By ABC Southern Queensland 

A tiny species of fish once caught by the bucketful in Queensland's upper Condamine River is on the verge of extinction.

Scientists are worried the northern river blackfish – more commonly known as the nicky fish or the nicky long cod – could be the signalling an environmental collapse in the Murray-Darling Basin river system.

The species, already highly vulnerable to localised extinctions, is in severe decline.

Over the next two years Southern Queensland Landscapes will try to reduce sediment and increase natural habitat in the streams where the fish still live, including in Killarney, at the headwaters of the Condamine River in Southern Queensland.

Griffith University research fellow Mishca Turshwell hopes more people learn about the species as the effort to save it ramps up.

"They're an interesting little critter and, I think, definitely under-appreciated and undervalued," he said.

Project coordinator Senior Project Officer Jacinta Cox presented the Condamine Headwaters Recovery Reach to a group of fish enthusiasts with experts from the  Aus River Restoration Centre. Watch the recording for free below. 

Native fish recovery in the upper Condamine headwaters: https://vimeo.com/646285969

Scientist and President of Australia New Guinea Fishes Association, Dr Peter Unmack lead an exciting discussion on the Mysterious and wonderful fishes of the Upper Condamine including the River blackfish. 

Watch the recording for free below. 

Mysterious and wonderful fishes of the Upper Condamine: https://vimeo.com/650118583

Killarney locals were stoked to receive a free limited edition ‘Blackfish’ shirt when Southern Queensland Landscapes visited recently.

Githabul artist Nathan Charles has been working with SQ Landscapes to create an Aboriginal art piece to visualise the important messages of the project; and his painting called ‘Blackfish’ was used as the centrepiece for the shirts. 

Senior Project Officer, Jacinta Cox said the Killarney community have been great advocates for the blackfish project so it’s no surprise they love the shirts too. 

The Condamine Headwaters Recovery Project aims to spread awareness about the threatened River blackfish (Gadopsis marmoratus) and equip land managers and the community with the knowledge to halt the population decline of blackfish and protect them into the future.

The project aims to spread awareness about the threatened river blackfish (Gadopsis marmoratus) in the Condamine Headwaters. 

River blackfish are in severe decline across the entire Murray-Darling Basin with some populations at high risk of localised extinction including those in the Condamine headwaters near Killarney.

That is the stark reality Githabul artist Nathan Charles wanted to portray through his piece ‘Blackfish’, when Southern Queensland Landscapes invited him and the Githabul Nation to help spread the word about the plight of this elusive yet charismatic native fish. 

“I am so excited to be working with Southern Queensland Landscapes to help tell people about the blackfish that lives in the headwaters near Killarney and spread the message that if we don’t do something they will be gone,” Nathan Charles said.

“I was inspired by the description of the blackfish as ‘the canary in the coal mine’; which I believe means that the blackfish are an early warning sign of major changes in nature happening right across the catchment. And so I chose to use colours that nature uses to communicate danger or a warning…like reds and oranges,” Mr Charles said.

“As First Peoples we believe every animal has a place; every animal has a role and when one is lost its impact will be felt right across Country; it’s important that we do everything we can to protect our native plants and animals,” he said. 

SQ Landscapes Project Coordinator and Freshwater Ecologist Jacinta Cox said the Australian Government is heeding the warning, investing in the region to try and reverse the trend.