An important wetland near Gunnedah will soon become a new home for more than 100 small endangered native fish, Milly Hobson, Conservation Manager, Industry & Investment NSW, said today.

"Purple spotted gudgeons, were once abundant throughout the entire Murray-Darling Basin, but now theyre under threat, with impacts from alien fish, the removal of aquatic plants and changes to natural flows having a major effect on the survival of the species, Ms Hobson said.

"This week, more than 100 purple spotted gudgeons will be released into Gulligal Lagoon in the Namoi Demonstration Reach - a project area that has been created to showcase management techniques to repair and protect native fish habitat in the Namoi River between Narrabri and Boggabri. 

"It will be rare event to see this endangered fish in the flesh, let alone in its natural habitat.

The new home for the purple spotted gudgeons has recently undergone renovations through the Namoi Aquatic Habitat Initiative project and the Wetlands on Farms program.

These works have resulted in native trees planted along the banks, the entire lagoon fenced off from cattle, erosion control and improved fish passage. 

"Water levels in the lagoon had been very low over the last 3 years, however heavy rainfall and flooding in the Namoi late last year saw the lagoon full again, providing the perfect home for the purple spotted gudgeons to thrive and survive, Ms Hobson said.

"Hopefully the release of these fish into the lagoon will raise awareness and interest from the community about our project to rehabilitate the Namoi River and its tributaries

"We are really excited to help the recovery of this special species and hope that the community will learn about and appreciate the value of wetlands for the survival of all of our native fish species.

"We will be keeping an eye on our new residents, with regular water quality monitoring through Waterwatch and annual fish sampling by Industry and Investment as part of the Namoi Aquatic Habitat Initiative.

"This will help us monitor changes in habitat conditions for our purple spotted gudgeons and also find out what other fish species are in the lagoon.

The Namoi Aquatic Habitat Initiative continues to be supported by local fishing clubs, councils, landholders, Indigenous groups and industry, and will benefit native fish throughout the Namoi River and the community as a whole. 

For more information about our native fish and what you can to do to help protect native fish habitat in the Namoi, please call Milly Hobson on (02) 6763 1206.

Media note: The Purple Spotted Gudgeon will be released at Gulligal Lagoon on Thursday, 15 October. Please phone Milly Hobson for exact time 0429 602 132.

Media contact: Sarah McGregor 0427 075 167