Rare Balston’s pygmy perch rediscovered in Helena River near Perth

Three Australian outlets report the rediscovery of the Balston’s pygmy perch, a small freshwater fish long believed extinct in the Perth region. The species was previously thought to no longer exist north of Margaret River, according to the reports. Researchers have now found the fish alive in the Helena River, in the Perth Hills. The discovery indicates the species persists in at least part of its former range, with reports describing it as thriving at the site where it was detected. The findings shift the conservation understanding of the fish’s local status, previously treated as extinct in the Perth area. While the reports focus on the confirmation of the species’ presence in the Helena River, they broadly agree on the central points: the perch’s rarity, its prior extinction assumption for the Perth region, and the location of the new record. The news coverage highlights the importance of field surveys and monitoring in Western Australia’s freshwater habitats to reassess species distributions.