Document ID: chunk:federal_register_of_legislation:F2016L00300:body:0:p5
Version: federal_register_of_legislation:F2016L00300
Segment Type: other
Provision Reference: 
Character Range: 12419–15449

factors limiting population growth for each species of handfish covered by this plan have been identified.
    * Artificial spawning habitat, if found to be effective at increasing spawning success, has been provided at key locations to support spotted handfish spawning.
    * Appropriate measures have been put in place to manage key threats to all handfish species covered by this plan.
    * Habitat quality has been maintained or improved in key locations for all handfish species covered by this plan.
    * Population response models, that include trigger points for captive breeding and/or translocation and reintroduction programs, have been developed for all species of handfish covered by this plan.

Criteria for failure:
This recovery plan will be deemed to have failed if; within 10 years any of the following have occurred:
    * Any of the handfish species covered by this plan have become extinct in the wild, or their conservation status has declined, during the life of the plan.
    * Surveys to improve understanding of the distribution and abundance of handfish species covered by this plan have not been conducted.
    * Regular monitoring has not been conducted and population trends have not been assessed for known spotted handfish populations.
    * Key factors limiting population growth for each species have not been identified and appropriate mitigation measures have not been implemented.
    * Artificial spawning habitat, if found to be effective at increasing spawning success, has not been laid out at key spotted handfish locations.
    * Habitat quality has declined in key locations for any handfish species.

2 Introduction
This document constitutes the 'Australian National Recovery Plan for Three Handfish Species: spotted handfish (Brachionichthys hirsutus), red handfish (Thymichthys politus) and Ziebell's handfish (Brachiopsilus ziebelli)'. The plan considers the conservation requirements of the species across their range and identifies the actions to be taken to ensure the species' long-term viability in nature, and the parties that will undertake those actions.
This recovery plan is a revision of the 2005 National Recovery Plan for Four Species of Handfish (DEH, 2005). The 2005 recovery plan recognised Ziebell's handfish (Sympterichthys sp.) and Waterfall Bay handfish (Sympterichthys sp.) as two distinct species. However, Ziebell's handfish and Waterfall Bay handfish are now formally recognised as a single species (Brachiopsilus ziebelli). The 2005 recovery plan also recognised the red handfish under its previous taxonomic name of Brachionichthys politus. However, the red handfish is now formally recognised under the taxonomic name of Thymichthys politus. The EPBC Act list of threatened species was updated in October 2012 to recognise these taxonomic changes.
The 2005 recovery plan was reviewed in 2013 by an expert panel that included representatives from DotE, DPIPWE, CSIRO, UTAS and DEP. This review noted that, despite limited availability of resources,