There’s hope for handfish

Tasmania is home to several wildlife species that are listed as endangered or critically endangered, and the spotted handfish is one of them. Once widespread along the state’scoastal regions, the unique bottom-dwelling fish that famously uses its pectoral fins to walk along the seabed, is now found only in a few locations in or close to Hobart’s River Derwent estuary.

As part of the Handfish Conservation Project a captive breeding program was established at Melbourne’sSea Life Aquarium in 2017. It is a collaborative project that includes CSIRO, and northern Tasmania’s Seahorse World. After overcoming several obstacles, including learning how to accurately determine a handfish’s sex, the first captivebred babies - known as fry-were hatched in January 2022. This successful breeding outcome is a world first for the species and incorporates the full cycle of courtship, fertilisation, egg laying and hatching to occur in aquarium habitats and in human care.

Lead aquarist Sam Fawke said it was a major achievement for the team, which had to replicate conditions in the wild, including temperature changes, food availability and salinity levels to encourage breeding. Although the handfish fry were raised in the facility’s nurser y aquariums and away from public view,Fawke said the small population of juveniles was now ready to go on display.

“Originally we planned on having them here as an ambassador population to educate the public. Then we successfully managed to breed them so now we’re a key part of the whole program, and they’re ready to take centre stage,” he said. To page 30