The SHOAL is the global ecosystem of partners and collaborators who work together to safeguard the health of Earth's freshwater habitats and conserve the most threatened freshwater species. As with a shoal of fish, the strength of the SHOAL lies with the number of partners all working together.
Blueprint for Conservation Action for 1,000 Freshwater Fishes
SHOAL's flagship initiative sets out a plan for how significant collaborative conservation effort can lift freshwater fishes and potentially thousands of other neglected freshwater species to a new elevated platform of conservation attention and greatly enhance freshwater conservation efforts globally.
In the dark, tannin-stained waters of Bangka Island’s swamp forests, SHOAL, ASAP and Mandai Nature Local Action Partners from Airlangga University, Indonesia are working hard to save one of the country’s aquatic treasures: the Critically Endangered Betta burdigala. The species, endemic to Bangka, thrives in the unique, acidic waters of the region’s peat swamps.
Betta burdigala is a blackwater swamp specialist, perfectly adapted to its environment. Its labyrinth organ allows it to breathe air directly, a vital trait for surviving the low-oxygen conditions of flooded peatlands. However, these habitats are disappearing rapidly, threatened by palm oil plantations, tin mining, pollution, and overexploitation. The stakes are high, but a dedicated team of researchers and local collaborators is determined to ensure this fish’s survival.
A key component of the project is the captive breeding programme, where Betta burdigala pairs are conditioned in hatcheries, to be released into the species’ native habitat, boosting populations. The fish have fascinating parental care behaviours: males take gulps of air from the surface and blow out a bubble, which rests alongside hundreds of other bubbles, constructing a bubble nest where the fish guard their eggs and fry. In every breeding cycle, a single pair can produce up to 15 juveniles, which are raised until they are ready for reintroduction into the wild.
To maintain genetic diversity, the team works with skilled fish catchers to collect enough broodstock from the wild. This ensures the reintroduced population has the resilience to thrive in its restored habitat.
The conservation of Betta burdigala is intertwined with protecting its habitat. Peat swamp forests, a globally endangered ecosystem, are being destroyed for agriculture and mining. Compounding the problem, forest edges near urban areas often accumulate plastic waste, further degrading the environment.
Recognising this, the team is taking bold steps toward habitat preservation. The next phase involves establishing a fish sanctuary deep within the heart of Bangka’s peat swamp forests. Guided by knowledge from local collectors and hobbyists, the sanctuary will offer a safe-haven where reintroduced Betta burdigala can flourish, along with other vulnerable species like the beautiful Parosphromenus deissneri and the enigmatic Kottelatlimia pristes.
This effort extends beyond science; it’s a collaboration with local communities and government to foster long-term sustainability. By raising awareness about the importance of these habitats and their unique inhabitants, the project ensures that conservation becomes a shared responsibility.
Josie South, fish ecologist at the University of Leeds, who has been guiding the assessment and ecological aspects of the work on Betta burdigala, said, “The success of the Betta burdigala project indicates the capacity for real change from inclusive management involving higher education, hobbyists, government, conservation and fishers working together to preserve biodiversity. Having reintroduced 147 juveniles and locating a prospective fish sanctuary site as well as a site with rehabilitation potential we can see that there is hope for conservation of these overlooked peat swamp fish”.
In saving Betta burdigala, this initiative is doing more than protecting a single species—it’s preserving an entire ecosystem. And in the peaty waters of Bangka Island, hope for the swamp forests and their extraordinary life forms glimmers on.
Post Overview
Michael Edmondstone
November 27th 2024
1000 Fishes, Fish, Freshwater News, Stories
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One quarter of freshwater animals at risk of extinction – IUCN Red List
Mekong Ghost rediscovered after missing for nearly 20 years
The rediscovery of the Giant ‘Mekong Ghost’ Fish sends a message to the CBD COP16 of hope – and a reminder that freshwater ecosystems are in crisis.
While the world discusses how to save biodiversity at the CBD COP16 in Cali, Colombia, the rediscovery of the elusive Giant Salmon Carp, previously feared extinct and nicknamed the Giant Mekong Ghost Fish, was announced. The rediscovery of the large predatory fish represents an urgent call to action for all freshwater ecosystems (referred to as ‘Inland Waters’ by the Convention on Biological Diversity) and all the species, including humans, that rely on them.
A call to the COP:
Freshwater systems are the lifeblood of the planet and yet time and again they are neglected and overlooked. At this CBD COP, the voices of those concerned about freshwater continue to get louder. News of the Giant Salmon Carp’s rediscovery in the Mekong, a river vital to the everyday lives of millions of people, provides a rare opportunity to remind us all that freshwater biodiversity is at crisis point.
Delegates from around the world are currently in Cali, Colombia to set out plans for how to turn back the tide on catastrophic global biodiversity loss. The Carp’s rediscovery is a glimmer of hope that species feared extinct are still out there, surviving when the odds seem desperately stacked against them.
It is now up to policymakers to prioritise freshwaters, to ensure we do not lose this magnificent fish, and many hundreds of other freshwater wonders, forever.
