Darling River Hardyhead population in the Hunter River catchment

The Darling River Hardyhead is a small-bodied native fish that occurs in the upper tributaries of the Darling River near the Queensland-New South Wales border. A small population also occurs in the Hunter River catchment.

The population in the Hunter River catchment has always been relatively small. Despite this, the failure to detect any individuals in spite of extensive sampling throughout its potential distribution suggests that the Hunter population meets the criteria of an Endangered Population.

In addition to its natural rarity, the species is threatened by a number of processes including habitat degradation, thermal pollution, water extraction and predation and competition from alien fish.

The Darling River Hardyhead population in the Hunter River catchment is listed as an endangered population in NSW. There are heavy penalties for harming, possessing, buying or selling, or for harming their habitat,

The Primefact covers the following topics:

• Distribution
• Habitat and ecology
• Why is the Darling River Hardyhead population in the Hunter River catchment threatened?
• Conservation and recovery actions
• Legal implications.