Episode:32Saving Freshwater Species
Guests:Nick Whiterod
Fetched: Saving Freshwater Species with Dr. Nick WhiterodFreshwater ecologist Dr. Nick Whiterod, Science Program Manager at the Coorong, Lower Lakes and Murray Mouth Research Centre, makes the urgent case for action on Australia's freshwater species crisis. With native fish populations at less than 10% of pre-colonisation levels, he draws on over two decades of conservation work, including successful reintroduction projects and national listings of more than 50 freshwater fish and crayfish species.
Show Notes
Native fish populations in Australia are estimated to be less than 10% of their size pre-colonisation. This country has experienced one of the worst records of recent extinctions worldwide, and many more of our species are predicted to be lost in the near future – not unless we act now. Freshwater species have a disproportionately higher risk of extinction compared to terrestrial and marine counterparts, but are often overlooked, with few aware of how much trouble they’re really in. Dr. Nick Whiterod is a leading expert in the field of freshwater species conservation and recovery, and there’s no one better to speak with about this great challenge than him.
Nick is the Science Program Manager at the Coorong, Lower Lakes and Murray Mouth (CLLMM) Research Centre based in Goolwa, South Australia. He is an ecologist with over two decades of experience, conserving and researching freshwater species and ecosystems across South Australia and Australia-side. He has conducted several successful reintroduction projects, contributed to the national listing of more than 50 freshwater fish and crayfish, and actively worked to understand and conserve freshwater fish across Australia, including in the Mt Lofty Ranges and the Coorong, Lower Lakes and Murray Mouth region. Nick was a 2018 Churchill Fellow and recently received the 2023 Unsung Hero of South Australian Science.
"It is now a conscious decision not to act."
— Dr Nick Whiterod (CLLMM)
Resources:
- The Coorong, Lower Lakes and Murray Mouth (CLLMM) Research Centre Website
- What do Conservation Statuses (vulnerable, threatened, etc.) mean?
- The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species
- Threats to Native Freshwater Fish
- Study led by University of Canberra Associate Professor Mark Lintermans finds that 37% of all Australian freshwater species are threatened with extinction
- Murray Crayfish Relocated ABC News Story featuring Dr. Whiterod
- Dr. Nick Whiterod’s Research (Google Scholar)
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