Twenty-five red handfish have arrived at IMAS Taroona in a rescue effort to safeguard them against the predicted high sea and atmospheric temperatures this summer.
“The home of the red handfish is facing severe habitat loss and degradation, primarily driven by an increase in the abundance of native urchins which have overgrazed their habitat,” said IMAS researcher Dr Jemina Stuart-Smith, who co-leads the red handfish research and conservation program at the University of Tasmania’s Institute for Marine and Antarctic Studies (IMAS).
“The area already faces multiple threats – it’s close to urban areas and is impacted by run-off, direct disturbance through boating and anchoring, and of course climate change impacts.”
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