An invasive foreign fish that can crawl across land and survive out of water for up to six days could make it to Australia, researchers fear.
Scientists from James Cook University (JCU) have been closely monitoring the movements of the climbing perch from Papua New Guinea, which has already reached the Torres Strait Islands of Boigu and Saibai.
The aggressive freshwater species drags itself from waterhole to waterhole and can pose problems for native species once it reaches a new environment.
It also appears to be adapting to salt water based on monitoring in the Torres Strait, JCU's Dr Nathan Waltham said.
"In our trip up there in December we found it in some hyper saline water holes, so there is some ability to resist exposure," he said.
The fish has also been known to hibernate in mud for up to six months.
Dr Waltham believed the perch may have made it to Boigu and Saibai, just four to six kilometres south of the mainland of Papua New Guinea, thanks to a surge of fresh water from flooding rivers.
"I still think the chances of it getting to Australia by swimming are quite low," he said.
"There is more chance it will arrive in the bottom of a fishing boat or as discarded live-bait fish."
Researchers are educating local fishermen about the importance of reporting sightings to help stop the fish travelling beyond the island.
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