Hi, newbie to the forum here

[Back in the fold]

In Perth we used to have motorbike frogs and moaning or burrowing frogs but they are all dead now due to councils, government departments and people spraying herbicide (roundup) everywhere, including along the banks of rivers and creeks.

The last time I saw a motorbike frog was in 1996 and he lived in a pond at my place.

We haven't got many native fish left here either for the same reasons and due to habitat clearing and government and people releasing introduced species into local waterways.

Our department of fisheries regularly releases trout into rivers and creeks and they eat all the native fish and crustaceans. And the trout have TB, which kills native fish really fast.

Locals dump introduced species (aquarium fish) into creeks and lakes and they introduce diseases that wipe out the endemic stuff.

The one constant in the universe. Forward thinking politicians and officials. ( sarcasm intended )

 

[Colin_T]

I assume that the government hasn't chosen for mollies or platies, for gambusia species have a bigger tolerance in fluctuations of the water parameters.

You assume correctly. We have a few Xiphophorus variatus platies in the wild but they were put there by people releasing them from aquariums. The government continued to release Gambusia until about 15 years ago when they declared them a noxious species and nobody was allowed to keep, collect, or sell them as live fish food. So instead of people like me keeping their numbers in check by collecting thousands each week to supply shops with live fish food, we have to leave them in the rivers where they breed uncontrollably and wipe out endemic species. It's a stupid situation where the native fishes get wiped out because of bureaucracy.