Giant Salmon Carp rediscovered:
The ‘Mekong Ghost’ has been missing for nearly 20 years, and the team of scientists, led by researchers from the Inland Fisheries Research and Development Institute of the Cambodian Fisheries Administration, who rediscovered it deserve our congratulations. The Giant Salmon Carp (Aaptosyax grypus) – an ASAP species and one of SHOAL’s Priority Fishes under the 1,000 Fishesinitiative – had not been documented since 2005 and was feared extinct. A few days ago, researchers published proof that the species has resurfaced in Cambodia, reigniting hope for its survival, and sparking calls for urgent conservation efforts to protect Southeast Asia’s Mekong River.
Their research, published in the journal Biological Conservation, emphasises the need for innovative conservation strategies to safeguard not only this species but the broader ecosystem of the Mekong, which has been termed a “fish superhighway” and is home to some of the largest freshwater fish on Earth.
“The rediscovery of the Giant Salmon Carp is a reason for hope, not just for this species but for the entire Mekong ecosystem,” said Bunyeth Chan, lead researcher from Svay Rieng University in Cambodia. “The Mekong ecosystem is the most productive river on Earth, producing over two million tons of fish per year.” The Mekong River holds staggering diversity, with more than 1,100 fish species alone, around 25 per cent of which are found nowhere else on Earth. The Giant Salmon Carp is one of the 90 Critically Endangered ASAP freshwater fish species and one of the five large migratory ASAP species that SHOAL and the Asian Species Action Partnership (ASAP) is working to conserve.
“The rediscovery of the Giant Salmon Carp is a reason for hope, not just for this species but for the entire Mekong ecosystem.”
Bunyeth Chan – Lead researcher, Svay Rieng University in Cambodia.
Giant Salmon Carp head. Photo Courtesy of Chhut Chheana, USAID Wonders of the Mekong
“The biodiversity of the Mekong is truly unique, and we must intensify our efforts to study and protect it,” Heng Kong, co-author of the study and director of the Inland Fisheries Research Institute in Cambodia, said. “Species like the Giant Salmon Carp are irreplaceable, and without concerted action, they could disappear forever.”
“It’s a striking fish, up to six feet long, with a hooked, s-shaped jaw and the body and bright scales of a salmon,” said Zeb Hogan, a co-author of the study and director of the Wonders of the Mekong programme at the University of Nevada, Reno. “It’s the only species in its genus of an evolutionary distinct form of large-bodied, predatory carp.
“Aaptosyax numbers are very low, and we don’t know how many populations remain, or if they are connected,” Hogan said. “The rediscovery means that with coordinated international action it may still be possible to save the species from oblivion”.
“The rediscovery provides a nice entry point to discussing some of the larger Mekong controversies and scientific knowledge gaps. It highlights the extraordinary diversity of the Mekong River, its elusive and unusual creatures, their life cycles and habitats shrouded in mystery, and species on the verge of vanishing forever. The rediscovery is a call-to-action. It’s a reason for a change in course: new science, new protections, new partnerships that can bring species – and the Mekong River – back from the brink. It’s a story with significant environmental and economic implications because the Mekong River is home to rich biodiversity and a USD 10 billion fishery”.
The research team are calling for continued community-engaged research. The USAID-funded Wonders of the Mekong programme, working in close collaboration with the Cambodian Department of Fisheries, has successfully involved local fishers in conservation efforts since the programme began in 2017. By partnering with people who live along the Mekong and its tributaries, researchers hope to continue to gather critical information on the Carp’s habitat and behaviour.
Giant Salmon Carp (Aaptosyax grypus) scale collection Photo Courtesy of Chhut Chheana, USAID Wonders of the Mekong
“Local fishers possess invaluable ecological knowledge and could be pivotal in identifying key habitats and establishing conservation zones,” said Sébastien Brosse from the Université Paul Sabatier in France, one of the study’s coauthors.
The Mekong River is a global priority for freshwater biodiversity conservation, and the Giant Salmon Carp is a powerful reminder of the rich biodiversity still present there. However, habitat degradation, overfishing and dam construction have caused widespread harm to the river and its species. Climate change poses a new and growing threat, as the region faces more prolonged drought and more severe floods. To address these issues, scientists are calling for a comprehensive, multi-faceted conservation strategy.
“Protecting its habitat would not only secure the future of this rare megafish but could also support other endangered species in the region, contributing to the overall health of the Mekong’s freshwater biodiversity,” Michael Grant, of the Center for Sustainable Tropical Fisheries and Aquaculture in Australia, said.
There is no time to waste. With the Mekong in such desperate decline, concerted and urgent impactful conservation work is needed. SHOAL currently has six projects running in the region, directly conserving at least four Critically Endangered freshwater fish species, including the Redtail Sharkminnow and the Jullien’s Golden Carp, another migratory Mekong giant.
The Wonders of the Mekong programme has done incredible work to rediscover the Giant Salmon Carp, raise urgent awareness of the plight of Mekong biodiversity, and engage local communities and international networks in vital conservation work. As a result of the rediscovery, the Cambodian Fisheries Administration has added the Giant Salmon Carp to its list of protected species. Ultimately, the survival of the species—and the Mekong’s biodiversity—depends on coordinated efforts across borders.
It is essential to the health of the planet that policymakers urgently step up and prioritise these efforts.
Trip Diary: Conservation in Southeast Asia with Mike Baltzer
Come with SHOAL to Southeast Asia to meet conservation partners and visit some of the world’s most exciting freshwater ecosystems first hand.
