Two of the four endangered Maugean Skates taken from Macquarie Harbour on Tasmania’s West Coast for a captive breeding program have died within weeks of each other.
The skates, along with 50 eggs, were taken to establish an insurance population aimed at boosting their numbers at the Institute for Marine and Antarctic Studies (IMAS) facility in Hobart.
The breeding program is funded by the state and federal government and was launched due to declining water quality in Macquarie Harbour, mainly impacted by salmon farming.
Professor Jason Simmons, who leads the IMAS program, said two of the skates adapted well to captivity, but the other two faced challenges.
“The other two, we don’t really know what’s happened,” he told ABC Radio.
“One struggled right from the get-go and another died very suddenly.”
“We’re investigating that very, very thoroughly. We haven’t got results back [yet], but it’s really important that we use this as a learning tool.”
In November, Minister for Environment and Climate Change Roger Jaensch said he was hopeful the captive breeding program would support the Skate’s’ future.
“We are well advanced with the necessary permits to allow skate to be collected by IMAS for the captive breeding population, led by some of the best and most experienced scientists in this field,” he said at the time.
The Maugean skate, a species of ray, has evolved to live only in Macquarie Harbour on Tasmania’s west coast and it is believed that fewer than 1,000 of them remain.
