Discarded bottles save endangered fish
CANBERRA - Endangered Australian fish have taken to seek refuge in discarded bottles in river beds, research published on Tuesday found.
The study, compiled by the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organization, found that discarded bottles at the bottom of Tasmania's Derwent River were playing a key role in saving the spotted handfish from extinction.
The handfish, which uses fins resembling hands to "walk" along the seabed, was the first marine species in the world to be listed as critically endangered.
Tim Lynch, a researcher, said that discarded beer bottles had proved to be an ideal breeding location for the fish after their traditional breeding grounds were destroyed by man-made structures and pest species such as seastars.
"The seastars can't eat the bottles at least, and we often find spotted handfish hiding behind discarded bottles," Lynch said on Tuesday.
He said artificial habitats such as the bottles would be a large part of conservation efforts in the future.
Xinhua
(China Daily 08/09/2017 page11)