It’s been a busy Spring for SHOAL’s Mike Baltzer. Our Executive Director has just returned from a journey across Southeast Asia that took him from Singapore to Cambodia to Thailand and back to Singapore.
“The trip gave me an invaluable opportunity to connect with local experts, plan future collaborations and see some of the world’s most biodiverse freshwater ecosystems first-hand.”
The meeting brought together experts from the region alongside those with an expertise in writing action plans for threatened species in the region, like Mike. The group discussed the process of developing this ambitious project, and how to ensure the results have the greatest impact.
“The ASEAN expert meeting was a wonderful opportunity to discuss SHOAL and freshwater conservation with national experts and potential partners, and find ways to move forward with action in each of the Southeast Asia countries.”
Mike was also able to meet up with some of our partners in Singapore including PROGRES, a conservation NGO in Sulawesi, Indonesia, which fuses science with the power of locally-led conservation action. Read more about PROGRES’ amazing work on our blog→
One of Indonesia’s leading conservation specialists Prof. Mirza Kusrini then met Mike for an enlightening and helpful discussion about potential partners in Papua and West Papua in Indonesia.
Mike then headed to Siem Reap, the home of the breathtaking Angkor Wat, to meet potential partners and discuss future activities in the Tonle Sap lake in Cambodia. The area is one of the world’s most large and valuable wetlands.
He and the team were able to capture some striking shots of the extensive fisheries on the lake, as well as explore potential conservation projects.
“In Cambodia, I was struck by the damage, caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, to the local economy and threat this now posed to natural resources as people seek ways to pay off loans and restore their businesses and income sources. It was clear to see that the great fisheries of the Tonle Sap were once again a vital source of food security during the toughest times.”
On return to Singapore Mike took the opportunity to stop over in Bangkok and meet with Dr Dindo Campilan, Regional Director of the IUCN Asia Regional Office, and his team to explore potential collaboration on projects in the region.
The next day, Mike returned to Singapore for a full day meeting with the IUCN SSC ASAP and Mandai Nature team to prepare for the launch of The Strategic Framework to Accelerate Urgent Conservation Action for ASAP Freshwater Fishes in Southeast Asia on 3rd July 2023.
The trip was drawing to a close, but there’s no way Mike could fly back to the UK without squeezing in a visit to the new Bird Paradise at Singapore Zoo, after being kindly given a ticket.
“Bird Paradise is incredible. You can walk through huge aviaries and really feel that you are seeing the birds in the wild – all with clear conservation messages and actions. And of course it was great to be harassed by beautiful salmon-crested cockatoos – one of my favourite birds!”
Southeast Asia is considered the region with the highest number of species facing immediate extinction, and freshwater fish make up the largest group with almost 100 species Critically Endangered. As aquatic species in general are overlooked globally amongst conservation actions, there is presently very little targeted conservation action underway.
“As we prepare for the launch of our new report in collaboration with IUCN SSC, ASAP and Mandai Nature it is important that we meet to discuss with as many local experts as possible on potential projects and partners. There are a lot of ASAP fishes there that need immediate attention so building capacity of local NGOs across the region is a high priority.”
Formed under the IUCN SSC, the Asian Species Action Partnership (ASAP) are an alliance of more than 220 partners working to save Critically Endangered species in Southeast Asia.
Post Overview
Michael Edmondstone
June 18th 2023
Conservation, Fish, Stories, Trips
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One quarter of freshwater animals at risk of extinction – IUCN Red List
Come with SHOAL to Mexico to see Extinct in the Wild golden skiffia reintroduced to the Rio Teuchitlán.
On November 4th 2022 a team from the University of Michoacan, Mexico, reintroduced over 1,000 golden skiffia (Skiffia francesae) into the Rio Teuchitlán. The team was led by Omar Domínguez-Domínguez, and the Goodeid Working Group, with vital support from Chester Zoo.
Just a couple of weeks earlier the SHOAL team packed their bags for Mexico to join them for this (fresh)watershed moment. We also participated in a workshop to plan conservation action for the Mexican goodeids – one of the world’s most threatened groups of fishes.
Time to fly the nest mesocosm
Our first stop was to the Aqua Lab at Michoacan University of Mexico in Morelia to see their breeding facilities. The Fish Ark facility at the university has been breeding golden skiffia in captivity for years in preparation for this re-release.
Fish Ark Mexico is a conservation project in central Mexico that focuses on 41 highly threatened species of freshwater fish. The project has more than 20 years of experience in Mexican fish conservation and has succeeded in keeping 39 species of Endangered and Extinct in the Wild Mexican goodeid species in captivity.
“The Aqua Lab itself is a hugely impressive facility, with three shelves of tanks stretching wall to wall either side, providing ample space for the breeding of threatened fish species, including the golden skiffia and tequila splitfin. Once the fish are fully grown, they are moved to large outdoor pools on the grounds of the Aqua Lab, where they can adapt to living with much more space. Also bred in the Fish Ark are species of Critically Endangered Mexican salamanders.”
Fishes due for release are dewormed, marked and placed in secure ponds known as mesocosms to prepare them for a return to the wild. The mesocosms float in the species’ natural habitat but are protected by netting, allowing fish to adapt to semi-natural conditions without chance of predation.
