Threats

The main 6 factors that are causing the extinction of biodiversity and ecosystems are abbreviated with HIPPCO: Habitat destruction, Invasive species, Population growth, Pollution, Climate change, Overexploitation.

Habitat destruction - logging and riparian destruction

Invasive species - Trout and redfin were introduced and invaded, presenting competition for resources and food for the Macquarie

Population growth - more people leads to houses and infrastructure closer to the waterways inflicting with the natural habitat, more people also leads to more climate change

Pollution - greenhouse gasses in the atmosphere are causing higher temperatures and more natural disasters. Hotter weather means warmer waters which the Macquarie aren’t used to. There is also trash that accumulates in waterways.

Climate change - creates pollution and ocean acidification destroying the marine ecosystem

Overexploitation - taking away natural resources from the fish causing their numbers to decline

(Miller, 2021).

THEY ARE NOT A SNACK BRING BACK THE MAC!

(River, 2022)

Here are two examples of pollution, both relevant to the Macquarie perch

(Denchak, 2022)

The Macquarie Perch are endangered with a downward trend which can potentially lead to extinction (Bruce, 2019). They used to be numerous and widely distributed throughout the Murray, but now they are suffering (Diggles, 2013). Forestry, road construction and maintenance, mineral extraction and logging activities are some of the socioeconomic threats happening to the ecosystems Macquarie Perch lives in. In 2019 forestry alone produced 23.9 billion dollars in Australia (National, 2018). The Freshwater wetlands and waterways are struggling. Can you imagine being the reason ecosystems are collapsing? Well, humans are the reason.

This is a huge dam that was built in the Murray-Darling Basin, creating restrictions regarding fish migrations and habitat

(Grattan, 2019)

(Washington DNR, 2014)

More ways we are killing the Macquarie Perch:

Construction of dams - causes waterways that Macquarie perch live in to be blocked or changed. Dams restrict fish from moving along natural routes between spawning and feeding grounds.
Riparian vegetation removal - loss of much-needed shade for fish and damages ecosystems overall.
Overfishing- not leaving enough fish to repopulate
Extreme weather conditions - earthquakes, wildfires and other natural disasters can cause a disturbance to the environment
In recent years the increase of brush fires in Australia has done damage to the ecosystems of Macquarie Perch. Burning of forests releases greenhouse gases and loosens soil allowing for erosion into waterways.

(Wikipedia, 2022)