Talking freshwater fish reserves: An interview with Aaron Koning

Aaron Koning freshwater reserves
"Just make a reserve, you’ll get more fish!”

by Michael Edmondstone

Aaron Koning is a freshwater ecologist and conservation scientist, and a Postdoctoral Research Fellow at the Global Water Center, University of Nevada, Reno. He has spent a number of years living and working in Thailand, where he has conducted extensive research in the Salween River basin, looking at the feasibility of freshwater ‘no take’ reserves, similar to marine models, for fish conservation.

Can you give some background to the community-led fish reserves in the Salween river basin?

In the Ngao River valley, the first community reserve was created in 1993 following the suggestion of a local community development organisation at a meeting a year earlier. This first community dedicated about 1 km of the river which flows adjacent to their village to be a reserve, prohibiting harvest of fish and other aquatic organisms from the entire area.

A second community adopted the practice in 1997, and in subsequent years, over 50 communities have created their own reserves throughout the 1,000 km2 Ngao River basin.

All told, these reserves amount to around 2 per cent of the total stream length. These reserves can be found in small streams (less than 3 m wide) all the way to the largest reaches of the river (wider than 40 m). Communities determine where reserves are designated, often marking the boundaries with flags or signs, and they also determine the penalties for offenders. These penalties range from around USD 16 to USD 300 per offence, or may involve non-monetary penalties among animist communities including offerings to appease an offended spirit or deity associated with a particular reserve.

And the research you conducted there?

I started my research in the Ngao River Valley in 2013 during my doctoral studies. I had lived in Thailand for 4 years previously, and a friend suggested that I look into the Ngao River as a potential study location.

My initial research was focused on understanding how land use and landcover throughout northern Thailand affects nutrient pollution in rivers. However, the first time I looked down at a pool full of fish in the community reserves, I became immediately interested in understanding the ecological effects and conservation benefits of these reserves. I ended up altering my research plan substantially once I saw just how effective these reserves could be.

Critical to the success of the research was the generosity of local communities in letting me explore and study these areas and helping me in so many ways over the years in which I’ve done research there. The results of the study are just a testament to the communities’ success in developing and maintaining this important and effective conservation action.

What were your findings?

Our findings show that this network of small no-take reserves is highly effective at protecting fish diversity, particularly in areas where dependence on fish for food is high. My colleague Martin and I surveyed 23 reserves and adjacent fished areas, and found on average reserves held 27 per cent more fish species, more than twice the density of fish (+124 per cent), and over 20 times higher biomass of fish than unprotected areas.

Importantly, these benefits were independent of any potential habitat differences between the areas. We also found that many of the principles developed for designing reserves in marine systems also predicted the success of individual reserves in our study sites. For example, larger reserves generally had larger benefits for fish than smaller reserves. Also, reserves that were located closer to communities were generally more successful at protecting fish, particularly for larger-bodied species. By placing the reserve nearby, communities are able to more effectively survey the reserve and deter illegal harvest, it seems. In fact, many communities explicitly stated this as the rationale for siting the reserves where they did.

We also found evidence that the network position of a reserve influenced the benefits for particular groups of fish. For example, reserves that were more centrally located within the broader network benefitted some fish species more (e.g., those less likely to move long distances), while reserves located near the confluence with a larger river downstream benefitted others (e.g., larger species that may rely on connectivity to larger downstream habitats). This indicates that the network benefit of multiple reserves is important, and that tailoring the locations of reserves within the river network based on the fish targeted for conservation is important.

A stretch of the Salween River
A stretch of the Salween River (c) Aaron Koning

It sounds as though these reserves sprang up very naturally, from local community cooperation. Can you offer any advice for other communities around the world who may wish to set up their own reserves?

Well, these results definitely provide optimism that freshwater reserves can provide real benefits for fish. Furthermore, the large number of reserves that have been implemented throughout Southeast Asia for conservation suggests the benefits of similar no-take areas transfer regionally.

But when I ask friends in the communities what their advice is, the answer I most commonly get is encouragement to just do it. Many folks will say, “Just make a reserve, you’ll get more fish!”

