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This year’s been one of our busiest yet, so take a midpoint deep dive into our most memorable moments so far.
Rediscovering the leopard barbel
In January we were thrilled to announce that the leopard barbel was been rediscovered by a team of ichthyologists in Türkiye, led by Cüneyt Kaya and Münevver Oral.
“We dropped everything and would have gone to the ends of the Earth to see this fish, this legend, alive in the wild.”
Münevver Oral, Assistant Professor at Recep Tayyip Erdogan University
Last scientifically documented in 2011, the species is the second of our Most Wanted Lost Fishes to be rediscovered, after the Batman River loach was found by the same team in 2021.
“With both the Batman River loach and now the leopard barbel, we have an obligation to mobilise conservation efforts to ensure neither becomes lost again.”
Cüneyt Kaya, Associate Professor at Recep Tayyip Erdogan University
Find out more
SOS: Support Our Shoal
Our brand new range of collectible enamel pins are available in select aquarium stores across the UK – with donations going towards our SOS: Support Our Shoal campaign.
Designed to bridge the gap between the home aquarium community and impactful conservation of the world’s most threatened freshwater fish,SOS: Support Our Shoal provides a reliable channel for aquarists to direct vital funds to the freshwater species and ecosystems that need them most.
“SOS: Support Our Shoal is a rallying cry to those who care about what is happening to freshwater species and want to be part of the solution. This is a landmark time for the aquarium community, and collaborating with us is a demonstration that it is beginning to take conservation seriously.”
Mike Baltzer, Executive Director, SHOAL
You can find the pins at any of our brilliant partner aquarium stores across the UK:
The Fish Barn – Crawley, Sussex
Fish Planet London – Finsbury Park
Friends In Soggy Homes – Leicester
Kings Aquatics – Ebbw Vale, Wales
Lincs Aquatics – Alford, Lincolnshire
Riverside Aquaria – Broxburn, West Lothian
Sweet Knowle Aquatics– Stratford-upon-Avon
The Goldfish Bowl – Oxford
Wharf Aquatics – Pinxton, Nottingham
Find out more
New Species Report 2023
A minnow hiding in a megacity, 7 Swiss whitefish, and a cavefish that eats out of people’s hands were highlighted in New Species 2023. In March we released our third annual New Species report, detailing the 243 freshwater fish species described in 2023.
“Awareness-raising is a critical part of the work needed to give these species a chance of survival, and it’s our hope and expectation that New Species reports will go some way to driving a greater appreciation for freshwater fish.”
Mike Baltzer, Executive Director, SHOAL
Find out more
Mekong Report
In March the WWF and partners released a flagship report focussed on the dazzlingly diverse fishes of the Mekong.
The river is home to some of the world’s largest freshwater species and one of the smallest, but the species are under increasing threat.
With one-fifth already facing extinction, urgent action is needed to safeguard the future of these extraordinary fishes, as well as the people & ecosystems that depend on them.
Find out more
The 1,000 Fishes Blueprint
In April we launched an ambitious new initiative to mobilise conservation action for 1,000 of Earth’s most threatened freshwater fish species by 2035.
The SHOAL Blueprint for Conservation Action for 1,000 Freshwater Fishes by 2035 is perhaps the single most ambitious conservstion framework in terms of species numbers ever written, and certainly our most ambitious project to date here at SHOAL.
“The Blueprint shows the level of ambition and determination we need to turn back the tide on the freshwater biodiversity crisis, and halt extinctions and recover populations of the world’s most threatened freshwater fish. It is collaborative to its core and puts local communities at the forefront of impactful conservation action. It is urgent that we now push on and mobilise the conservation actions outlined by The Blueprint – our planet’s freshwaters depend on them.”
Mike Baltzer, Executive Director, SHOAL
We are celebrating the launch with a photo competition, which ends Saturday 31st August 2024.
Find out all about that here