The golden skiffia has not been seen in the wild since the 1990s. Human impact such as dam construction, water extraction, pollution and the introduction of invasive species have caused major changes to the skiffia’s habitat, pushing it to extinction in its only home.
The release comes six years after the successful reintroduction of the tequila splitfin (Zoogonetcus tequila) which faced very similar threats to the golden skiffia. The species was also bred in a conservation breeding programme and released into the Teuchitlán River. Domínguez-Domínguez also led that work. The population of tequila splitfin there is now thriving, and the project has been cited as an International Union for the Conservation of Nature case study for successful global reintroductions.
Día de los Muertos, or Day of the Dead, is a celebration of life and death. Being part of this expedition, the SHOAL team got to experience the colourful celebration in all its life-affirming glory.
“The Day of the Dead is a traditional Mexican celebration, when it is believed that people’s deceased ancestors return to the land of the living for one night, to talk and spend time with their families. Releasing the golden skiffia around this time is a metaphor for how the species has come back from the dead to return to its home, not for one night, but forever.” Omar Domínguez-Domínguez, professor and researcher from the Michoacan University of Mexico, who is leading the golden skiffia reintroduction.
“The golden skiffia release came two days later, on 4 November. The day began at the nearby Guachimontones archeological site, with talks about the golden skiffia, the river and the conservation work achieved, and an awards ceremony to celebrate the hard work of the Guardians of the River. In the evening, traditional Mexican dancing, traditional Indigenous dancing, a theatrical performance and a poetry recital set the mood before a symbolic funeral cortege to the release site marked the skiffia’s demise from the wild. To the sound of rhythmic drumming, local children released 10 skiffia individuals one at a time in a moving and memorable ceremony. The remaining approximately 1,200 individuals were subsequently released.”
Individuals released into the wild are tagged with a non-toxic elastomer before release and will be monitored for the next five years. This assesses whether the population is increasing and whether the fish are reproducing and growing successfully in their natural habitat.
Conservationists hope that the fish released on 4 November will ultimately result in a healthy, self-sustaining population taking hold. Then the species can fulfil its important natural role in the ecosystem of eating algae and mosquito larvae, helping to keep populations of those species in check.
SHOAL is currently working with the University of Michoacan, Chester Zoo, the Goodeid Working Group and a host of other organisations on a conservation plan for each of the threatened Mexican goodeids. If the success of the tequila splitfin reintroduction and the predictions for a successful golden skiffia project are anything to go by, there is good reason to believe this collaborative, interdisciplinary conservation programme will bring these goodeid species back from the brink of extinction.
FOUND! The Batman River loach has been rediscovered after nearly 50 years
It is the first of Shoal’s Lost Fishes to be rediscovered.
A Turkish research team have rediscovered populations of the critically endangered Batman River loach in two streams in southeast Turkey, the first time the tiny fish has been seen since 1974, and the first species rediscovery from Shoal’s Search for the Lost Fishes programme.
“When I first heard about the Search for the Lost Fishes project, I was very happy,” said Cüynet Kaya, associate professor with Recep Tayyip Erdogan University. “Moreover, two of the 10 most wanted fish species were distributed in my country. It is a very different feeling when you see naturalists from foreign countries caring about an endemic species in your country and making efforts to save it. As a freshwater fish taxonomist, I thought that I should do my best for this project, and fortunately our efforts resulted in finding the first lost endemic and critically endangered Batman River loach.”
After learning about the Search for Lost Fishes, Kaya and Münevver Oral, a research fellow with Recep Tayyip Erdogan University, set out to search for the small yellow-and-brown striped fish, which is the smallest loach species in the Middle East, and smaller than any loach species found in Europe. The tiny critter, growing up to 1.4 inches (or 36 millimetres) long, was once distributed around streams and tributaries of the Batman River, which is thought to take its name not from the caped crusader, but from the nearby Bati Raman mountain.
Dr Cüneyt Kaya and Dr Münevver Oral
Expedition teams have searched the river underneath the historic Malabadi bridge and the lower parts of the Batman River, where the fish was first discovered, many times in the decades since the Batman River loach’s last sighting, without success. After analysing possible locations where the Batman River loach could survive, Kaya and Oral instead focused their search on the Sarim Stream, which is upstream of the Batman Dam. The team visited the stream and other headwaters of the Batman River, which are shallow, rocky and fast-flowing, the preferred habitat of the fish, in October and November.
“After finding the specimens, it seems that our lost fish has managed to survive despite the threats in the environment. It is now essential to conduct a detailed field study in the region in order to determine the species’ population density and distribution area. These data will play a key role in the correct determination of the conservation status of the species. We took the first step by finding this lost species – now is the time to act to protect it,” said Kaya.
Kaya and Oral searched the streams using tight-weave nets that prevented the Batman River loach from slipping through. They found 14 fish in the Sarim Stream and another nine in the Han Stream.
Kaya and Oral said the population of the loach seems steady, but they are concerned about the effects of pollution, drought, and invasive species, and stressed that further study is needed to get a clearer understanding of the species’ total distribution.
