THE Murray Hardyhead and Flathead Galaxias were once widespread in the slow-flowing lowland streams and wetlands of the Murray Darling Basin but are now both rare in NSW. DPI suspects some of these fish may still be hiding in farm dams, irrigation channels, ponds or even tanks in inland NSW. Fishers may also have accidentally caught them in traps but not realised what they were.
The NSW DPI is are seeking help to ‘Find a Flaty’ and locate ‘Where’s Murray!’. There are prizes available, including a day’s guided fishing trip in the Murray River region courtesy of the folks at River Escapes.
To win a prize, people who think they have found either fish species in NSW just need to snap a clear, close-up photo of a live fish and lodge their sighting on DPI’s on-line reporting form at www.dpi.nsw.gov.au/fishing/species-protection.
DPI scientists will check and verify the report to confirm that it is one of the threatened species.
It won’t be easy to find these fish. Not only are they small, but they can be quite difficult to distinguish from other more common species.
Before you submit your photo please check the “WANTED” flyers in the gallery above, which highlight the differences between these species and other small fish they are commonly mistaken for.
