Millions spent on saving three lungfish
The Australian government is planning to spend millions of dollars on a fishway to allow the migration of endangered lungfish, despite the apparently poor success of a similar contraption elsewhere.According to a report from the Sunshine Coast Daily, the Queensland government has proposed the construction of a fishway for the Traveston Crossing Dam, at a cost of around $24 million.
However, a similar device installed on the Paradise Dam has seen the migration of just three fish over a three year period - making the cost around $8 million per lungfish per year.
Lungfish biologist Professor Jean Ross of Macquarie University in Sydney told the paper that the $24 million spent on the Paradise Dam fishway was "an extraordinary amount for something which did not work."
Joss, who is said to vehemently oppose the construction of the dam, said that the construction of a bypass creek allowing migrations of lungfish around the dam wall should be built.
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Matt Clarke: 17.9.2009Views: Read 2,521 times
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Reader comment
Date: Tuesday September 22nd, 2009, 4:46 pm
"They should have thought of that before they built the dam!"
Posted by: Christopher Boggis - 1 month, 4 weeks agoDate: Tuesday September 22nd, 2009, 4:46 pm
Reader comment
Date: Friday October 2nd, 2009, 4:57 am
"I suppose they are talking about Neoceratodus fosteri here. It was found in the Bennet & Mary Rivers only when I knew it...
It is in any rate unique and highly valued but the sum per fish may really be too big."
Date: Friday October 2nd, 2009, 4:57 am
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 | Editor-in-Chief, Matt Clarke, writes the regular Interesting Imports column on rare and unusual fish in the UK aquarium trade. He's kept fish for 30 years and holds a degree, two higher degrees and two diplomas in fish biology, taxonomy and computational biology. |
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"Seems like a bit of a guilty after thought considering the damn will have no doubt destroyed the habitat of the fish in the first place"
Posted by: Tom Littlewood - 2 months agoDate: Monday September 21st, 2009, 10:19 am