Lungfish Habitat Rehabilitation – Innovative program to restore stream habitat

The Australian lungfish is the oldest known living vertebrate, remaining unchanged from its current form for over 100 million years.

It is listed as a vulnerable species under the Commonwealth Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation (EPBC) Act 1999.

While the numbers of Australian lungfish in the Brisbane River remain strong, their breeding opportunities have been impacted by repeated significant flood events. The aquatic plants they depend on for food, to lay their eggs and protect the vulnerable young lungfish have been scoured throughout large areas of the river systems they live in and have not recovered.

Surveys conducted by Seqwater have found fewer juvenile lungfish since the damage was sustained, raising concerns that without intervention, the reduced breeding opportunities may negatively impact the population.

This Lungfish Habitat Rehabilitation project in the Mid Brisbane area forms part of a broader strategy that Seqwater has developed to ensure the survival of the Australian lungfish in SEQ rivers supported by the state government.

Other key project collaborators include Healthy Land & Water, Griffith University, Somerset Wivenhoe Fish Stocking Association and the Australian New Guinea Fish Association.

The program has increased knowledge of macrophyte restoration techniques, and the critical importance of instream macrophyte habitat for lungfish and other aquatic species.

This valuable information will enable a swift response to future flood events that may cause similar damage to instream macrophytes. It will also support other aquatic habitat restoration efforts in flood affected rivers like the Mary and Burnett River systems, where lungfish also live. The success of the current efforts lays a strong foundation for continued restoration and long-term ecosystem recovery.