News

FOUND! Rediscovery of leopard barbel in Türkiye spurs hope in the midst of global freshwater fish decline

Picture of leopard barbel with FOUND stamped across it, and some facts about the fish below: Scientific name Luciobarbus subquincunciatus; Range Tigris-Euphrates River system; last seen in 2011; also known as the spot barb, was once abundant in certain locations but has declined rapidly over the last 30 years; IUCN Conservation Status Critically Endangered

News from SHOAL

January 9th, 2024

On the heels of the news that 25% of freshwater fish are at risk of extinction, a team of ichthyologists in Türkiye (Turkey) has rediscovered hope in the shape of a carp-like, spotted fish — the leopard barbel (Luciobarbus subquincunciatus) — in the Turkish section of the Tigris River. The species, which was last scientifically documented in 2011, is the second species on SHOAL and Re:wild’s Most Wanted Lost Fishes list to be rediscovered. The first, the Batman River loach, was found by the same intrepid team in Southeastern Türkiye in late 2021.

Read all about it

State of the World’s Freshwater Fish Species

Shoal of tetra fish overlaid with banner with the IUCN/SSC Red LIst log and stating more than 44,000 species are threatened with extinction

Today IUCN announces the completion of the first comprehensive assessment of the world’s freshwater fish species, revealing that 25% (3,086 out of 14,898 assessed species) are at risk of extinction. At least 17% of threatened freshwater fish species are affected by climate change, including decreasing water levels, rising sea levels causing seawater to move up rivers, and shifting seasons. This compounds threats from pollution, which impacts 57% of freshwater fish species at risk of extinction, dams and water extraction, which affect 45%, overfishing, which threatens 25%, and invasive species and disease, which harm 33%. For example, the large-toothed Lake Turkana robber (Brycinus ferox) – an economically important species in Kenya – has moved from Least Concern to Vulnerable on the IUCN Red List, due to overfishing, climate-change driven habitat degradation and dams reducing freshwater entering the lake. Read more here

Rajeev Raghavan awarded the Fisheries Society of the British Isles Medal

FFSG are proud to announce that FFSG South Asia Regional Chair and Red List Coordinator (Asia and Oceania) Professor Rajeev Raghavan was awarded the Fisheries Society of the British Isles Medal this year to recognise his exceptional advances in the study of fish biology, the first year that the medal was awarded to someone from the Asian continent. Rajeev is Assistant Professor at the Kerala University of Fisheries and Ocean Studies where he has discovered 23 new fish species, including the now famous Gollum snakehead, Aenigmachanna gollum.  Rajeev has been an invaluable contributor to FFSG since he joined in 2009 and took over as the South Asia Chair in 2012, a position he has maintained since. Rajeev has been an invaluable contributor to FFSG for more than twelve years and we congratulate him on his well-deserved FSBI Medal. The Indian Express has recently published a fantastic article about Rajeev’s work which you can read here: https://www.newindianexpress.com/cities/kochi/2023/oct/26/if-asked-to-name-ten-native-fish-species-students-would-be-stumped-professorrajeev-raghavan-2626958.html

Extinction risks and threats facing the freshwater fishes of Britain

A new paper has just been published in Aquatic Conservation by Andy D. Nunn,  Rachel F. Ainsworth,  Silas Walton,  Colin W. Bean,  Tristan W. Hatton-Ellis,  Andy Brown,  Rob Evans,  Allison Atterborne,  Dave Ottewell,  Richard A.A. Noble

Nunn, A.D., Ainsworth, R.F., Walton, S., Bean, C.W., Hatton-Ellis, T.W., Brown, A. et al. (2023). Extinction risks and threats facing the freshwater fishes of Britain. Aquatic Conservation: Marine and Freshwater Ecosystems, 1–17. https://doi.org/10.1002/aqc.40140

Abstract:

  1. Extinctions occur naturally in all environments, but rates have accelerated rapidly during the Anthropocene, especially in fresh water. Despite supporting many fish species of conservation importance, there has never been a formal assessment of their extinction risks in Britain, which has impeded their inclusion in relevant legislation and policy. This study therefore used the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List of Threatened Species™ Categories and Criteria to conduct the first systematic assessment of the extinction risks and threats facing the native freshwater and diadromous fishes of Britain. In addition, national assessments were produced for England, Scotland and Wales, reflecting the level at which environmental policy decisions are taken in Britain.
  2. Seven species were categorized as being threatened with extinction at the regional level, with European eel Anguilla anguilla and allis shad Alosa alosa classified as Critically Endangered, Atlantic salmon Salmo salar, vendace Coregonus albula and European whitefish Coregonus lavaretus classified as Endangered, and Arctic charr Salvelinus alpinus and twaite shad Alosa fallax classified as Vulnerable. In addition, burbot Lota lota was classified as Regionally Extinct, ferox trout Salmo ferox was categorized as Data Deficient, and 25 species were categorized as Least Concern. European sturgeon Acipenser sturio and houting Coregonus oxyrinchus, although probably native, qualified as only vagrants in fresh water, so were categorized as Not Applicable.
  3. The assessments provide objective baselines against which future changes can be determined, and a key evidence base to support policy and management decisions for the conservation of freshwater and diadromous fish species and their habitats in Britain. It is recommended that the assessments are repeated every 10 years, which would enable changes in conservation status, the effectiveness of policies and where targeted interventions may be required to be examined using the Red List Index.

New FFSG Website

We’re working on a new website for the Freshwater Fish Specialist Group. You will see it change gradually from a site apparently about cakes to one about fish – we do not intend to make fishcakes!

Keep checking back to see what we’ve added

Fish with a blue-green body and distinct red-brown crossbars on the entire trunk that extend into the dorsal and anal fins, which have prominent black marginal bands; the dorsal and anal fins are trapezoidal; the caudal fin has alternating curved bands of dark red-brown and light green to yellow-green with a broad black distal margin