I would echo this encouragement and suggest that, for communities who are able to work together to implement a reserve, they make it as large as feasible for their own management capacity, and to work with nearby communities to do the same, as multiple reserves seem to provide additional benefits.

But that shouldn’t discourage communities from implementing even small reserves. We saw large benefits for fish from reserve areas that covered less than a hectare. If smaller areas begin to show benefits, it can encourage communities to increase the number or size of existing reserves. That’s something that has happened among Ngao River communities, too.

I would caution that it might take a few years before differences might show up, but we saw benefits in reserves that were established for 3 years. Every socioecological context is different, of course, but these are some of the lessons we can take from our study and try to apply elsewhere.

The model sounds so simple – ‘don’t fish in these areas’ – and so effective. What barriers do you think there are to establishing reserves like this in other rivers and lakes around the world?

The concept itself is simple, but like any resource management strategy, the success comes down to whether people, both within the community and outside it, accept and support the strategy and abide by the rules. Effective governance and benefit sharing are key to conservation success across the globe. In this case, the communities themselves are implementing the action, developing the system of governance, and negotiating how the benefits are spread throughout the community. It’s not a system being imposed on the resource users, but coming from the resource users themselves.

The communities along the Ngao River are able to effectively do this in large part because of strong social cohesion and a history of communal management of resources including agricultural lands, drinking water, and fishing resources, among others. The communities, which are ethnically Karen (or P’ganyaw), have a strong cultural identity related to conservation practices for forests, water, and wildlife. Thus, these no-take fish reserves fit into a much broader community ethic of taking care of nature and each other. In areas where there isn’t the same community-wide buy-in for a conservation action, achieving the same success will likely be more of a challenge.

There’s an important, growing recognition of successful indigenous and local resource management systems around the world that mirror the success of the Ngao River communities. These systems are often successful because they are informed by the local communities and their knowledge of the ecological system, and their management actions are tailored accordingly.

Barriers to broader implementation of freshwater reserves may in part come from inequitable governance structures or a failure to ensure the benefits of the reserve were shared among stakeholders. Part of the answer to this question is rolled into the answer to the next question.

Villagers on the Salween River
Villagers on the Salween River(c) Aaron Koning

Why do you think it has taken so long for the idea of freshwater reserves, similar to marine no-take zones, to be fully explored?

The idea of Freshwater Protected Areas has been discussed for quite a few years, and there have been a number of studies that have presented evidence that they do or don’t work in various contexts. However, I think freshwater protection often gets overlooked because freshwater ecosystems are really limited in their extent on the landscape. Less than 1% of the earth’s surface is freshwater habitat, yet these habitats still hold roughly half of the world’s known fish species and thousands of other important biodiversity. Because many of the major threats to freshwater habitats result from land-based pollution or changes in land use and landcover within river basins, the general thinking has been that terrestrial protected areas sufficiently protect the rivers and lakes within their boundaries.

Terrestrial parks are really important for protecting freshwater habitats from land-based threats, and from that perspective it makes sense that this is the model that has been most widely applied for freshwater protection. Yet, there’s also good evidence that terrestrial reserves are infrequently sited based on patterns of freshwater diversity, and therefore leave gaps in protection. Also, rivers often flow through protected areas, and frequently serve as protected area boundaries, meaning they may end up providing limited protection for freshwater biodiversity. In this framework, protected areas are a management tool for species conservation, but they rarely address fish as a food source.

For protecting marine ecosystems, marine no-take reserves have been implemented largely as a response to fishing pressure or overfishing. While there is ongoing debate about how useful marine reserves are as a large-scale fisheries management tool, at smaller scales and among artisanal fishing communities, it seems there are real benefits for fishers.

Similarly, for freshwaters that continue to support important subsistence and commercial fisheries, overharvest can often be a more immediate threat to sustainable fisheries and freshwater diversity. It’s under these circumstances that I think freshwater reserves can be particularly effective. In essence, the Ngao River communities have designed their own reserve network, and they fish intensively at reserve boundaries to catch fish moving out of reserves. And fishers in Mae Ngao report that the reserves do benefit their catch, and often describe that without the reserves there would be no fish left to support their communities.

