Southern purple-spotted gudgeon flourish in new home in Mildura

The rediscovery of Southern Purple-spotted Gudgeon in Third Reedy Lake, near Kerang, northern Victoria in 2019, marked the second time this species had apparently come ‘back from the dead’. Following this discovery, fish were collected and bred by Aquasave-NGT and Middle Creek Farm before being released into numerous Victorian sites including the Ornamental Lakes in Mildura on the 2nd of December 2021 as part of a conservation program for the species.

The Aquasave-NGT team re-sampled the release site on the 18 January to check on the species, and recaptured eight individuals ranging in size between 62 and 72 mm. It appears the fish like their new home, thriving and having doubled in size since they were stocked. The plan is now for the fish to spawn and breed at this site to build up numbers of this threatened population. This project has been a collaborative team effort between many organisations including the Tri-State Murray NRM Regional Alliance, Mallee CMA, North Central CMA, Aquasave-NGT, and Middle Creek Farm.