The Rescue Of A Neoceratodus Fosteri (a WHAT?!)
When we came across the fish in a shallow pool of water in the creek at Archery Park, Gympie, we at first thought he was dead – he wasn’t moving. When he finally did move, we saw he was huge, about 80cms long. He was like no fish I’d ever seen. He was greenish gray with a yellowy white belly and he had a short snout, a long tail rather like an eel, and two sets of fins. He had some injuries to his head and side, but they didn’t seem to be bothering him too much. We wanted to move him to a bigger area, as the water was obviously disappearing. But his scales were so slippery that with just a flick of his smooth body he glided out of our hands. After a few unsuccessful attempts, we started looking around for something to grab him with. It took us a while, but we finally managed to move him to the larger pool, using a piece of plastic bag and some other washed-up materiel. We still weren’t sure what kind of fish he was, so we went on the internet and soon found out what he was – a neoceratodus fosteri. Or, more commonly called an Australian Lungfish. Our oldest living relative? Nah, but certainly an unusual looking fish now classed as vulnerable. So we rang up the DPI and got permission to relocate “Neo” to the Mary River, where he belonged. We got a bucket and some cameras, rolled up our jeans, and set off on a rescue mission. Nobody else ventured to pronounce Neo’s Latin name, so I was quite willing to repeat it to anyone who asked what it was! We put the bucket in the water next to him and carefully guided him into it. We walked up the hill carrying the bucket, heavy with Neo’s large body and also half full of water from the pool. We drove the bus quickly to the river and walked down to the bank. “Just tip the bucket over,” Jessica told me, so we did. Neo was reluctant to leave the “safety” of his bucket, so I directed his head towards the top. As the water flowed out, so did the huge fish, and with a flick of his tail, Neo slipped under the water. The last I saw of him, he was gliding effortlessly towards the middle of the river. Then he flicked his smooth tail and disappeared. “Mission accomplished!”