Messages of Support

Preserving Tasmania's Freshwater Fish History for Future Research

Published on Sept. 21, 2026

A collaborative effort between the Inland Fisheries Service (IFS), the Tasmanian Museum and Art Gallery (TMAG) Collections and Research Facility, and CSIRO, Australia's national science agency, is helping preserve valuable fish specimens while creating new opportunities for biodiversity research, conservation and education.

Over the past 20 years, IFS has collected and maintained a wide range of fish specimens through its fisheries research and management programs. Numerous current and historical specimens have recently been donated to TMAG, ensuring they are permanently housed within Tasmania's State Collection and available for future scientific study.

The work was coordinated in partnership with Dr David Hocking (Senior Curator of Vertebrate Zoology and Palaeontology at TMAG) who oversees collections that span more than 150 years of zoological acquisitions. These collections play a vital role in advancing our understanding of the State's biodiversity and support research into species distributions, ecology, genetics, evolution, and responses to environmental change.

The project also provided a unique opportunity for CSIRO's National Biodiversity DNA Library (NBDL). Dr Nerida Wilson (Scientific Campaign Coordinator for the NBDL) joined specimen processing activities to collect tissue samples from some of the specimens. These samples will contribute to the growing NBDL portal (nbdl.csiro.au), where scientists rapidly and accurately identify species using environmental DNA (eDNA), thus improving biodiversity monitoring across Australia.

Among the specimens sampled were two of Tasmania's most significant freshwater fish records. The first was a historical Estuary Perch (Percalates colonorum) collected from the Ansons River in the 1960s. This specimen represents the last confirmed physical record of the species from that waterway, with Estuary Perch now restricted in Tasmania to the Arthur River on the north-west coast. If DNA can be successfully recovered from the formalin-fixed specimen, it may provide valuable insights into the historical genetic diversity and structure of a population that has since disappeared.

The second significant specimen was a Pedder Galaxias (Galaxias pedderensis) collected from Lake Pedder in 1994. This specimen represents the last known physical record of the species from its natural range, with the species being listed as ‘extinct in the wild’ under Australian Government legislation since 2005. Genetic material obtained from this specimen may support future research into the history, conservation and recovery of this species by providing a unique snapshot of the original Lake Pedder population before it disappeared.

Beyond their scientific value, some of the specimens transferred to TMAG may also be used for public displays, educational program, and future exhibitions, helping to showcase Tasmania's unique freshwater fish fauna and raise awareness of the importance of conserving our aquatic biodiversity.

By combining historical collections, contemporary specimens, and modern genetic technologies, this collaborative project is ensuring Tasmania's aquatic biodiversity is preserved, not only in museum collections, but also within Australia's growing National Biodiversity DNA Library. The initiative will support future research, strengthen biodiversity monitoring, and help tell the story of Tasmania's remarkable freshwater fish for generations to come.

https://www.ifs.tas.gov.au/news/2026/sep/21/preserving-tasmanias-freshwater-fish-history-for-future-research

Dear Madam/Sir,

It is with great distress and surprise I have learnt that the Tasmanian Herbarium is facing its demise by plans which will deprive it of crucial competence.

The herbarium has been pivotal in its contribution to the scientific investigation of the biodiversity of Tasmania, Australia at large and has also by its contributions to biodiversity research in cooperations world-wide. Its work has been held in high esteem internationally, and I think that I from my position from Linnaeus’ hometown Uppsala and the ensuing tradition may well state this. As you are probably well aware, the Linnaeus disciples (Daniel Solander and Anders Sparrman) were among the very first pioneers to explore Australia’s biota as members of Captain Cook’s famous expeditions. All since Australia has been a stronghold for biodiversity research and certainly leading the field in the southern hemisphere. That now one of its strongholds is being threatened is very hard to understand and nothing less than an international scandal.

This also reflects very badly on those politicians who rather unanimously underline the importance of ecological and biodiversity protection in a planet racing towards a major climate crisis. I have so far believed that the support for countermeasures was strong also in Australia with Oceania being one of the areas worst at peril. In the face of the suggested plans for the Tasmanian Herbarium this seems to be little more than a lip service.

