The Victorian Government has expanded the range of two critically endangered small-bodied native fish, Moroka galaxias and McDowall's galaxias, by stocking both species into the wild for the first time.
Victorian Fisheries Authority (VFA) CEO Travis Dowling said the release of 50 Moroka galaxias and 50 McDowall's galaxias will help curb their risk of extinction and safeguard against increasing occurrences of climate driven emergencies.
Moroka galaxias survive in one isolated population in the headwaters of the Moroka River, within the Alpine National Park, while the last remaining McDowall's galaxias population inhabits the headwaters of the Rodger River in the Snowy River National Park.
The 100 galaxias were bred for the first time in late 2024 at the VFA's Snobs Creek Conservation Hatchery, which was completed last year using $2.725 million from the Victorian and Commonwealth Governments.
"This is significant a milestone in the recovery of critically endangered species and the health of our freshwater ecosystems, where small-bodied native fish play an important role," Mr Dowling said.
"Moroka galaxias and McDowall's galaxias have never been bred or stocked for conservation before, so it's exciting to see the collaborative 10inTen plan delivering benefits in its early days."
Both galaxiids are nationally listed as Critically Endangered on the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act, having been identified as facing a high risk of extinction if no action was taken from threats including fire, drought, floods and predator invasion events.
The galaxiids are also part of the 10inTen plan to restock and recover ten aquatic native species in as many years, in partnership with Department of Energy, Environment and Climate Action's Arthur Rylah Institute for Environmental Research.
Other species in the plan include catfish, Murray hardyhead, Glenelg freshwater mussel, South Gippsland spiny crayfish, southern purple-spotted gudgeon, south-western Victorian blackfish, Macquarie perch, and trout cod.
Entering its second calendar year, the VFA's Conservation Hatchery has made groundbreaking progress breeding blackfish in a hatchery environment for the first time, reintroducing the once-extinct olive perchlet into Victorian waters, and successfully producing Glenelg freshwater mussel offspring.
