments. These examples show that altered water infrastructure can change fish distributions and increase contact between species.

The supplied documents do not quantify the effects of clearing, roads, fire, sedimentation, pollution or specific flow changes on this species. Project risks should nevertheless be assessed for direct loss of aquatic habitat, altered flows, barriers, poor water quality and increased access for unauthorised stocking.

  • Keep construction material, sediment and contaminated water out of streams, swamps, lakes and irrigation channels.
  • Maintain environmental flows and aquatic connectivity wherever the project affects a watercourse or impoundment.
  • Design crossings and temporary access routes to avoid isolating pools or creating new fish transfer pathways.
  • Include downstream habitat in impact assessments where dewatering, discharge or altered flows are proposed.

Threats: Hybridisation and identification risk

Hybridisation with M. splendida has been reported in the Wet Tropics. Historical dispersal and translocations have produced a complicated distribution pattern, and some fish cannot be reliably assigned to species from appearance alone.

This creates a project risk because an apparently common rainbowfish may include the endangered species or mixed genetic material.

  • Have an experienced rainbowfish ecologist review captures and photographs.
  • Retain voucher photographs and location data for all uncertain rainbowfish records.
  • Use genetic testing where species identity affects the project decision or management response.

Threats: Other threats

The supplied documents do not provide species-specific evidence for road mortality, fire impacts, disease, parasites or fragmentation effects. These threats should not be dismissed, but their significance must be assessed from the actual waterbody, catchment connections and proposed works.

Translocated fish may also introduce disease or parasites, and interbreeding may compromise the genetic integrity of native fish.

Survey methodology: 1. Map habitat and confirm the target area

Lake Eacham rainbowfish is an endangered freshwater fish associated with the Atherton Tableland and nearby coastal drainage systems in north Queensland. Survey aquatic habitat that may be affected directly or indirectly, including upstream and downstream reaches, lakes, permanent pools, tributary streams and wetlands. [No source ids in text]

Define the project area and any areas that could be affected indirectly, including downstream habitat. Map rivers, streams, lakes, wetlands, pools, aquatic vegetation and barriers to fish movement before selecting survey sites.

Known regional setting: Atherton Tableland and associated coastal drainage systems in north Queensland

Recorded drainage systems: Barron, Johnstone, Tully and Herbert River drainages

Lake Eacham size: 43 hectares

Lake Eacham maximum depth: 65.5 metres during the wet season

  • Give priority to permanent and semi-permanent freshwater habitats on the Atherton Tableland, including the Barron, Johnstone, Tully and Herbert drainage systems.
  • Include surrounding streams and tributaries where the species may occur, rather than limiting the survey to Lake Eacham.
  • Record habitat condition, water depth, flow, connectivity, elevation and the likely use of each site for shelter, feeding or breeding.

Survey methodology: 2. Seine, scoop and dip-net sampling

Use a combination of small seines and scoop nets, as recommended for Lake Eacham rainbowfish. Sample suitable margins, shallow runs, pools and areas with cover, while avoiding unnecessary disturbance to occupied habitat.

Recommended methods: Seines, baited and unbaited traps, small seine nets and scoop nets

Identification issue: The species can be difficult to separate from Melanotaenia splendida splendida and Melanotaenia utcheensis

  • Use repeated hauls at representative habitat units and record the length, width and habitat type of each sampled section.
  • Inspect captured fish promptly and return non-target fish to the water as soon as practicable.
  • Use experienced rainbowfish personnel because field identification is often unreliable.

Survey methodology: 3. Baited and unbaited traps

Use baited or unbaited traps with seine sampling where access and habitat allow. Trap placement must not obstruct fish passage or damage aquatic vegetation.

Recommended trap timing: Within two hours after dawn or before dusk

Trap clearing interval: 15 to 45 minutes after setting

  • Set traps within two hours after dawn or before dusk, then clear them 15 to 45 minutes after setting.
  • Record trap type, number of traps, set time, retrieval time, habitat, water conditions and catch for every trap.
  • Use short set periods and check traps promptly to reduce stress, predation and incidental capture.