 

Leif Tibell
Professor emeritus
Department of Systematic Biology
Uppsala University, Sweden
https://www.uu.se/en/department/organismal-biology/research/systematic-biology

02.10.2026

To: Honourable Roger Jaensch, Minister of Arts and Minister of Tourism, Hospitality, and Events

CC:

Honourable Nick Duigan, Minister for Parks and Heritage
Honourable Guy Barnet, Deputy Premier and Minister for Environment and Climate Change
Honourable Jo Palmer, Minister for Education
Janie Finlay, Shadow Minister for Environment, Parks & Climate Change
Anita Dow, Shadow Minister for Tourism & Events
Meg Brown, Shadow Minister for Heritage & Arts
Mary Mulcahy, Director of the Tasmanian Museum and Art Gallery 

Dear Honourable Roger Jaensch,

I write on behalf of Australasian Palaeontologists (AP), a specialist group of the Geological Society of Australia, and a 50-year-old society representing the palaeontological community in Australia. We wish to express our urgent concerns regarding the reported job cuts and fiscal restructuring at the Tasmanian Museum and Art Gallery (TMAG). The AP wishes to highlight the essential role TMAG plays in the discovery and preservation of Tasmania’s unique palaeontological heritage. We believe the proposed changes are exceedingly short-sighted and will have dire consequences on the long-term preservation and understanding of irreplaceable scientific collections of Tasmania’s recent and deep history.

Carefully curated, accessible, and active scientific collections are the cornerstone of a museum. In Tasmania, these collections represent more than 175 years of public investment into the state’s natural and cultural heritage. Furthermore, Tasmania holds a globally significant fossil record spanning early complex life over half a billion years ago, a globally unique transition sequence across the largest mass extinction event in Earth history at the Permian/Triassic boundary (252 million years ago), and the preservation of a unique mammalian fauna demonstrating recent connections between Tasmania and mainland Australia.

From a scientific collection historical perspective, TMAG is home to Australia’s oldest marsupial, Wynyardia (23 million years old; TMAG Z237) and the only Australian collection to house fossils of the first named Australian Mesozoic vertebrate, Bothriceps australis, a 250-million-year-old amphibian named by Thomas Henry Huxley in 1859. These globally unique specimens are but the tip of the iceberg of the palaeontological heritage being preserved at TMAG. These collections have existed for generations thanks to the expertise of museum researchers who safeguard the extraordinary scientific value of the collections they oversee. Palaeontological research programs at TMAG have substantial impacts on education, tourism, and our understanding of biodiversity loss. Over a century of effort in collecting and describing these remains are now at risk if the specialist staff required to manage them are removed.

The AP Council and our members have grave concerns regarding the impact of proposed cuts on the future direction and core functions of the museum. The short-sighted proposed decimation of expert research positions and collection management capacity will ultimately undermine TMAG’s reputation as a highly regarded source of scientific and cultural knowledge. In the long term, these actions will result in transforming TMAG into a mere storage facility. Currently, the rich knowledge of experts at TMAG is clearly translated into dynamic and engaging exhibitions and educational programs. However, without substantive subject expertise, museum galleries will quickly (less than a decade) become outdated and eventually consign the museum into scientific and public irrelevancy.

Globally, palaeontologists rely almost exclusively on publicly funded repositories to secure the longevity of unique specimens. We recognise that these discoveries belong to the public, not just individuals or institutions. Museums provide the assurance that specimens remain part of the public trust. This long-standing relationship between palaeontologists and museums is the reason we have highly esteemed institutions such as the Natural History Museum (London), the American Museum of Natural History (New York), and the Museum für Naturkunde (Berlin). As one of the oldest museums in Australia, the TMAG is widely regarded among these institutions, but the proposed restructuring will irreparably damage both the long-standing relationships it has built with palaeontologists and its global reputation. Without a fully functioning, expert-run TMAG collection, key specimens, including new Tasmanian specimens currently being researched and discovered, will be sent elsewhere, beyond state borders, if not farther; a loss to Tasmania.

