A tiny native fish which hasn’t been seen in South Australia for more than 40 years is making a big comeback, with the species now calling the wetlands of the Glenelg Golf Club home in a drive to boost population numbers.
Olive perchlets were thought to be extinct in SA – last sighted in 1983, along the River Murray at Walker Flat – but have bounced back from the brink, thanks to a partnership between Green Adelaide, Nature Glenelg Trust and Glenelg Golf Club.
Around 450 fish have been introduced to a protected wetland at the club, marking a significant milestone in the state’s freshwater fish conservation history.
Once common in South Australian waterways, the olive perchlets were sourced from a newly established population in Mildura – then carefully driven across the border.
The native species is around five centimetres long and plays an important role in the ecosystem, preying on smaller aquatic species like insects to help maintain wetland and waterway health.
The reintroduction of olive perchlets to a safe and controlled environment will help repopulation efforts and support the long-term future of the species.
This initiative is part of wider Government efforts to restore biodiversity by translocating other native fish species into key urban waterways and wetlands.
The release follows years of planning and collaboration with local landscape Boards, Indigenous groups, landholders and a fish conservation working group.
The fish’s progress will be closely monitored by Nature Glenelg Trust and adds to the range of biodiversity measures that Glenelg Golf Club has in place.
Olive perchlets’ homecoming echoes the critically endangered southern purple-spotted gudgeon – also declared as regionally extinct in SA – being reintroduced into the River Torrens / Karrawirra Pari in 2023, following a successful captive breeding program.
As put by Lucy Hood
The release of this tiny fish, long believed to be extinct, is a giant step in our conservation efforts to protect native species.
The olive perchlet once again calls South Australia home, and we are doing what we can to help them repopulate and become more resilient.
Their remarkable return to the wetlands of the Glenelg Golf Club is a story well worth sharing at the 19th hole.
As put by Green Adelaide Presiding Member Professor Chris Daniels
This site offers a safe and controlled environment for the olive perchlets to ‘test the waters’. Once their successful establishment has been confirmed, we hope to rewild this species to other refuge locations before supporting their return to more of their natural range in SA.
Careful consideration has gone into the conservation of this species and how the use of novel urban wetlands can play a key role in the recovery of this and other threatened freshwater fish species.
As put by Nature Glenelg Trust Senior Aquatic Ecologist Dr Sylvia Zukowski
Our comprehensive global assessment paper of the extinction risk of Australia’s native freshwater fish shows alarming results with 37 per cent of the total assessed species being threatened using IUCN (International Union for Conservation of Nature) criteria.
The return of olive perchlets to SA is an important milestone for reversing this trend and for freshwater fish conservation.
By implementing these freshwater fish recovery actions, we’re helping to reverse past trends of decline and reinstate unique biodiversity to our wetlands and waterways.
As put by Glenelg Golf Club Course Superintendent Tim Warren
Golf courses can offer unique opportunities in conservation.
We take our role in sustainability seriously, and we’re thrilled to provide a home for these little native fish.
Our members are usually trying to stay out of the water, but we’re happy to welcome the olive perchlets in!
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