“When we launched the Search for the Lost Fishes, we hoped that we would have the opportunity to celebrate days like this,” said Mike Baltzer, Shoal’s executive director. “There are so many lost and threatened fish and we are so happy that this little loach has been found, and hopefully we can now secure its future. This is the first species of Lost Fishes that has been rediscovered – hopefully the first of many”.
Populations of the Batman River loach nosedived after the construction of the Batman Dam in Turkey between 1986 and 1999, leading some scientists to fear it may have become extinct. Construction of the Batman Dam may have caused populations of the species to fall and, when Kaya and Oral sampled areas downstream of the dam, where the species was recorded in 1974, they were unable to find any individuals. The species’ habitat is now fragmented due to the dam, and the fish can no longer move downstream.
Kaya said: “It is obvious that the establishment of the dam caused shifts in biodiversity due to degradation of the lower part of the habitat needed by the species. I can say this because the species’ preferred habitat is shallow streams, with medium or fast flowing stones or gravel”.
Kaya believes the other threats facing the species are likely to be pollution, drought, and invasive species. “As far as I know, there is no industrial pollution above the points where we identified the species. We must ensure that it does not happen in the future. However, anthropogenic pollution is intense in the region and local people are not conscious. It would be a good solution to raise awareness in the region with the help of NGOs”.
Jörg Freyhof, Europe’s leading ichthyologist and expert on these fishes, and who is working on the paper with Kaya, said: “We have searched for this fish for many years. It is obviously very rare, as it has not been found in the original locations that it was previously recorded. We even doubted that it existed. Cüneyt made massive efforts to finally confirm its existence. Its finding is a sign of hope, that this species has survived despite everything that has been done to kill the river”.
Shoal would love to see a local education programme to help inform people about how pollution can harm endemic fish species, along with collaboration with local government and businesses to encourage better care for the ecosystem. “It’s important to protect and manage all the remaining individuals and populations,” said Baltzer.
Matthew L. Miller is the director of science communications at The Nature Conservancy. He is also a passionate angler whose love of freshwater biodiversity calls him to question traditional approaches to fisheries management in the USA.
He has written extensively on using the phrases ‘rough fish’ or ‘trash fish’, both of which are used widely among anglers in North America. They mean the same as ‘coarse fish’ in the UK: fish that don’t make good eating and so aren’t considered game. The terms have problematic implications for non-game fish, as Matthew explained.
Can you talk through the use of the term ‘rough fish’ in fisheries management in the USA?
It stems from the idea of there being a hierarchy among fishes. It’s a European notion that held that coarse fishing was considered lower than game fishing. It has evolved over time, but there is still the distinction in many European waters between game fishing and coarse fishing. In the USA, that hierarchy has held, and fishing regulations in the USA distinguish between game fish and rough fish.
Often this translates to a complete lack of regulation for non-game fish. For instance, where I am in Idaho, you can take rough fish at any time of year, without limit, and you can spear them, snag them or shoot them with bows and arrows.
The regulations have not kept up with the science. We now know that some of these non-game species are long lived and slow to mature, but you can still kill them without limit.
How can this lack of regulation damage the wider ecosystem?
Bow fishing – fishing with a bow and arrow – used to be a niche hobby in the USA, but recently it has exploded in popularity. There are now specialised boats, specialised lighting, all this equipment, but very little research on the impact this is having on the ecosystem.
Game fish such as trout and bass have a lot of funding and research directed at them, but non-game fish have a real lack of both. There is anecdotal evidence of people noticing non-game fish such as bigmouth buffalo disappearing from certain waters, but there needs to be more studies. I co-authored a paper in the Fisheries journal that is calling for more research.
A blue sucker: non-game fish like this can broaden anglers’ horizons
Suckers can provide a new challenge for anglers.
In your recent Cool Green Science article, you said that fisheries should be ‘managed with science, not emotion’. Are fisheries usually regulated by emotion in the USA?
We have state fish and wildlife agencies that manage wildlife in the different states. In fact, a lot of the management of wildlife is at state level. Hunting and fishing have a democratic tradition in the USA, as there is unrestricted access and you don’t have to be a landowner.
Many of our wildlife species are well managed, but usually only if they are managed by hunters and anglers, as they have real interest in sound management of the species that they’re interested in.
There is pressure from anglers that is not based on science. They want lots of trout, so many lakes stock massive amounts of trout. We hope for there to be management based on science, but it is wishful thinking.
On the other hand, when anglers come together, they can be a powerful force for good. For instance, they have driven the reintroduction of lots of native trout species and subspecies.
Can you talk through some of the frustrating things you’ve seen from anglers with regards to non-game fish?
A viral video this summer showed two bowfishers counting off 1,000 gar they killed in an outing. This is nearly impossible to achieve over a weekend of hook and line angling.
And they dumped every dead fish back into the water.
The first time I tried fishing for suckers, somebody said: “Are you having any luck with the trout?”.
I said that I’m fishing for suckers.
He said that “They’re non-native and that ‘I should kill all I can”.
People often offer me unsolicited advice and are dumbfounded when I say I’m trying to catch suckers. But, as with anything, you need to recognise when it’s best for education, and when it’s best to not go down that rabbit hole: there are people who are receptive to the message, and people who are not.
Part of what I’m trying to do is shift the narrative where I can, which doesn’t mean shifting the minds of everyone. But the more people who value the non-game fish, the more hope we have.