It is also worth clarifying that any expectation that other institutions, such as the University of Tasmania, will “fill the gaps” left by TMAG restructuring is deeply misguided. Universities across Australia have already demonstrated limited capacity to curate specimens on a large-scale, relying instead on publicly funded institutions (i.e., museums). But more fundamentally, it is imperative that the Tasmanian government recognise that the expertise, infrastructure, and resources required to maintain and expand collections curated for the public cannot and should not be shouldered by universities. The responsibility of safekeeping the public trust falls squarely and logically on publicly funded museums. Staffing limitations at universitas also mean that these institutions will not be capable of delivering the expertise that the TMAG will eventually be forced to outsource, once its exhibits and educational content inevitably become outdated.

We acknowledge the challenges posed by budgetary constraints and evolving societal demands. However, we strongly urge the Tasmanian government to seek out a more balanced approach that prioritises both public engagement and scientific research. For the museum, the proposed restructuring is a short-term gain for long-term pain, squandering over a century of tax-payer investment, and gravely compromising the Museum’s ability to fulfil its legislative obligations under the Tasmanian Museum and Art Gallery Act 2017 (section 5), specifically the following objectives:

“Care for and develop the TMAG collectons (5a)”,

“Acquire, collect and procure works, objects and specimens relating to history, the arts, the natural sciences, technology, archaeology and Aboriginal cultural heritage, with particular emphasis on material that is uniquely Tasmanian or of relevance to Tasmania (5b)”,

“Exhibit, promote, disseminate and otherwise make available the TMAG collections and, from time to time, material loaned to TMAG by other institutions (5c)”, and

“Conduct, arrange for, promote and support research, educational and interpretative actvities relating to history, the arts, the natural sciences, technology, archaeology and Aboriginal cultural heritage (5f)”

The proposed cuts will therefore put 4 of the 6 insttutonal objectves at risk.

We implore you to halt these cuts and to imitate further discourse, considerations, and consultation regarding the long-term ramifications of these changes. The preservation of Tasmania’s natural heritage and intellectual legacy demands a thoughtful and collaborative approach that values scientific research, collection management, and public engagement in equal measure.

Thank you for your attenton to this critcal matter.

Sincerely,

Associate Professor Nicolás Campione
Chair, Australasian Palaeontologists
On behalf of the council, members, and broader Australian palaeontological community
htps://www.australasianpalaeontologists.com/

To: The Honourable Jeremy Rockliff MP, Premier of Tasmania and The Honourable Roger Jaensch MP, Minister for Arts

Serious concerns about reported job losses at the Tasmanian Museum and Art Gallery, including the Tasmanian Herbarium

Taxonomy Australia (www.taxonomyaustralia.org.au) is Australia's peak national body for taxonomy and biosystematics, with a Steering Committee drawn from organisations, networks, and distinguished individual scientists representative of the sector. Together, these organisations and networks represent around 1,000 scientists and support staff across Australia conducting biodiscovery research in museums and herbaria, universities, the CSIRO, and other government agencies including departments of environment, primary industries and agriculture.

I am writing to you on behalf of the Steering Committee of Taxonomy Australia to express our serious concerns about the reported changes to the staffing of the Tasmanian Museum and Art Gallery, including the Tasmanian Herbarium.

These are long-established, key institutions that carry out fundamental scientific and cultural roles. In particular, the loss of senior and highly experienced scientists will compromise the ability of the institutions to deliver vital services across the naming, documentation, identification, and understanding of the plants, animals, and fungi of Tasmania.

Experts whose positions are reported as under threat are world-class and their expertise is drawn on not only in Tasmania but as part of a national and global networks of scientists. Indeed, some current staff of the Tasmanian Museum and Art Gallery reported as being made redundant, such as Dr Gintaras Kantvilas at the Tasmanian Herbarium, are among only a few in Australia in their field.

Management of the more than one million specimens under the stewardship of TMAG will also be significantly hindered. In addition, reduced scientific capacity at TMAG compromises its ability to access competitive funding, risking a loss of access to Commonwealth and other funding programs.

