The Conservation Status of Athalassic Lakes in New South Wales, Australia

Abstract

To provide an overview for the State Pollution Control Commission of NSW, 102 lakes were visited throughout the state during the 1988-9 summer to ascertain their ecological condition. The sites chosen covered a spectrum of geomorphic types in approximate proportion to their perceived relative abundance. Field work concentrated on some physicochemical parameters and on zooplankton and littoral invertebrates. A summary of these features of the lakes of NSW is given. The most widespread problem is eutrophication, though for many lakes changes in trophic status could be part of wider changes in lakes since European settlement. A significant number of lakes suffer eroded shorelines and sedimentation. The introduced mosquito fish, Gambusia affinis, is associated with decreased diversity mainly in coastal lakes where also alien plants may be pestiferous. A few lakes in western areas have their flooding regime altered, while a number in the east are drained. With few exceptions there are no management programs to improve the conservation status of degraded lakes in NSW. © 1992 Kluwer Academic Publishers.