Survey methodology: 4. Identification, photography and genetics

Treat a visual identification as provisional where Melanotaenia splendida splendida, Melanotaenia utcheensis or hybrids may occur. The survey guideline states that genetic samples may be needed for confirmation.

Species size: Usually less than 6 centimetres standard length, with a maximum reported size of 8 centimetres standard length

Potentially confused taxa: Melanotaenia splendida splendida and Melanotaenia utcheensis

Genetic confirmation: May be required because of hybridisation and similar field appearance

  • Take high quality side-on photographs of representative live fish before release where this can be done safely and under an approved animal ethics or collection procedure.
  • Use fin clips only where authorised and where genetic confirmation is required.
  • Seek review from a rainbowfish taxonomist or other suitably experienced fish ecologist when the identification is uncertain.
  • Record whether identification was based on field characters, photographs, morphology or genetic analysis.

Survey methodology: Minimum effort and reporting

  • Prepare a site-specific survey design that states the number and location of seine hauls, scoop-net searches, traps, trap checks and repeat visits; the supplied documents do not prescribe a single project-wide effort level for this species.
  • Survey all suitable aquatic habitat within the impact area and habitat that could be affected downstream.
  • Record survey dates, start and finish times, weather, water level, flow, turbidity, water temperature if measured, gear, effort, habitat and all fish captured or observed.
  • Document non-detections and explain the habitat and effort covered by the survey.
  • Submit confirmed records, photographs and genetic results to the relevant Queensland wildlife or biodiversity database and any applicable Australian Government species database.
  • Report any suspected Lake Eacham rainbowfish record to the project ecologist and the relevant wildlife authority before works proceed in that habitat.
  • Obtain all required collection, handling and animal ethics approvals before using nets, traps or fin clips.

Before habitat disturbance: 1. Avoid and minimise habitat loss

Treat any connected freshwater habitat as potentially relevant where a project occurs in the species' Queensland range. The species is listed as endangered under the EPBC Act, and its habitat can extend beyond the named lake to streams, tributaries and connected drainage systems.

Keep works, access tracks, spoil placement, sediment controls and waterway crossings out of occupied or suitable aquatic habitat wherever practicable. The survey guidance requires the study area to include areas affected directly or indirectly, including downstream areas.

  • Retain natural stream channels, permanent pools, shallow margins, riparian shade, aquatic vegetation and fish passage.
  • Avoid isolating pools or severing connections between tributaries, wetlands, lakes and downstream habitat.
  • Do not release sediment, turbid water, concrete washout, fuels, chemicals or altered flows into suitable habitat.
  • Use the smallest practical clearing footprint and retain undisturbed aquatic habitat on both sides of any work area.
  • Set project-specific no-go areas and protective buffers around waterways after site assessment; the supplied documents do not provide a species-specific buffer distance.

Before habitat disturbance: 2. Check approvals and plan the works

Check the EPBC Act implications before finalising the design because Lake Eacham rainbowfish is nationally listed as endangered. Confirm Queensland permits and approvals for fish collection, handling, relocation, waterway disturbance and vegetation clearing with the relevant authorities.

EPBC Act status: Endangered

State listing in supplied information: No state listing provided

  • Obtain an EPBC Act referral or document the basis for a referral decision where the action may significantly affect the species or its habitat.
  • Check the Queensland regulatory requirements for protected wildlife, fisheries, waterway works and any protected area or reserve.
  • Prepare a fauna management plan that identifies aquatic habitat, survey methods, authorised handlers, exclusion zones, rescue equipment, release sites, stop-work triggers and reporting contacts.
  • Stage works so that aquatic disturbance is limited to the smallest area and shortest period practicable.
  • Schedule in-water works outside periods identified by the project ecologist as important for local spawning, recruitment or movement; the supplied documents do not specify a species-specific breeding calendar.

Before habitat disturbance: 3. Pre-clearance and site controls

Complete a pre-clearance aquatic survey before machinery enters or alters a waterway. Mark retained habitat, exclusion areas, access routes, dewatering points and release locations on site plans and in the field.