Unfortunately, rarely are freshwater ecosystems imperilled by a single threat like overharvest or land use change. Rather, there are frequently multiple interacting threats to a particular freshwater ecosystem and its biodiversity. So, while freshwater no-take reserves might address overharvest as a primary threat, they may offer partial, but insufficient long-term protection for freshwater biodiversity in areas of active deforestation, heavy industrial pollution, or basins impacted by dams, for example. Where multiple stressors or threats interact, successful conservation will likely require multiple forms of protection.

What research can we expect from you over the coming months?

I’ve got some ongoing work in the Ngao River trying to understand how important connectivity among the individual reserves is for their success. This is collaborative work with folks from Cornell University (Peter McIntyre), Carleton University in Ontario (Steve Cooke), the Fisheries Conservation Foundation, and University of Nevada, Reno (Zeb Hogan). We’re conducting a movement study of fish, fitting them with radio trackers, to see how they move seasonally and how they use reserve and non-reserve areas through time. Because many of these reserves are individually small, this connectivity among reserves may be really important for long term persistence of fish species that require larger habitats.

Aaron Koning conducting field work
Aaron conducting field work (c) Julie Claussen, Fisheries Conservation Foundation

I’ve also recently started working on a couple of projects in Cambodia as a postdoctoral fellow with the University of Nevada, Reno’s Wonders of the Mekong project. Around 2012, the Cambodian government created several large no-take reserves. Additionally, many communities are authorised to manage their own fisheries under the Cambodian Fisheries Administration. These community-managed fishery areas typically include small no-take areas as well. In each of these contexts we’re working to understand how effective these reserves are for maintaining biodiversity and sustaining fisheries to see if the lessons we’ve learned in the Ngao River scale up and transfer to this important regional fishery. By studying these systems we’re hoping to gain further insights into how no-take areas might benefit both fish conservation and sustain fisheries in other contexts around the world. This work is ongoing and impacted by travel restrictions for the time being, but I’m looking forward to ramping up our work in the coming months.

An abundance of fish
Freshwater reserves in Thailand have caused fish populations to soar. (c) Aaron Koning

Stay up to date with Aaron’s work via his website: aaronkoning.com and his Twitter account: @akoning.

New family of prehistoric fishes discovered in Kerala

Gollum Snakehead
Described as a 'living fossil', the Aenigmachannidae lineage is over 100 million years old.

By Michael Edmondstone

Gollum Snakehead
A captive Gollum snakehead in an aquarium. Image © Ralph Britz

August 2018, in Oorakam in the southern Indian state of Kerala, local fish hobbyist Ajeer spotted three strange-looking fish in one of the paddy fields surrounding the village. Long, dragon-like bodies framed by bony fins, the creatures looked different to anything Ajeer had seen before. He put some photos on social media and asked if anybody could help identify the species.

It was not long before the images reached the desk of freshwater conservationist Rajeev Raghavan. Rajeev was intrigued by the species: he did not recognise it and knew it called for further investigation, so he contacted Ajeer and sent his team into the field, where they were able to collect live samples.

Back in the lab, Rajeev examined the fish and concluded it must be a hitherto unrecognised species of snakehead. To be certain, he shared some high-quality images with Ralf Britz, one of the world’s leading authorities on snakeheads. Ralf previously discovered the Dracula fish in the peat swamps of Southeast Asia and according to Rajeev: “has worked on some really strange fish”. This, though, was “stranger than any fish he had seen in his life”.

Oorakam paddy field
The Oorakam paddy field where the Gollum snakehead was discovered. Image © VK Anoop

As the researchers suspected, the fish was new to science. They named it the ‘Gollum snakehead’ as it is a subterranean creature, spending most of its life underground like the slippery character in The Lord of the Rings.

But the discovery had bigger implications than simply being a new species. Another snakehead species – the Mahabali snakehead – had also been collected in Kerala a few months before and was published as a new species after the Gollum snakehead had been described. Rajeev, Ralf and an international team of ichthyologists recognised many clear similarities between the Gollum and the Mahabali, and proved that not only were the two species new to science, they were actually members of a whole new family of fish.