We point to cost-benefit analyses of investments in the biosystematics and natural history collections sectors that demonstrate clear economic benefits. In particular, a report by Deloitte Access Economics on the Cost–benefit analysis of a mission to discover and document Australia's species shows that significant benefits accrue across diverse practical aspects such as biosecurity, quarantine, forensics, environmental assessment, drug discovery, and the bioeconomy — with returns of 8 to 35 times for every dollar invested.

We urge you to reconsider the reported cuts in the light of the significance of the positions at the Tasmanian Museum and Art Gallery to the people and economy of Tasmania and beyond.

Yours Sincerely

Dr Tom May (Director), on behalf of Taxonomy Australia

Tom May
Senior Principal Research Scientist (Mycology)
Research
Royal Botanic Gardens Victoria

Dear Premier, Ministers, and Members of Parliament,

On behalf of the Botanical Department of the University of Liège (Belgium), I write to express our serious concern about the proposed restructuring of the Tasmanian Museum and Art Gallery and its impact on the Tasmanian Herbarium.

The proposed abolition of the Head of Herbarium position, reduction of botanical staff, and loss of specialist positions in lichenology and bryology would severely weaken the Herbarium’s scientific and curatorial capacity. 

Of particular concern is the loss of Tasmania’s only lichenologist—one of only two remaining in Australia—whose outstanding contributions were recently recognised through the Premier’s Tasmanian STEM Researcher of the Year award.

Tasmania has an internationally significant lichen biota, and research conducted at the Herbarium has contributed greatly to taxonomy, biodiversity knowledge, conservation, and the Museum’s scientific output.

Eliminating its specialist expertise would affect not only Tasmania but also researchers and institutions worldwide that depend on its collections, identifications, loans, and scientific collaborations.

We are also concerned about the proposed abolition of the Curator of Bryology and Herbarium Administration Officer positions. These losses would leave Tasmania without employed specialists for non-vascular plants and would compromise essential collection management, regulatory compliance, specimen loans, safety, and security.

Natural history collections require qualified leadership and specialist knowledge. Once this expertise is lost, it is extremely difficult and costly to rebuild. All members of the University of Liège involved in botanical studies and research therefore respectfully urges the Tasmanian Government to reconsider these changes, retain the Herbarium’s specialist positions and leadership, and consult meaningfully with its scientists and the wider scientific community before proceeding.

We stand in solidarity with the staff of the Tasmanian Herbarium and ask the Government to protect this internationally important scientific institution.

Yours sincerely,

Prof. Emmanuël SERUSIAUX, University of Liège, Belgium

Dear Sir/Madam,

I am writing to express my deep concern regarding the drastic changes at the Tasmanian Museum and Art Gallery, the parent body of the Tasmanian Herbarium. I understand these changes include the abolition of the Head of Herbarium role and the subsumption of a reduced botanical staff into a general natural sciences unit under a junior manager. Consequently, the Herbarium will cease to exist as an independent entity led by a qualified, specialist manager who can advocate for botany, taxonomy, and herbarium collections with authority and experience.

The current Head of the Herbarium, Gintaras Kantvilas, is an internationally renowned scientist. Paradoxically, only last year he was named the Premier’s Tasmanian STEM Researcher of the Year in recognition of his contributions to Tasmania and lichenology over the past 40 years. His dismissal would represent a tremendous loss of expertise on Tasmanian biodiversity—a loss that would be felt well beyond the borders of Tasmania itself.

I sincerely hope that you will use your influence to reconsider this decision and maintain the entire staff of the Tasmanian Herbarium, which is an international centre of excellence of which Tasmania should be proud.

sincerely

 

Pier Luigi Nimis

(former President of the International Association of Lichenology)

Senior Professor of Systematic Botany

University of Trieste

Dipartimento di Scienze della Vita 

Dear Sir/Madam,

I'm writing on behalf of the Italian Lichen Society to express my deep concern regarding the drastic changes at the Tasmanian Museum and Art Gallery, the parent body of the Tasmanian Herbarium. As far as I can understand these changes include the abolition of the Head of Herbarium role and the subsumption of a reduced botanical staff into a general natural sciences unit under a junior manager.

