Editing River Derwent (Tasmania) (section)

==Flora and fauna==
[[File:Brachionichthys hirsutus RLS.jpg|thumb|The critically endangered spotted handfish]]In recent years, [[southern right whale]]s finally started making appearance in the river during months in winter and spring when their migration takes place. Some females even started using calm waters of the river as a safe ground for giving birth to their calves and would stay over following weeks after disappearance of almost 200 years due to being wiped out by intense whaling activities. In the winter months of 2014, [[humpback whale]]s and a [[minke whale]] (being the first confirmed record of this species in the river) have been recorded feeding in the River Derwent for the first time since the whaling days of the 1800s.<ref>{{Cite web |title=It's mighty mouth: Whales feeding in River Derwent |access-date=25 August 2014 |url= http://m.themercury.com.au/news/tasmania/its-mighty-mouth-whales-feeding-in-river-derwent/story-fnj4f7k1-1227002076373 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140826120203/http://m.themercury.com.au/news/tasmania/its-mighty-mouth-whales-feeding-in-river-derwent/story-fnj4f7k1-1227002076373 |archive-date=26 August 2014 }}</ref>

The rare [[spotted handfish]] (''Brachionichthys hirsutus''), whose only habitat is in the Derwent estuary and surrounds,<ref name=fishbase/> was the first marine fish to be listed as [[critically endangered]] in the [[IUCN Red List]], in 1996.<ref>{{Cite journal|title=Smooth Handfish Extinction Marks a Sad Milestone|url=https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/smooth-handfish-extinction-marks-a-sad-milestone/|volume=323|issue= 1|pages= 14 |date=July 2020|author=Shiffman, David|journal= [[Scientific American]]}}</ref><ref>Edgar, G., Stuart-Smith, R. & Last, P.R. (2020). ''Brachionichthys hirsutus''. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. {{doi|10.2305/IUCN.UK.2020-1.RLTS.T2958A121210485.en}}</ref> The fish is threatened by the [[Northern Pacific seastar in Australia|Northern Pacific seastar's invasion into southern Australian waters]]. The [[Northern Pacific seastar]] (''Asterias amurensis''), now firmly established in the Derwent,<ref name=gisd/><ref name=nimpis>{{cite web | title=Species - Asterias amurensis | website=National Introduced Marine Pest Information System| publisher= Australian Government | date=5 November 2020 | url=https://nimpis.marinepests.gov.au/species/species/105 | access-date=20 February 2021}}</ref> preys on not only the fish eggs,<ref name=fishbase>{{cite web| url= https://www.fishbase.de/summary/Brachionichthys-hirsutus.html |website= Fishbase|title=Brachionichtys-hirsutus}}</ref> but also on the sea squirts ([[ascidian]]s)<ref name=gisd>{{cite web | title=Asterias amurensis| website=Global invasive species database|publisher=[[Invasive Species Specialist Group]] (ISSG)| date=10 March 2010 | url=http://www.iucngisd.org/gisd/speciesname/Asterias+amurensis | access-date=20 February 2021}}</ref> that help to form the [[Substrate (marine biology)|substrate]] that the fish spawn on.<ref name=abc2021>{{cite web | last=MacDonald | first=Lucy | title=Volunteers hope efforts to remove invasive northern Pacific seastar will make a difference  | website=ABC News| publisher= [[Australian Broadcasting Corporation]] | date=20 February 2021 | url=https://www.abc.net.au/news/2021-02-20/tas-invasive-northern-pacific-seastar-removal-efforts/13164004 | access-date=20 February 2021}}</ref>