Rajeev: “We looked at the fish in detail – its morphology, anatomy and DNA, even analysed its mitochondrial genome and found that it was a completely unique family that is an ancestor to the family of snakeheads that currently dwell in Africa and Asia.”

The family was named Aenigmachannidae. And it is old. Really old.

“We looked at its molecular dating and its origin was traced back to 100 million years, when the Gondwana supercontinent was in existence.”

That puts the evolution of the Aenigmachannidae family squarely in the Cretaceous period, when the largest animals ever to walk the planet still ruled. Incredibly, the Gollum snakehead and most likely the Mahabali snakehead species are older than Tyrannosaurus Rex.

Rajeev again: “We hypothesise that the fish evolved in Gondwana and drifted along with the Indian subcontinental plate across the oceans before hitting the Eurasian continent, and then it got trapped in the subterranean systems and didn’t evolve for the last hundred million years – it has these very primitive characters not seen in other snakehead fish”.

Due to the difficulties of researching a species the lives underground, not much is yet known about their natural behaviour. But through observing a group of the fish maintained in an aquarium, Rajeev and his team have noted displays of territorial aggression not seen in other snakeheads. The fish are also unselective about what they eat: “It eats aggressively. We first started with live feed, e.g. bloodworms, earthworms, live shrimp, and they even take live fish: whatever we’ve tried to feed them, it chomps everything up”.

Potential threats to the family:

Kerala is blessed with an abundance of bizarre subterranean fish, with ten species that are not found anywhere else in the world.

But they face multiple anthropogenic threats.

Due to the majority of these species living in areas of human habitation, there is a high likelihood that the paddy fields and land under which the fish live will be developed, leading to habitat loss.

The fish’s novel appearance means most locals do not recognise them and fear they may be poisonous and harmful to the water that they drink. There is thus a tendency for the locals to kill them.

A third pressure is that of invasive species. According to Rajeev: “People introduce invasive species like the African catfish into the wells. It serves no purpose and we don’t yet know how it can harm these very unique fish.

“There is a range of threats we need to address, so I think we need to have a very organised, systematic education programme aimed at the regions where these subterranean species are found, making people aware of the importance and uniqueness of these organisms and the endemic wealth of these communities”.

A Gollum Snakehead in an aquarium. Image © Ralph Britz

What would be the best way to educate the locals?

Rajeev says it is by: “Mapping the areas where the fish are likely to be found, and then working with local governments at the village level and working through educational material to show them the kinds of fish which may come to their notice, and asking them to save those fish for scientific study, and for future generations, instead of killing them”.

And the conversation between scientists and locals works both ways: “All of these discoveries are made as a result of seeing photographs circulated on social media. Before the scientists come into contact with them, it is the local people who come into contact with them, so citizen science I think is key to the long-term research and conservation of these unique organisms. People are the key not only for conserving them but also for bringing these unique organisms to the attention of scientists”.

Finally, what comes next for the Aenigmachannidae?

Rajeev and the team aim to learn more about their ecology and biology. They will use small tags to learn more about where the creatures live, what organisms they feed on, and how they behave. They are also trying for an ex-situ captive breeding programme, so watch this space!

Harmony Patricio joins the Shoal team

Harmony Mekong giant catfish
The Shoal team has grown from two to three with the appointment of Dr. Harmony Patricio as the Conservation Programme Manager. She brings more than 13 years of conservation research, practice and policy experience to the role, including six years designing and implementing freshwater conservation programmes in the Mekong River Basin. Let’s get to know her a bit better!

Harmony, can you tell us more about the work you did in the Mekong River Basin?

In the Mekong, I collaborated with fishing communities, governments, universities and NGOs to develop and implement freshwater biodiversity research and conservation programs. I spent a great deal of time working with rural fishers and villagers, training many of them to collect data on the fish harvests, fish sales at markets, and fish consumption in households. I created the Mekong Fish Network, to provide resources and support research collaboration among countries in the Mekong Basin, because many fish species migrate across national borders.