Rarely does making somebody aware of an issue change it.
But in the USA there is a tremendous outdoor media, and there are voices in that media that have influence, so if they say an alligator gar is a trophy fish, people will listen.
When alligator gars were featured on Jeremy Wade’s River Monsters, suddenly people wanted to go out and catch and release them. That’s a change of value among anglers that was driven by a television show.
We have a long way to go, and as with most things, it has to be a combination of a change in attitudes and change in regulation, and both of these will feed each other.
What can anglers do to be a force for positive change?
They can really get to know their streams. I know anglers who know mayfly habits and the behaviour of trout really well, but don’t really know much about the other fish species. Knowing more about the biodiversity can make you a better angler, and it can also help you expand your angling horizons – catching a bigmouth buffalo can be a tremendously challenging endeavour, and that can really flip the narrative.
Matthew’s book ‘Fishing Through the Apocalypse’ is out now. It explores what the future holds for fish and the people who pursue them through a series of fishing stories about the reality of the sport in the 21st century.
Matthew is also the editor of Cool Green Science: the conservation science blog from The Nature Conservancy.
You can find him on Twitter at @eatguineapigs.
Post Overview
Michael Edmondstone
September 20th 2021
Angling, Feature, Fish, Interview
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One quarter of freshwater animals at risk of extinction – IUCN Red List
The Dumbéa River pipefish: a citizen science story
FOUND! The Dumbéa River pipefish: a citizen science success story
During the research for the initial Top 10 Most Wanted species, a 2020 recording of one of the species on iNaturalist forced us to reconsider one particular species. Turns out the Dumbéa River pipefish wasn’t a ‘lost fish’ after all!
To glean as much information as we could about the Top 10 Most Wanted species, we Googled each of the species. For the most part, there was barely any information about any of them – they have been seen so rarely, and often so long ago, that people just don’t know that much about them.
But for one of the original Top 10 species, there was some recent information. The Dumbéa River pipefish Microphis cruentus of New Caledonia had been recorded in the citizen science and naturalist social network iNaturalist in October 2020. And, sure enough, there were a couple of bright colour photos and a verification to prove the observation!
This made us sit up and take notice.
A species that a team of leading freshwater scientists had every reason to believe hadn’t been seen in well over a decade was right there on our screens, very much alive and not at all lost.
We got in touch with the man who observed the species – Damien Brouste, a passionate naturalist who lives in New Caledonia – and the man who verified the observation as a legitimate sighting – Valentin de Mazancourt, associate researcher at the French National Museum of Natural History.
Damien explained how he found the fish, with another New Caledonia resident, Nicolas Charpin: “We were looking for the pipefish at night, as during the day they hide in the vegetation bank. We were looking in a particular pool in the Ouenghi River and after maybe only five minutes we found some. I was really surprised to see the colours of the fish, as they are so bright. We didn’t find any more during the two hours of research following this find”.
“The Ouenghi River is a small river, around ten meters wide, that gently flows through pastoral land on the West Coast [of New Caledonia]. It is extremely clear, with around ten meters of visibility. The banks are two meters high, with lots of vegetation. The bottom is an alternation of rock and sand. There are a lot of shrimp in the river, even some good-sized ones. Juveniles may be a good food source for the microphis”.
Nicolas is an aquatic scientist who set up Vies d’Ô douce: ‘a non-profit association whose main objective is to promote the biodiversity of aquatic environments in New Caledonia’. According to Damien, Nicolas has spotted Microphis cruentus many times, and knows exactly where it can be found.
It’s incredibly exciting to learn that people are out there, spotting this species that was thought to be ‘lost’. This story has really highlighted how anybody can provide meaningful contributions to science.
On his experience using iNaturalist, Damien said: “iNaturalist is a fantastic platform to connect people. I’ve been in contact with many scientists because I take pictures of many things. I’ve had pictures published in a coral book and pictures published in a publication on pygmy grasshoppers. Those contacts gave me the opportunity to work on a scientific study of a New Caledonian snail for the French Museum”.
And Valentin was similarly effusive about his use of iNaturalist: “As an avid user of iNaturalist and a hydrobiologist, I am always happy to help identifying observations of freshwater animals, and this observation got me really excited, being a rare and endemic species that researchers from my lab are especially interested in. It’s always great to obtain such new data on these rare species and iNaturalist is an amazing tool to for this, as well as a great opportunity to get people involved in our research”.
We are looking forward to talking further with Damien and Valentin to see how this story may develop further, and excited for the results of Nicolas’ studies on the species. Watch this space!
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Michael Edmondstone
June 9th 2021
Conservation, Fish, Interview, Lost Fishes, Stories
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One quarter of freshwater animals at risk of extinction – IUCN Red List
Searching for the fat catfish with Dr. Ian Harrison
by Michael Edmondstone
Dr. Ian Harrison, Steering Committee for the Freshwater Fish Specialist Group of IUCN’s Species Survival Commission, has been instrumental in giving us expert advice and guidance on the fat catfish, and he will be involved in the expedition to try and find the bizarre-looking species that he once described as: “the closest a fish could get to the Michelin Man”. It won’t be the first time he’s visited Lake Tota with the aim of rediscovering this species: back in 1999, he was involved in another expedition to the lake, which was abruptly cut short due to concerns about guerrilla activity in the area.
