April 2026
Racovitza’s Rudd, Scardinius racovitzai
Image © Peter Lengyel
Racovitza’s Rudd (Scardinius racovitzai) is endemic to a single small lake in northwestern Romania. Its natural population was lost in 2014 when the lake dried up due to water abstraction, making it the only European freshwater fish to have become Extinct in the Wild in the past 15 years.
Today, it survives only thanks to captive assurance populations maintained in several European countries, with the aim of ultimately returning it to the wild. Find out more about this species, and the other fishes of Europe in the new FFSG supported European red list of freshwater fishes published this week: https://op.europa.eu/en/publication-detail/-/publication/7037c5b5-12c0-11f1-8870-01aa75ed71a1/language-en
More information about conservation efforts:
- Ex situ conservation of the thermal rudd Scardinius racovitzai
- Artificial propagation of the endangered Rumanian endemic warm water rudd (Scardinius racovitzai Müller 1958, Cyprinidae, Cypriniformes) for conservation needs
- Ex situ conservation of the thermal rudd (Scardinius racovitzai): a general review of work and results
- Racovitza’s Rudd Captive Breeding Program at Schönbrunn Zoo, Vienna, Austria
Nomination: Matt Ford, FFSG Member and Lead Author of the European Red List of Freshwater Fishes Report 2026.