Your PhD research focused on the development of novel environmental DNA methods to assess river biodiversity and determine distributions of rare fishes. What conclusions did your research provide about both river biodiversity and rare fish distribution?

My PhD work led to a better understanding of the factors that influence the reliability of biodiversity data gathered through the use of environmental DNA (eDNA) methods in rivers. My work also demonstrated that it is possible to detect an extremely rare fish (the Mekong giant catfish) in a large tropical river using eDNA techniques, which had never been tested before, and indicated that the distribution of the Mekong giant catfish may be shrinking.

You’ve dedicated your career to freshwater conservation. What originally drew you to focus on an aspect of conservation that’s often overlooked?

I decided to focus on freshwater species conservation once I learned that they are going extinct faster than marine or terrestrial species. The primary and overarching motivation behind my conservation work is to stop extinctions, and so I have dedicated myself to the conservation of the species facing the highest rates of extinction. This focus gives me the most opportunities to help save species from extinction. My interest in freshwater species was also sparked by learning how important freshwater fish are for millions of people around the world, especially in developing countries, often representing the primary source of protein and income. Fish conservation can benefit nature and people, which can help promote acceptance of the concept of conservation among communities and decision makers.

Harmony teaching

Finally, what are you most looking forward to with Shoal?

I’m so excited to join the Shoal team because this initiative will take freshwater biodiversity conservation to the next level. I look forward to developing a strong network of diverse partners that will work closely together to effectively tackle the urgent threats facing freshwater species. I’m excited to help build capacity around the world to implement conservation actions where they are most needed, and to raise awareness on a global level. I’m passionate about translating science for those without a technical background, so that research results are used to catalyse conservation action on ground, and working with Shoal provides the opportunity to put this passion into practice.

Harmony serves on the Freshwater Conservation Committee and Freshwater Fish Specialist Group of the IUCN Species Survival Commission. She is also the Co-Chair of the Freshwater Specialist Group for the IUCN World Commission on Protected Areas.

She joins us in partnership with Re:wild and the IUCN SSC Freshwater Fish Specialist Group.

Drafting an Action Plan for Parosphromenus Fishes

Screen Shot 2020-04-06 at 11.54.17

by Mike Baltzer

In March this year, Shoal initiated a workshop with partners and experts to initiate immediate conservation action for one the most threatened group of fish species in the world.

Most of us are now familiar with forest fires in Southeast Asia. We have seen disturbing images of orangutans desperately looking for a haven to flee to and seen cities, like Singapore, choking on smoke drifting in from the forests of Indonesia and Malaysia. In most cases, these fires are burning ancient deep lowland peat swamp forests and many are derived from land clearance for crops such as palm oil. But what is often overlooked is that this destructive land clearance is driving a set of fish species rapidly towards extinction.

Peat swamp fishes are also known broadly as blackwater fishes. This refers to the dark tea coloured water that flows through peat swamps. These highly acidic and nutrient poor streams support a unique set of species adapted to these specialised conditions. The fishes are often small and intensely beautiful. Those with startling colours has led to a great deal of popularity with aquarium hobbyists such as the genera Betta, Parosphromenus, and Rasbora. These peat swamp fishes are now one of the most threatened group of fishes in Southeast Asia.

In fact, conservation attention to this group of fishes has been raised recently by some concerned aquarists. The Parosphromenus Project, originating in Germany, is an initiative led by aquarists that keep and breed this amazing genus. Set up originally to share knowledge on how to keep these species, the Project became more focused on ensuring a robust collection of species in their homes but also helping to secure the species in the wild.

More recently, the IUCN Asian Species Action Programme with Singapore Zoo (Wildlife Reserves Singapore) have been drumming up action for the most threatened (those categorised as Critically Endangered under the IUCN Red List) species of fishes in Southeast Asia. Shoal is now helping these partners to create an action plan and it has simultaneously been decided to initiate immediate conservation action for the peat swamp species already recognised as an urgent priority.

Sampling at North Selangor Peat Swamp Forest Reserve with the Global Environment Centre team and experts in peat swamp fishes.

Despite the work of the Parosphromenus Project and a small number of taxonomists, new species are being added to the Parosphromenus genus and their status, along with many other of peat swamp fishes is still poorly understood.