We sat down with him to learn more about this very strange fish.
“The expedition was in collaboration with the American Museum of Natural History in New York, the Universidad Nacional de Colombia in Bogota, and a local environmental organisation in Colombia, CORPOBOYACA, who have offices and laboratories on the lake shore.
“At the time, there was a lot of guerilla activity in the area: mainly the FARQ. My colleagues at the university had notified them of our intentions and had received their permission to work there. I was told that some members of FARC were quite hospitable to the Universidad Nacional, because of its role as a public serving university”.
How did the expedition go?
It went OK, but we had problems that meant we had to finish early. On the second day, we met this fisherman who some of the other team members were nervous about. He was asking lots of questions, and with three visiting North Americans, we knew that would attract attention. The team were nervous that he would pass information to another guerrilla group in the area. The lake is a crater lake and, where we were, there was one main road in, so it would be easy for anyone to set up a roadblock and make it difficult for us to leave, or even kidnap us. We left early, after three days, instead of staying for a full week. Plus it got really rainy, so it was difficult to do any work.
The good side is that the environment agency there: CORPOBOYACA, and the local police were extremely helpful. They let us sleep in the CORPOBOYACA field station, and provided us with boats and police security.. We got incredible help from the university, the local people were extremely friendly and helpful, and the first couple of days went really well , but then we hit the problems with security and weathers. We didn’t have enough time to find the fish.
Why do you think the fish wasn’t found?
In three days you can barely get things going. If we could set some gill nets around the edge of the lake and do a deeper water trawl, it may have helped. We were also only working on one side of the lake and it’s a pretty big lake: we probably only sampled something like 10% of it”.
What makes you think it might be found this time around?
“We didn’t get the time before, and that’s the key thing. The university has gone back but they haven’t really had significant time to monitor fully. The eDNA would be extremely helpful: the main challenge with that is getting the baseline sequence for this species, the reference to really understand what you’re picking up. One could pick up DNA of the other catfish that live in the lake”.
Do you think it’s still there?
I don’t see why it shouldn’t be – there’s as much reason to think it is there as not. The main reason is competition from introduced trout, which is a real risk. But we know so little about it and if it tends to live in the deeper parts of the lake, there’s a good chance it could still be there, as trout probably don’t go to the deeper parts of the lake. There was a potential sighting of it in the early 1980s, when divers thought they’d seen it, which was after the trout were introduced.
There are so many cases with fish where they don’t get seen for a long time, and the reasons why people think it’s no longer there aren’t fully compelling, and then they get sighted again. Which is not to say that we shouldn’t take their risk of extinction as very serious; but it does mean that we really need to look carefully for them before we give up on them. Because once we do that, we are closing the door on any other conservation effort.
Why do you think it has the bizarre fatty rings?
There have been a tonne of hypotheses, and when we first went on the expedition it was in large part to try to find some living fat catfishes and get them into an aquarium and study them. To try and find out why it has these rings.
Some people have suggested the fat could be for buoyancy regulation, but I don’t really see how that would work. I’ve also read it’s a temperature thing, as the lake is cold, but fish generally don’t thermoregulate. It may due to what they are eating, which creates large amounts of fat, which creates a reserve for them, and if there’s not a lot of food in the lake, this could be an adaptation. But other species live in the lake, and they don’t do that.
There are lots of speculations, but that’s all they are – speculations – and that’s why it would be so neat to get hold of it and try to understand the physiology.
What would be the best thing to do if it was found?
If it’s found, then the lake will become an AZE (Alliance for Zero Extinction) site for a start, setting it up as a conservation priority area. There would then be reason to work out whereabouts the fish lives in the lakes, and how threatened is it from the presence of the trout, or from other threats. It gives reason to be more careful about managing the lake; for example there is a lot of agriculture around the lake, which has risks of fertiliser runoff. Ultimately, it would mark the lake as a place with a unique species. And if we could set up a conservation breeding programme, that would be really excellent.
The fat catfish is truly one of the unsolved mysteries of the freshwater realm. Join us on the journey as we try to rediscover this Lost Fish, and try to figure out more about its bizarre appearance!
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Michael Edmondstone
June 9th 2021
Conservation, Feature, Fish, Interview, Lost Fishes
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One quarter of freshwater animals at risk of extinction – IUCN Red List
Shoal and Re:wild launch ‘Search for the Lost Fishes
Colombia’s Lake Tota: home of the elusive fat catfish
By Michael Edmondstone
What do an Iraqi shrine, the Batman River, and a lake where Pablo Escobar once had a cocaine factory have in common? Shoal and Re:wild are today launching our flagship campaign Search for the Lost Fishes, and both of these locations were previously home to species from the Top 10 Most Wanted list.
Now, we plan to work with local teams to visit these places in the hope of rediscovering the fish.
These Lost Fishes haven’t been observed in more than a decade, but are yet to be listed as Extinct. There is reason to believe they are still out there, waiting to be found, and Shoal aims to help find them so that we may install a conservation programme to give them a second chance at survival.
In collaboration with Re:wild and the IUCN-SSC Freshwater Fish Specialist Group, we have identified more than 300 freshwater fish species that fit within the parameters of a lost species. From this master list, we have chosen an initial Top 10 Most Wanted species that will kickstart a multi-year campaign.
