Last year marked the conclusion of the first round of SHOAL-ASAP Freshwater Fish Conservation Grant projects, with the last project wrapping up work in Q3. In December, through funds generously contributed by Synchronicity Earth, we are proud to announce follow-up SHOAL-ASAP Conservation Grant support for on-ground action partners. Part of the next round of the SHOAL-ASAP Conservation Grant, this funding (totalling USD 50,000) provides continued support to one ASAP species, while bringing conservation action to two more previously neglected, Critically Endangered freshwater fish species from Southeast Asia.

Tropical Conservation Society  (TCS)

TCS, a youth-led, homegrown action partner from West Kalimantan, will continue their important work on the Redtail Liquorice Gourami (Parosphromenus ornaticauda). Operating in a landscape as contested and varied as this, on a Critically Endangered and neglected species, is no easy endeavour. TCS however has worked tirelessly to recover populations of the beleaguered fish, and we are proud to be able to support them in this work.

In the first round of SHOAL-ASAP conservation grants, they collected vital information on the distribution, population status, and biology of the species, while characterising the pressures it faces from collection and trade for aquaria. They engaged deeply with local government and communities, spreading the word on the species and starting the important discussions needed to drive action for these endemic blackwater fishes and the habitats they rely on.

With the follow-up funding, TCS aims to continue their efforts on the Redtail Liquorice Gourami, working with local communities to prevent over-collection and sustainability, while building on stakeholder links to advocate for more effective protections for the species.

Airlangga University

Bintan Island in Indonesia’s Riau Archipelago is home to what may be one of the most endangered fish in Asia: the Red Pelvic Betta (Betta miniopinna). Massive and large-scale loss of peatlands on the island have driven this fish right to the brink of existence, with anecdotal reports from the ground indicating that it may now only persist in one or two tiny microsites. Despite this, it benefits from no strategic conservation action.

In light of the critical condition the species faces, Airlangga University leads a group of researchers and scientists on a project aimed at shifting the needle away from extinction. Building on lessons learnt from their earlier work on the Red Wine Betta (Betta burdigala), the project leads will be applying their efforts to government, local community and landowner engagement, research on population status, distribution, and taxonomic status, and emergency conservation ex situ work for this endemic blackwater gem.

Dr Chavalit Vidthayanon/Mekong Community Institute Association (MCI)

For centuries, Thailand’s Bangpakong Basin has simultaneously supported both its unique aquatic biodiversity and the human communities that rely on its rhythmic seasonal flows. In contemporary times however, the balance has shifted in a way that has spelt catastrophe for many of its freshwater species: modern patterns of development and farming methodologies have resulted in wide-scale elimination of the basin’s natural flood regime, excising critical components of many species’ life cycles and greatly impeding their survival.

The Club Barbel Sheatfish (Ceratoglanis pachynema) is one such species. Endemic to the Bangpakong, it is known to survive in a small part of the basin, where it continues to face seasonal pressure from artisanal fishing. Despite its Critically Endangered status, it has largely flown under the conservation radar, like many other threatened freshwater fish the world over.

Enter MCI and Dr Chavalit, one of Thailand’s most well-known ichthyologists and freshwater conservation champions. With support from the SHOAL-ASAP Conservation Grants follow-up, they will be working on collecting updated information on the population status, distribution, and habitat condition of the fish, understanding and assessing fishing pressure, identifying potential sites for habitat management or restoration (e.g., through the implementation of OECMs), and conducting stakeholder outreach and engagement.