Only about 7mm in length Paedocypris progenetica is one good example of this. Discovered in 1996 in a peat swamp in Sumatra, it is the world’s smallest fish, in fact the world’s smallest vertebrate. Since this remarkable discovery a number of other new species of this genera have been found and more are waiting to be described. They were probably overlooked as fry until a pregnant female indicated that this was the really its fully mature size.

On 5 and 6 February 2020, a group of experts met in Malaysia to draw up an action plan for endangered peat swamp fishes in Malaysia. The meeting was hosted by Monash University Malaysia (MUM) and Global Environment Centre (GEC), facilitated by Mike Baltzer from Shoal. It included Wentian Shi from the Parosphromenus Project and other experts such as Dr Casey Ng, Amiruddin Ahmad and Ella Michael Dosi and Mohamad Sufiyan bin Salmi from the Malaysian Ministry of Fisheries. The meeting was rapidly pulled together with limited funding and just as the outbreak of coronavirus was known. Support was provided by Wildlife Reserves Singapore and most of the participants covered their own time and costs to attend the meeting.

On Day One, the group met at the Global Environment Centre field office at the North Selangor Peat Swamp Forest Reserve (NSPSFR) and was briefed by their CEO, Faizal Parish and his team. On day two, a workshop was held at the MUM campus in Selangor led by Dr Holly Barclay to gather the information and devise a plan.

During the workshop, the experts discussed which species should be considered as conservation priorities and peat swamp specialists, the location of the habitats these species rely on and the actions required to save them from extinction. A plan has been drafted and will be worked on further as more information is obtained. The next step is to design and fund the most urgent projects. Three areas, including a section of forest adjacent to the NSPSFR but threatened by oil palm expansion, were identified as the highest priorities for urgent action. The team also noted that more information is required on the status and distribution of peat swamps and threatened species in Sabah and Sarawak (Malaysian Borneo). The participants also agreed to form a working group and aim to discuss and meet regularly to update the action plan and most critically to initiate action. Experts and interested parties are invited to join the group.

It is hoped to undertake a similar process for peat swamp species in Indonesia as soon as possible.

For further information, please contact Mike Baltzer at Shoal mike@shoal.org.uk

Sampling at North Selangor Peat Swamp Forest Reserve, Parosphromenus alfredi (Haji Banaruddin) and the workshop at Monash University Malaysia

5 freshwater fishes that need saving in 2020

American paddlefish

by Merlin Veron

At the end of 2019, buried in other news stories and festive cheer, there was one story which struck a sombre note, the scientific confirmation of the extinction of the Chinese paddlefish (Psephurus gladius). In truth, the fate of the Chinese paddlefish has been sealed for a short-while, the changes to its habitat and fishing pressures providing an insurmountable barrier. Now the American paddlefish stands alone at the end of this evolutionary branch of fishes which first took root in the Jurassic period more than 200 million years ago.

While we should lament the loss of the paddlefish, we must also learn the lessons from its extinction and work towards making a difference for those fishes for which there is still time. In this article, we take a look at five species which are where the Chinese paddlefish was 20-30 years ago, clinging on, but in need of urgent conservation action.

While each of these stories strikes a sombre note in many respects – it should also be seen as a cause for optimism. For all of these species something can be done, it is not too late to take action to save them. There is a crucial window of opportunity, and many passionate people around the working towards seizing it, for these and many other freshwater species – unfortunately there was no shortage of candidates for this list. By working together, fish lovers around the world can make a difference to their fate and shift these species away from extinction. Shoal has been founded to help make this happen.

1. Adriatic sturgeon (Acipenser naccarii):

Range: Northern Italy, former range includes Croatia,

Estimated remaining population: 0 – 250. It is possible that the species is no longer reproducing in the wild.

Population trend: Decreasing

Captive Population: Yes, the species is being stocked in the Po River Basin.

