A small but mighty conservation success story is unfolding at the Glenelg Golf Club, where a native fish not seen in South Australia for more than four decades is swimming its way back from presumed extinction. The olive perchlet, once written off as a lost species after its last recorded sighting in 1983 at Walker Flat, has returned to local waters thanks to a unique partnership between Green Adelaide, Nature Glenelg Trust and the Glenelg Golf Club.
Around 450 olive perchlets have now been released into a protected wetland on the course, marking a major milestone in the state’s ongoing work to restore native freshwater biodiversity. The fish, which grow to about five centimetres in length, play an important ecological role by preying on small aquatic species like insects—helping to maintain the delicate balance of healthy wetlands and waterways.
Their journey back to South Australia began in Mildura, where a newly established population provided a precious source of fish for reintroduction. Carefully transported across the border, the olive perchlets have been welcomed into a safe, controlled habitat designed to support their survival, breeding and long-term resilience. The release is a key part of broader government efforts to bring threatened native fish back to urban waterways and strengthen local ecosystems.
This achievement is the result of years of planning with landscape boards, Indigenous groups, landholders and a dedicated fish conservation working group. Their progress will be closely monitored by Nature Glenelg Trust, adding to the extensive biodiversity initiatives already under way at the golf club. The project mirrors the return of the critically endangered southern purple-spotted gudgeon to the River Torrens / Karrawirra Pari in 2023, following a successful captive breeding program.
“The release of this tiny fish, long believed to be extinct, is a giant step in our conservation efforts to protect native species,” Lucy Hood said. “The olive perchlet once again calls South Australia home, and we are doing what we can to help them repopulate and become more resilient. Their remarkable return to the wetlands of the Glenelg Golf Club is a story well worth sharing at the 19th hole.”
Green Adelaide Presiding Member Professor Chris Daniels said the project is helping the species “test the waters” in a secure habitat before broader rewilding begins. “Careful consideration has gone into the conservation of this species and how the use of novel urban wetlands can play a key role in the recovery of this and other threatened freshwater fish species.”
Nature Glenelg Trust Senior Aquatic Ecologist Dr Sylvia Zukowski highlighted the broader significance of the work, noting that a global assessment found 37 per cent of Australia’s native freshwater fish are threatened using IUCN criteria. “The return of olive perchlets to SA is an important milestone for reversing this trend and for freshwater fish conservation,” she said. “By implementing these freshwater fish recovery actions, we’re helping to reinstate unique biodiversity to our wetlands and waterways.”
Glenelg Golf Club Course Superintendent Tim Warren said the club is proud to play a role in the species’ revival. “Golf courses can offer unique opportunities in conservation. We take our role in sustainability seriously, and we’re thrilled to provide a home for these little native fish. Our members are usually trying to stay out of the water, but we’re happy to welcome the olive perchlets in!”
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