Australian Grayling
Australian Grayling (Protroctes maraena) are listed as a vulnerable species and now restricted to a few rivers in the far southern region of NSW.
Captive breeding and / or hatchery production has not been attempted since the 1880s and development of best-practice methods for brood fish handling, egg collection and larval rearing are essential prior to undertaking conservation stocking.
Adult fish in breeding condition are collected from the wild and returned the same day
Eggs or sperm are extracted from the adult fish
Australian Grayling embryos produced from the fertilisation process
(S.Lewis, Latrobe Uni)
eDNA monitoring
The NEAP project includes baseline distribution monitoring using environmental DNA methods (eDNA).
eDNA monitoring will take place over 20 catchments in southern NSW to both complement and update existing data on the current distribution of Australian Grayling over its traditional range. Data gathered during baseline eDNA monitoring will be used to direct locations and catchments for future stocking activities.