IUCN Red List Category: Critically Endangered

(c) PhotoLanda

The Adriatic sturgeon is endemic to the rivers of northern Italy and the Balkans and the coastal waters of the North-Eastern Mediterranean. Like the Chinese paddlefish, the Adriatic sturgeon has an ancient lineage, its ancestors survived the mass extinction event which saw the end of the dinosaurs and they have roamed rivers across North America, Europe and Asia for millennia. 85% of sturgeon species are assessed as threatened with extinction, making them the most endangered species group in the world on the IUCN Red List.

The Adriatic Sturgeon is now believed to only survive in the Po River and its tributaries in Northern Italy. There is no certainty that the population here is still spawning either, or the most optimistic assessments is that there are less than 250 individuals in this population. Unlike the Chinese paddlefish however, the Adriatic Sturgeon has been bred in captivity, meaning that its populations can be stocked and even reintroduced in areas such as Croatia, Albania which were once strongholds for these species. However, for this to happen the habitats which the sturgeon relied upon need to be restored. Instead, current trends in the Balkan states are seeing an increasing number of rivers dammed, depriving the Adriatic Sturgeon of additional habitats where populations could be revived.

The recently agreed European Sturgeon Conservation Strategy brings hope of coordinated, pan-European action to save species such as the Adriatic sturgeon. It has been agreed by the EU and 50 European states and is legally binding under the Bern Convention.

2. Sahara Killifish (Aphanius saourensis)

Range: Endemic to the Oued Saoura Basin, Algeria

Estimated remaining population: Unknown, likely extinct in the wild.

Population trend: Unknown

Captive population: Yes

IUCN Red List Category: Critically Endangered

(c) Jorg Freyhof

The Sahara is perhaps the last place on Earth you would expect to find a freshwater fish. Freshwater is the scarcest of resources here, but killifish are an ingenious genus adapted to survive even when they are, almost literally, a fish out of water. Yet for the Sahara killifish, a tiny fish measuring just 4cm in length, a combination of pollution and invasive species may have proved too much. Extensive surveys of its previous known habitats in 2013 failed to locate any killifish. At the sites where they were clinging on in 2003 the only fishes found are invasive mosquitofish and tilapia – their presence and abundance almost certainly contributory factors in the decline of the Sahara killifish.

Fortunately, there is a small captive population of this species, another example of hobbyists’ collections becoming a vital ex-situ reserve which could allow a species to evade extinction and return to the wild.

However, for the Sahara killifish to return to the wild, urgent conservation of its habitats will be required. Many of these habitats have now shrunk considerably due to over extraction of their precious water resources, pollution, and the aforementioned introduction of invasive species. Across North Africa there are in fact a number of species, such as the footless killifish (Aphanius apodus) and the giant Atlas barbel (Labeobarbus reinii) which are estimated to also be on the brink of extinction. Urgent conservation attention is needed in this region if these species are to be saved, and with them some of the Sahara’s most valuable freshwater habitats.

3. Hump-backed mahseer (Tor remadevii):

Range: Endemic to the Cauvery river basin, in Southern India

Estimated remaining population: Unknown

Population trend: Decreasing

Captive population? No

IUCN Red List Category: Critically Endangered

(c) John Bailey

Qualifying as freshwater megafauna, the iconic hump-backed mahseer is one of the largest freshwater fish in the world. Hump-backs are only found in the Cauvery River system in southern India and were first popularised in the late 19th century by British officers who considered mahseer angling to present a superior sporting challenge to shooting big game. Following Indian independence in 1946, many believed the mahseer had gone extinct, until a new era of conservation minded catch-and-release anglers reignited a global interest in these fish.

However, in 2014 following analysis of data from the catch and release angling camps which had sprung up along the river, Dr. Adrian Pinder of the Mahseer Trust and Bournemouth University in collaboration with Indian colleagues made a startling discovery. He identified that the mahseer being caught along the Cauvery River were actually two separate species, and that the population of the orange finned mahseer – the hump-back, was declining fast while the blue fins were increasing. Further research revealed that the blue-finned fish was not native to the Cauvery and had been released into the river basin in the 1990s. It appeared that it had out-competed the native hump-back, which is now restricted to just 5% of its original range in one tributary of the Cauvery, the Moyar River. Ironically, it is a dam which has protected this remaining population of hump-backed mahseer.

