GREAT BIG NEWS FOR A VERY LITTLE FISH

At the foot of the Otways in the headwaters of the Barwon River, a small native fish, the appropriately named Little Galaxias, resides.  In what would have once been a series of open marshy floodplains interspersed with deep-water wetlands in the Upper Barwon catchment, this little fish would have been found in vast numbers, flourishing and diminishing with the ebb and flow of the seasons fed by some of the highest rainfall in Victoria.

There have been big changes to this part of the world with most of the floodplain wetlands drained for agriculture – habitat essential for the breeding cycle of this species. The Little Galaxias or Galaxiella toourtkoourt, is now only found consistently in two isolated locations: the East Barwon River near Barwon Downs and Gosling Creek near Murroon.

Recent survey work in 2024 by Corangamite CMA across the Upper Barwon catchment re-confirmed this – with only one individual found in the middle reaches of the Pennyroyal Creek.

The Little Galaxias, grow to 35 mm (males) and up to 45 mm (females). They typically live for only one year and are known as ‘boom and bust’ species that breed in large numbers in response to regular (seasonal) events such as winter flooding. These floods inundate floodplain wetlands and, in these habitats, the species can breed very quickly in large numbers. Males during the breeding season turn a brilliant red along their sides, and the females a deep purple.

Little Galaxias has only recently been described as a separate species and was previously considered as Dwarf Galaxias. The Dwarf Galaxias Galaxiella pusilla, is itself listed as vulnerable to extinction under the federal Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act (1999). With this new species classification effectively halving its distribution - the Dwarf Galaxias (eastern Victoria) and Little Galaxias (western Victoria) is now considered at greater risk. 

Genetic assessment of Galaxiella species also found that sites in the Gosling Creek displayed low levels of genetic diversity compared with other populations elsewhere – another factor that reduces the viability of these very isolated populations that have extremely limited opportunity for breeding with other more genetically diverse populations in the Upper Barwon catchment without some help.

Corangamite CMA have partnered with Deakin University, Middle Creek Farm aquaculture and local landholders to start a captive breeding program for the Little Galaxias to increase their numbers and genetic diversity for eventual re-introduction to wild sites in the Upper Barwon catchment. In June 2025, Little Galaxias ‘founders’ were collected from sites on the East Barwon and Gosling Creek, to be raised at the Middle Creek Farm aquaculture facility. The progeny of these two lineages will then be introduced to a large – predator free ‘nursery’ wetland at Deakin University campus at Waurn Ponds to build up their numbers for eventual translocation back to wild sites in the Upper Barwon catchment.