  • Use the approved seine, scoop-net and trap methods where suitable habitat may be occupied.
  • Install exclusion fencing or equivalent controls where they can prevent machinery, people, sediment or stockpiled material entering retained habitat without blocking fish passage.
  • Brief machinery operators and spotters on the species' small size, identification uncertainty and the requirement to stop if fish are found.
  • Clean and dry nets, traps, footwear, pumps and other equipment before moving between catchments to reduce disease, parasite and fish transfer risks.
  • Do not move native fish between waterways unless the movement is authorised and forms part of an approved management action.

During habitat disturbance: 1. Daily controls and machinery coordination

Use a daily aquatic fauna control process whenever works could disturb streams, lakes, pools or connected wetlands. A fauna spotter catcher must work within the approved plan and must not improvise fish translocations.

Inspect exclusion zones, water quality controls, dewatering equipment, access points and retained habitat before work starts each day.

  • Keep machinery outside marked aquatic exclusion areas unless the fauna management plan permits entry.
  • Position the fauna spotter catcher where fish, stranded water, sediment movement and equipment interactions can be seen safely.
  • Stop machinery before excavation, pumping, grading, crossing or dewatering changes the waterbody or reduces fish passage.
  • Use clean equipment and prevent fuel, oil, concrete, sediment and contaminated water entering aquatic habitat.
  • Maintain natural or approved environmental flows around temporary barriers, pumps and crossings.
  • Have the operator wait for a clear instruction from the fauna spotter catcher before entering a work area containing water or connected habitat.

During habitat disturbance: 2. Fish capture, handling and relocation

If a Lake Eacham rainbowfish or an uncertain rainbowfish is found, stop the activity that could harm it and keep the animal in water while an authorised person assesses the situation.

Typical adult size: Usually less than 6 centimetres standard length

Identification response: Use photographs or genetic samples where field identification cannot reliably separate similar rainbowfish

  • Allow only trained and authorised personnel to capture, handle, photograph, fin clip or relocate fish.
  • Use clean, soft, fish-safe equipment and minimise handling time, air exposure, crowding and temperature change.
  • Do not release the fish into an unapproved waterbody or mix it with fish from another catchment.
  • Relocate a fish only to nearby retained habitat that is within the same approved local population or connected habitat, and only where the plan and relevant authority permit it.
  • Seek expert identification where the fish may be Melanotaenia splendida splendida, Melanotaenia utcheensis or a hybrid.
  • Place injured or moribund fish under the direction of the relevant wildlife authority, aquatic veterinarian or approved wildlife rehabilitation provider; do not release an injured fish without advice.

During habitat disturbance: 3. Stop-work triggers and records

Stop work immediately in the affected area if a suspected Lake Eacham rainbowfish is found, if fish become stranded, or if pumping, sediment, pollution or altered flow threatens retained aquatic habitat.

  • Maintain the stop until the fauna spotter catcher, project ecologist and relevant authority or approval holder have agreed on the response.
  • Record the date, time, location, habitat, water conditions, activity, equipment, people present, fish numbers, photographs, identification basis, handling and release details.
  • Record all captures, mortalities, injuries, escapes, failed relocations, pollution events and non-target species interactions.
  • Report an EPBC listed species incident through the project approval and fauna management plan without delay.
  • Review controls before restarting and amend the work method where the incident shows that the approved controls were not effective.

After habitat disturbance: 1. Complete post-clearance checks

Post-work actions must show whether aquatic habitat remained connected, water quality controls worked and any captured fish were accounted for. Continue checks after machinery leaves because sediment and altered flows can affect downstream habitat.

Inspect the full work area, dewatering footprint, crossings, banks and downstream reach after each work stage and after major rainfall or flow changes.

  • Check for stranded, injured or dead fish in isolated pools, pump sumps, silt traps, cofferdams and channel margins.
  • Remove temporary barriers, pumps, hoses, spoil and waste that could obstruct fish passage or enter the waterway.
  • Confirm that water is flowing through the approved channel and that no turbid, contaminated or chemically altered discharge is reaching retained habitat.
  • Keep aquatic exclusion fencing and sediment controls in place until the site is stable and the project ecologist approves removal.

