Feral pig exclusion fencing provides limited fish conservation value on tropical floodplains

Efforts to protect and restore tropical wetlands impacted by feral pigs (Sus scrofa) in northern Australia have more recently included exclusion fences, an abatement response proposing fences improve wetland condition by protecting habitat for fish production and water quality. Here we tested: 1) whether the fish assemblage are similar in wetlands with and without fences; and 2) whether specific environmental processes influence fish composition differently between fenced and unfenced wetlands. Twenty-one floodplain and riverine wetlands in the Archer River catchment (Queensland) were surveyed during post-wet (June-August) and late-dry season (November-December) in 2016, 2017 and 2018, using a fyke soaked overnight (~14-15hrs). A total of 6,353 fish representing twenty-six species from 15 families were captured. There were no multivariate differences in fish assemblages between seasons, years and for fenced and unfenced wetlands (PERMANOVA, Pseduo-F P