Critically Endangered red handfish removed from the wild to safeguard the species from extinction
GOLDEN WONDERS
From April, look out for the golden flowers of cowslip. The species may owe its name to its tendency to grow around dung on cattle-grazed meadows – ‘cowslop’, meaning cowpat, became ‘cowslip’. These blooms are uncommon on farmed pasture today, but thanks to widespread seed-scattering, we can now enjoy them in many other grassy places, even in urban areas. Ben Hoare
Twenty five red handfish – a Critically Endangered species of anglerfish – have been taken into care by scientists at the Institute for Marine and Antarctic Studies (IMAS) at the University of Tasmania. The relocation, carried out with permission from the Australian government to protect the species against predicted marine heatwaves, has decreased the wild red handfish population from approximately 100 to just 75 individuals.
Unlike other fish, red handfish don’t have a swim bladder to control their buoyancy. Instead, they use their large, hand-like fins to ‘walk’ along the seafloor. These peculiar creatures are around 8cm long – smaller than a playing card – and pink, red or brown in colour with a ‘grumpy’, downturned mouth. “If you’ve never seen a handfish before, imagine dipping a toad in some brightly coloured paint, telling it a sad story and forcing it to wear gloves two sizes too big,” says the Handfish Conservation Project website.
One of 14 handfish species, all of which are found off southern Australia, predominantly Tasmania, the red handfish is thought to be one of the rarest marine fish in the world. It is restricted to two small areas of rocky reef southeast of Hobart, and is buffeted by threats such as boat traffic, anchoring, urban development, pollution and nutrient run-off, as well as habitat degradation (by overgrazing of native sea urchins) and the impacts of climate change.
Walking along the seabed instead
