Due to its geographical situation and isolation Australia has distinct fish

fauna Fauna is all of the animal life present in a particular region or time. The corresponding term for plants is ''flora'', and for fungi, it is ''funga''. Flora, fauna, funga and other forms of life are collectively referred to as ''Biota (ecology ...

, including many

endemic Endemism is the state of a species being found in a single defined geographic location, such as an island, state, nation, country or other defined zone; organisms that are indigenous to a place are not endemic to it if they are also found else ...

species. From the 18th century, early colonisers began introducing a number of exotic species including

mammals Mammals () are a group of vertebrate animals constituting the class Mammalia (), characterized by the presence of mammary glands which in females produce milk for feeding (nursing) their young, a neocortex (a region of the brain), fur o ...

plant Plants are predominantly photosynthetic eukaryotes of the kingdom Plantae. Historically, the plant kingdom encompassed all living things that were not animals, and included algae and fungi; however, all current definitions of Plantae exclu ...

, birds and

fish Fish are aquatic, craniate, gill-bearing animals that lack limbs with digits. Included in this definition are the living hagfish, lampreys, and cartilaginous and bony fish as well as various extinct related groups. Approximately 95% of ...

. The introduction of such fish has led to serious ecological damage, most notable being the effect of common carp in the Murray-Darling Basin. Introduced carp now dominate the freshwater systems of southern Australia. While the damaging impact of carp is well recognised, little in the way of control measures have been employed to control their spread. Their ability to colonise almost any body of water, even those previously considered to be beyond their physical tolerances, is now well established. Control of exotic fish species is being undertaken by various government departments, though many problems are faced. Introduced

trout Trout are species of freshwater fish belonging to the genera '' Oncorhynchus'', '' Salmo'' and '' Salvelinus'', all of the subfamily Salmoninae of the family Salmonidae. The word ''trout'' is also used as part of the name of some non-salm ...

species dominate the upland reaches of rivers in southeast Australia, and may have negative effects on upland native fish like the mountain galaxias species,

Macquarie perch The Macquarie perch (''Macquaria australasica'') is an Australian native freshwater fish of the Murray-Darling river system. It is a member of the family Percichthyidae and is closely related to the golden perch (''Macquaria ambigua''). The ...

and the unfortunately named

trout cod The trout cod (''Maccullochella macquariensis'') or bluenose cod, is a large predatory freshwater fish of the genus ''Maccullochella'' and the family Percichthyidae, closely related to the Murray cod. It was originally widespread in the south ...

, but due to their popularity as

sport fish Game fish, sport fish or quarry refer to popular fish pursued by recreational anglers, and can be freshwater or saltwater fish. Game fish can be eaten after being caught, or released after capture. Some game fish are also targeted commercial ...

, lack of historical records, and loss of angling memories, their damaging effects are not widely understood. All recently established exotic fish in Australia stem from the illegal release of aquarium fish species. With the continued and largely uncontrolled importation of many high-risk fish species for the aquarium industry, Australia continues to be at risk of further invasions of exotic fish.

List of introduced fish

* American flagfish, ''Jordanella floridae'' * Atlantic salmon, ''Salmo salar'' * Brook trout, ''Salvelinus fontinalis'' * Brown trout, ''Salmo trutta'' *

Chinook Salmon The Chinook salmon (''Oncorhynchus tshawytscha'') is the largest and most valuable species of Pacific salmon in North America, as well as the largest in the genus '' Oncorhynchus''. Its common name is derived from the Chinookan peoples. Other ...

, ''Oncorhynchus tshawytscha'' * Common carp, ''Cyprinus carpio'' *

Convict cichlid The convict cichlid (''Amatitlania nigrofasciata'') is a fish species from the family Cichlidae, native to Central America, also known as the zebra cichlid. Convict cichlids are popular aquarium fish and have also been the subject of numerous st ...

, ''Archocentrus nigrofasciatus'' * Domingo mosquitofish, ''Gambusia dominicensis'' *

Eastern mosquitofish The eastern mosquitofish (''Gambusia holbrooki'') is a species of freshwater fish, closely related to the western mosquitofish, ''Gambusia affinis''. It is a member of the family Poeciliidae of order Cyprinodontiformes. The eastern mosquitofis ...

, ''Gambusia holbrooki'' *

Goldfish The goldfish (''Carassius auratus'') is a freshwater fish in the family Cyprinidae of order Cypriniformes. It is commonly kept as a pet in indoor aquariums, and is one of the most popular aquarium fish. Goldfish released into the wild have bec ...

, '' Carassius auratus'' *

Guppy The guppy (), also known as millionfish and rainbow fish, is one of the world's most widely distributed tropical fish and one of the most popular freshwater aquarium fish species. It is a member of the family Poeciliidae and, like almost all ...

, ''Poecilia reticulata'' *

Jack Dempsey William Harrison "Jack" Dempsey (June 24, 1895 – May 31, 1983), nicknamed Kid Blackie and The Manassa Mauler, was an American professional boxer who competed from 1914 to 1927, and reigned as the world heavyweight champion from 1919 to 1926 ...

, ''Cichlasoma octofasciatum'' * Mosquitofish, ''Gambusia affinis'' * Mozambique mouthbrooder, ''Oreochromis mossambicus'' * One-spot live bearer, ''Phalloceros caudimaculatus'' * Platy, ''Xiphophorus maculatus'' * Rainbow trout, ''Oncorhynchus mykiss'' * Redfin perch, ''Perca fluviatilis'' * Roach, '' Rutilis rutilis'' *

Rosy barb The rosy barb (''Pethia conchonius'') is a subtropical freshwater cyprinid fish found in southern Asia from Afghanistan to Bangladesh. Description This pinkish fish species of barb grows up to 6 inches (14 cm) in length. Their colo ...

, ''Puntius conchonius'' *

Sailfin molly The sailfin molly (''Poecilia latipinna'') is a species of fish of the genus '' Poecilia''. They inhabit fresh, brackish, salt, and coastal waters from North Carolina to Texas and the Yucatán Peninsula of Mexico. Taxonomy The sailfin molly was ...

, ''Poecilia latipinna'' * Speckled mosquitofish, ''Phalloceros caudimaculatus'' *

Spotted tilapia The spotted tilapia (''Pelmatolapia mariae''Dunz, A.R. & Schliewen, U.K. (2013): Molecular phylogeny and revised classification of the haplotilapiine cichlid fishes formerly referred to as ''“Tilapia”''. ''Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolutio ...

, ''Tilapia mariae'' *

Swordtail ''Xiphophorus'' is a genus of euryhaline and freshwater fishes in the family Poeciliidae of order Cyprinodontiformes, native to Mexico and northern Central America. The many ''Xiphophorus'' species are all known as platyfish (or platies) and s ...

, ''Xiphophorus helleri'' *

Tench The tench or doctor fish (''Tinca tinca'') is a fresh- and brackish-water fish of the order Cypriniformes found throughout Eurasia from Western Europe including the British Isles east into Asia as far as the Ob and Yenisei Rivers. It is also ...

, ''Tinca tinca'' *

Weather loach Misgurnus is a genus of true loaches found in Europe and Asia. The origin of the name ''Misgurnus'' comes from the Greek word (to hate) and the Turkish (loud), a name given to them due to their habit of becoming very active during barometric ...

, ''Misgurnus anguillicaudatus''

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:List Of Introduced Fish In Australia Introduced fish Australia

List of introduced fish

See also

References