Consequently, the Herbarium will cease to exist as an independent entity led by a qualified, specialist manager who can advocate for botany, taxonomy, and herbarium collections with authority and experience.

The current Head of the Herbarium, Gintaras Kantvilas, is an internationally renowned scientist. Paradoxically, only last year he was named the Premier’s Tasmanian STEM Researcher of the Year in recognition of his contributions to Tasmania and lichenology over the past 40 years. His dismissal would represent a tremendous loss of expertise on Tasmanian biodiversity—a loss that would be felt well beyond the borders of Tasmania itself.

I sincerely hope that you will use your influence to reconsider this decision and maintain the entire staff of the Tasmanian Herbarium, which is an international centre of excellence of which Tasmania should be proud.

sincerely

Juri Nascimbene (President of the Italian Lichen Society)

Dear Tasmanian State Government Parliamentarians,

I am writing about the pending cuts to the Tasmanian Herbarium, part of the Tasmanian Museum and Art Gallery, which I understand will result in the loss of the Head of Herbarium (Dr Gintaras Kantvilas, a lichenologist) and the Curator of Bryology (Dr Jean Jarman).  Both are world-renowned researchers and the only people working on cryptogams (a term including both lichens and bryophytes) in public employment in Tasmania.  

I am an American, yet my primary research interests are in Australia.  I can personally vouch for how important and unique bryophytes and lichens are a part of the flora of Tasmania.

The world is in the middle of a vast biodiversity crisis due to climate change, habitat loss, and invasive species.  Natural history museums in general, and herbaria in particular, are at the center of any possible solutions.  Their collections are documentation of the primary evidence for understanding what biodiversity is (a research field called systematics), baseline conditions present in past centuries (historical ecology), the spatial distribution of biodiversity (key to all conservation planning), and physical reservoirs of potential data from genomics to anatomy to morphology that are vital to studies of adaptation (modern ecological and evolutionary studies).

Tasmania is widely known as an important refuge for biodiversity that is not found anywhere else on the globe.

I urge you to keep the Tasmanian Herbarium funded at full strength, to study and protect your wonderful flora.

Sincerely,

 

Brent D. Mishler

     Distinguished Professor Emeritus, Department of Integrative Biology

     Curator of Bryophytes, University and Jepson Herbaria

     University of California, Berkeley

Dear Sir/Madam,

I am writing to express my concern regarding recent news about cuts to the resources of the Tasmanian Herbarium (HO), which are primarily affecting the staff and the scientific and administrative management.

Our herbarium, the largest in Spain, has historically and consistently maintained a significant relationship with this herbarium based on loans and exchanges, which has resulted in scientific publications of great value and relevance.

I trust that, given your wisdom and political responsibility, you will reconsider your proposal, which will clearly have an enormous negative impact on Tasmanian, Australian and global science.

Yours sincerely,

Leopoldo Medina

Leopoldo Medina, PhD

Vascular Plants Collection Manager

Herbario MA / MA Herbarium / CITES ES001 Real Jardín Botánico, CSIC Plaza de Murillo 2

28014 Madrid (SPAIN)

https://rjb.csic.es/rjb-colecciones/herbario-ma/

On Peter's behalf, thank you for voicing your concern about devastating staff cuts to TMAG and other vitally important cultural and scientific institutions.

Peter stands with all staff, scientists, curators, researchers and storytellers who preserve Tasmania’s past, present and future, and is holding the government to account for these unjustified cuts to our cultural and environmental heritage.

On 8 September, Peter asked the following question in parliament on behalf of Friends of TMAG, specifically regarding cuts to the research facility at Rosny.

On 25 September, Peter issued a Media Release questioning whether the Government’s cuts to institutions that protect Tasmania’s cultural and natural heritage are part of a desperate scrabble to pay for the Macquarie Point Stadium.

On 27 September, Peter posted on Facebook in support of the TMAG Herbarium.

If you haven’t already, please sign the Parliamentary e-petition sponsored by the Greens calling on the Government to maintain funding and invest in TMAG.

Thank you again for making your views known on this important matter.

Warm wishes

Dr Rayne Allinson  |  Electorate Officer

Office of Peter George MP  |  Independent Member for Franklin