Threatened species

Hydro Tasmania's threatened species research will help us to conserve species in their habitat. We are particularly interested that we manage our operations to sustain the habitats and conditions of the diverse flora and fauna, especially in the lakes and storages which are subject to varying levels. Levels change due to our operations, drought and flood. The more we know about what is affected, the better we can manage our operations to minimise environmental impacts.

Our environmental team works with others on these projects, such as academics, government agency specialists and our Entura experts.

Lake Pedder discoveries

We went to look in Lake Pedder for the rare pygmy mountain shrimp Allanaspides hickmani and a sister species, Allanaspides helonomus, with Michael Driessen from the Department of Primary Industries, Parks, Water and Environment and Entura. Historically, the species were found in buttongrass moorlands around Lake Gordon and in isolated populations on the western and eastern shores of Lake Pedder. We found A. helonomus within the lake. This extends both the species habitat type and distribution. No A. hickmani were found.

Another project with professors Nigel Forteath and Andrew Osborne the professors and Entura was to search for species considered extinct since the inundation of the original Lake Pedder in the 1970s. We found the flatworm Romankenkius pedderensis. 

Professors Forteath and Osborne have made other discoveries at Lake Pedder. Read the story about the mayflies (PDF 815 KB), the scientific paper [Loamaggalangta pedderensis] (PDF 675 KB) and the scientific papers on the freshwater sponge [Radiospongilla pedderensis] (PDF 5.2 MB) and parasitic wasp [Trichomalopsis sisyrae] (PDF 740 KB).

Habitat conservation

Thought to be 'extinct in the wild', Galaxias pedderensis is one of Austalia's most endagered native fish species. It has been surviving in Lake Oberon and the Strathgordon water supply dam in south-west Tasmania. It had shown no evidence of spawning.

In 2008, collaborators established a suitable spawning habitat in the dam, consisting of various sized rocks.

In 2010, a survey found juveniles - evidence of natural recruitment through successful spawning.

The collaborators were Hydro Tasmania, Inland Fisheries Service and the Fisheries Habitat Improvement Fund.

Central highlands

Research into the biology and ecology of threatened fish in Great Lake and Arthurs Lake has shed new light on the four threatened species of galaxiid that live there.

We commissioned Dr Scott Hardie and Associate Professor Leon Barmuta to lead a research project, collaborating with Kevin MacFarlane from the Inland Fisheries Service, to assess how various water levels influence the galaxiid populations. We now know when and where these fish spawn and what areas of habitat they need to survive. We use this information to manage water levels to protect these fish.

Threatened fish species listed for Arthurs Lake and Great Lake

^* Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999
^# Threatened Species Protection Act 1995