Bicolour Goatfish photographed well south of its 'official range'

Bill Barker (@billspud) informed me that "Transport NSW is going to replace the Narooma Wharf in the Wagonga Inlet sometime this year or next and it is anticipated there will be serious negative impacts on the marine life of the area, at least in the short term. Local conservationists are concerned that the work and the design should minimise the harm and facilitate the quickest possible return to its present richness."

He further stated that, "In order to establish a baseline and to underscore the environmental value of the wharf and its surroundings, divers and snorkelers from the Nature Coast Marine Group, a local conservation organisation, have carried out a series of surveys, which have so far recorded the presence of more than 200 marine species, of which around 100 are fishes, including many tropicals. The results are recorded on NatureMapr."

One tropical fish that caught Bill's attention was a Bicolour Goatfish, Parupeneus barberinoides. Andrew Green, (@dentrock), brought the observation to my attention, pointing out that the fish seemed well south of its recognised range. He was correct. The 'official' southerly distribution of the species is to Sydney, approximately 280 km to the north (view the Australian Faunal Directory species page).

Thank you Bill for uploading this interesting observation. Good luck with your surveys. Baseline surveys are essential for documenting the impacts of human activities on marine ecosystems.

Incidentally, you may want to contact Amanda Hay (@amandahay), the manager of the Australian Museum's Ichthyology Collection. You could ask her for a list of fish that have been collected in the area. I don't know if the collection contains specimens from the region, but it's worth asking. The list may contain historic records that could be of interest.