After habitat disturbance: 2. Monitor retained and restored habitat

Monitor suitable habitat at impact and reference sites where the project may have changed flow, connectivity, cover or water quality. Use the same methods and site descriptions where repeatability is needed.

  • Repeat seine, scoop-net and trap surveys where the approval, fauna management plan or risk assessment requires evidence of recolonisation or ongoing occupancy.
  • Use consistent effort, trap timing, habitat measurements and identification methods across monitoring events.
  • Include downstream sites where the project created a risk of sediment, pollution, altered flow or fish passage disruption.
  • Escalate any decline, new barrier, hybridisation concern, mortality or absence from previously occupied habitat to the project ecologist and relevant authority.

After habitat disturbance: 3. Close out and report

  • Provide the approval holder with a fauna report covering survey effort, fish records, handling, relocation, incidents, photographs, genetic results, monitoring results and corrective actions.
  • Submit confirmed records to the relevant state wildlife database and any required Australian Government database.
  • Retain raw field sheets, trap logs, photographs, specimen or fin-clip information, location data and chain-of-custody records.
  • Complete any required offset, compensatory habitat or conservation action identified through the EPBC Act or Queensland approval process.
  • Do not remove controls or close the fauna management action until the responsible ecologist confirms that the site meets the agreed completion criteria.

Rehabilitation actions: 1. Reinstate aquatic and riparian habitat

Rehabilitation should restore functioning freshwater habitat rather than only the cleared bank. Lake Eacham rainbowfish is a small freshwater species associated with streams, lakes and tributaries, and its conservation is affected by connectivity, fish passage, water quality and interactions with other fish.

Re-establish the original channel form, bed levels, pool and shallow-margin structure, flow path and connection to upstream and downstream habitat where these were disturbed.

  • Replant locally appropriate native riparian and aquatic vegetation using species and provenance approved for the relevant Atherton Tableland catchment.
  • Restore shade, bank stability, leaf litter and submerged cover without filling pools or blocking fish passage.
  • Remove weeds and prevent planted or retained vegetation from being replaced by dense weeds that reduce bank stability or alter aquatic habitat.
  • Do not stock, release or introduce fish into restored habitat unless this is an approved conservation action.
  • Do not install artificial hollows, nest boxes or other terrestrial fauna structures as a substitute for restoring fish habitat.

Rehabilitation actions: 2. Control predators, competitors and invasive transfers

The species' local extinction from Lake Eacham was associated with introduced native fish, particularly predation by mouth almighty. Rehabilitation must not create a pathway for further fish introductions.

  • Prevent unauthorised stocking, aquarium release, bait release and transfer of native or non-native fish into restored or connected waters.
  • Assess existing introduced or translocated fish where they threaten the target population and manage them only under an approved program.
  • Clean and dry all fish survey and construction equipment before it is moved between waterways.
  • Monitor for predatory or competing introduced fish and report new records to the relevant fisheries or wildlife authority.

Rehabilitation actions: 3. Monitor success

Set measurable completion criteria before rehabilitation starts and monitor them through suitable wet and dry conditions. The supplied documents do not prescribe a fixed rehabilitation period or a species-specific monitoring density.

  • Measure survival and cover of planted riparian and aquatic vegetation, bank stability, channel connection, water quality, flow, sediment deposition and fish passage.
  • Use repeat seine, scoop-net and trap surveys where approved to assess Lake Eacham rainbowfish presence, abundance and recruitment.
  • Have an experienced rainbowfish ecologist verify records because the species can be confused with Melanotaenia splendida splendida, Melanotaenia utcheensis and hybrids.
  • Treat rehabilitation as unsuccessful if fish passage remains blocked, water quality is unsuitable, erosion continues, introduced fish establish or monitoring shows avoidable loss of suitable habitat.
  • Continue weed, erosion, sediment and unauthorised fish release controls until the agreed success measures are met.

Sources