An ancient fish species, the maugean skate, may be reconsidered for critically endangered listing by an expert committee after an urgent report warned that the species was on the verge of extinction. The maugean skate is now only found in Tasmania’s Macquarie Harbour, with a previous population in Bathurst Harbour disappearing. Despite being listed as endangered since 2004, the species has not had a recovery plan. In May, the Threatened Species Scientific Committee chose to leave the species’ listing unchanged, however, the chair of the committee, Helene Marsh, said that the situation would be considered again in the next meeting and the committee is deeply concerned about the issue. An urgent report by the University of Tasmania found that the skate population had dropped by almost 50% over seven years with environmental activists blaming the local salmon farming industry and climate change effects.
Ancient Australian fish may be critically listed.