These ten species range from locations right around the world, from Colombia to Madagascar, from Vietnam to Papua New Guinea. Shoal will support and encourage expedition teams to work with local communities and experts to search in the habitats where the fish have previously been recorded, including some of the planet’s most far-flung freshwaters, from former war zones to the world’s highest lake, from a lake where Pablo Escobar once had a cocaine manufacturing plant, to an underground cavern underneath an Iraqi shrine.
But this is about much more than the expeditions Shoal is directly involved in: we’re calling on others to join the search and conduct their own expeditions to try and find these Lost Fishes. With expert input from Re:wild, we will publicise people’s stories of rediscovery and adventure as part of this shared campaign of hope and adventure.
The countries (in green) where the Lost Fishes have previously been recorded.
“The Search for Lost Fishes campaign is incredibly exciting,” said Mike Baltzer, executive director of Shoal. “While the project is driven by science and is aimed to give these species the best possible chance of survival, it also has a strong element of mystery and adventure about it. These species have amazing back stories, were all known from incredible locations and are still much loved by the local people. They are just as keen to find them as we are. Working with the local partners is a true highlight of the project”.
The first Lost Fishes expedition will be for the fat catfish. Shoal has secured preliminary funding for the search and it is planned to start in in Colombia over the coming weeks. It will involve using environmental DNA (eDNA) methods to detect whether the fish may still be in Lake Tota. The expedition team will sample the water, searching for traces of DNA left by the fat catfish. If the eDNA sampling comes back positive, conservationists will have proof that the fish still survives somewhere in the lake or nearby. The next step , if any DNA is found, will be to refine the search based on the location of the detected eDNA.
“If the fat catfish still survives, it will be one of the rarest fish in the world,” said Dr. Barney Long, senior director of conservation strategies, Re:wild. “There have only ever been 10 specimens found, so if the expedition does find the fat catfish, it would be hugely exciting. Also one question may finally get answered; why is it so fat? There is no other fish in the world like it and it has been one of the mysteries of ichthyology for years”.
Read about a previous expedition to find the fat catfish here.
Recent rediscoveries have fuelled hope that the species on the Top 10 Most Wanted Lost Fishes list will be found. The Dumbéa River pipefish was originally planned to be included on the list, but a sighting of the fish in New Caledonia, based on a single record on iNaturalist, a citizen science app, was recently confirmed by scientists. Damien Brouste, a naturalist and angler, became the first person with a confirmed sighting of the species in over a decade.
All things being well, some of these other elusive fish will be rediscovered. And, when they are, the real work of helping bring them back from the brink of extinction will begin.
The Top 10 Most Wanted Lost Fishes:
• Duckbilled buntingi in Indonesia
• Fat catfish in Colombia
• Spinach pipefish in Papua New Guinea
• Syr Darya shovelnose sturgeon in Kazakhstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan
• Annamite barb in Vietnam
• Haditha cavefish in Iraq
• Batman River loach in Turkey
• Titicaca orestias in Bolivia and Peru
• Itasy cichlid in Madagascar
• Leopard barbel in the Tigris-Euphrates river system in Eastern Turkey, Eastern Syria, Iran and Iraq
Shoal and Re:wild are asking anyone to contact them if they can sponsor or partner with us to undertake the expeditions and establish the urgent, vital conservation action these lost fishes need if they have survived.
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Michael Edmondstone
June 9th 2021
Conservation, Fish, Lost Fishes, Report, Stories
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One quarter of freshwater animals at risk of extinction – IUCN Red List
Shoal has released a critical report with WWF and 15 other leading conservation organisations , calling on governments to commit to an Emergency Recovery Plan for global freshwater biodiversity.
‘The World’s Forgotten Fishes’ report is a urgent call to arms for authorities to ramp up their action towards conserving freshwater ecosystems. Bold, ambitious prioritisation will be essential if we are going to bend the curve of the biodiversity crisis and safeguard the futures of freshwater species. As the report says, ‘2021 may be the last chance for governments to chart a new course that could reverse the loss of nature and put the world back onto a sustainable path’.
The report details the importance of freshwater fish, and discusses their central role in the livelihoods of millions of people around the world. It discusses the money generated through recreational activities such as angling, the impressive cultural heritage fish have woven into our lives, and the potentially surprising fact that aquarium fish are more popular than cats or dogs.
It explains the reasons for the catastrophic decline in fish species populations and, crucially, sets out the Emergency Recovery Plan that is needed to guide policymakers:
Allowing rivers to flow more naturally.
Reducing pollution.
Protecting critical wetland habitats.
Ending overfishing and unsustainable sand mining.
Controlling invasive species.
Safeguarding and restoring connectivity.
The report confirms that the ‘freshwater transition is a realistic and pragmatic one, based on measures that have already been tried and tested in at least some rivers, lakes and wetlands’, and goes on to say that ‘it is a comprehensive plan that moves us away from today’s ad hoc conservation successes towards a strategic approach that can deliver solutions at the scale necessary to reverse the collapse in biodiversity and set us on course to a future where our freshwater ecosystems are once again fully healthy and teeming with freshwater fishes and other wildlife’.
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