Forgotten fishes: What is the future for small threatened freshwater fish? Population risk assessment for southern pygmy perch, Nannoperca australis

Abstract

Fish species that have no commercial or recreational value are often overlooked in conservation management, despite serious threats to their long-term future. This can be termed the ‘small threatened freshwater fishes’ paradigm. Population viability analysis (PVA) is a useful technique to assess threatened species and conservation management options. While the development and use of population models and population viability analysis is common in conservation, and often used for larger fishes, this has not been so for small threatened freshwater species. This study uses the PVA process to develop a stochastic population model for Nannoperca australis (southern pygmy perch) in temperate south..