Since the late 1980s, Inland Fisheries Service (IFS) staff have led research and management actions that have saved the Pedder galaxias from extinction. This species was endemic to the original Lake Pedder, but its natural population declined after the lake was flooded. This species is now one of the most endangered freshwater fish in Australia, being listed as ‘extinct in the wild’ under Australian Government legislation.

Currently, the Pedder galaxias persists in south-west Tasmania in two refuge populations in Lake Oberon and the Strathgordon water supply dam. These populations were established by stocking small numbers of Pedder galaxias into the waterbodies, with the populations in Lake Oberon and the Strathgordon dam being established in the 1990s and early 2000s, respectively.

In late April 2026, IFS staff collaborated with Parks and Wildlife staff to access Lake Oberon via helicopter to check the status of the population in this lake, and move (translocate) some fish from the lake into the Strathgordon dam. The survey results indicate that the Pedder galaxias remains abundant in Lake Oberon. In addition, the moving of 100 fish from Lake Oberon into the Strathgordon dam will ensure the population in the dam is sustained with similar genetic structure to that of the larger population in lake.

Great outcomes for a unique Tasmanian fish species!