The Moyar River is set in the stunningly beautiful location of the Nilgiri mountains. The area is home to one of the largest remaining populations of Asian elephant and falls between three highly important tiger reserves. A project to save ‘the tiger of the water’ as the fish is known locally is being initiated engaging research institutes, the local government and conservation NGOs to better understand the species’ conservation status and to begin priority conservation actions to reverse the decline in their population. Saving this species is one of Shoal’s initial flagship projects and an urgent priority for 2020.

4. Butterfly splitfin (Amenca splendens)

Range: Endemic to Mexico, specifically the

Estimated remaining population: Unknown

Population trend: Decreasing

Captive population? Yes, although it is declining as the butterfly splitfin has become less popular within the ornamental hobby.

IUCN Red List Category: Critically Endangered, previously assessed as Extinct in the Wild

(c) Josh More

The butterfly splitfin is part of the goodeid family, a group of small fishes found in Mexico and the United States. Goodeids tend to occupy springs and small creeks and give birth to live young. They are slightly more modest relatives of the guppies, and also popular with aquarium hobbyists around the world. In the wild, goodeids are threatened predominately by habitat loss and pollution, with intensive agriculture leading to shifting ecological conditions in their habitats, most acutely, a decline in available oxygen.

The butterfly splitfin is one of the rarest goodeids, and until recently it was thought to have already become extinct in the wild. However, a remnant population has been found to persist in El Rincón Waterpark near the town of Amenca, which is built around one of its original springs. This proves that you never quite know where a species might turn up. Yet with the species surviving in just this one, popular location, there is an urgent need for further conservation action to prevent its extinction in the wild.

There is hope however that this species can be saved. Its closest relative, the Tequila splitfin (named, like the drink, after a region of Mexico) was also classified as Critically Endangered until recent action was taken to protect it. Michoacán University brought this fish back to its original habitat through a reintroduction programme which included working with local people. There is now a small but growing wild population, and significant potential that this approach could be replicated for the butterfly splitfin and for other goodeids across Mexico. Hobbyists are also an important part of the effort to save these species. The Goodeid Working Group is working with zoos and aquariums in Europe and North America as well as institutions in North America to ensure healthy captive populations of species which are threatened in the wild to allow further reintroduction efforts in the future. You can read more about their work here.

5. Chambo (Oreochromis lidole, Oreochromis karongae, Oreochromis squamipinnis)

Range: Endemic to Lake Malawi, Lake Malombe and the Shire River

Estimated remaining population: Unknown

Population trend: Decreasing

Captive population? No

IUCN Red List Category: Critically Endangered

(c) Alexandra Tyers

In truth, Chambo is a catch-all term for three species of Tilapia which are found in Lake Malawi and some its tributary rivers and satellite lakes. They are maternal mouthbrooders, meaning that the mother lays her eggs and then allows the juveniles to develop in her mouth until they are a few weeks old and can forage independently. In these first few weeks however they will return to the safety of their mother’s mouth at a sign of danger, such as the arrival of a predatory species.

For many years they have been at the centre of the food security of thousands of people living on the lake’s shores. They are central to the country’s culture. However, since the beginning of the 1990s, all three species have undergone a dramatic and drastic decline. The IUCN’s Freshwater Biodiversity Unit estimates that between 1994 and 2004 populations crashed by 70%. Overfishing has been cited as the key driver for this decline, with nets with smaller and smaller mesh being used to harvest smaller and smaller fish.

It is feared that Oreochromis lidole, may have already become extinct, while Oreochromis squamipinnis populations declined a further 96% between 2006 and 2016 while in the same time period Oreochromis karongae declined is estimated to have declined by 94%. Unlike the paddlefish however, there is still time to save at least two of the three Chambo species. Organisations such as Ripple Africa are working alongside the Government’s fishery department to implement a licensing system and to prevent harmful fishing practices such as using fine mesh nets which remove young fish and damage eggs. Conserving the iconic Chambo could also have knock-on benefits for many of the other cichlid species in Lake Malawi, both through reducing fishing pressures on these species and through the creation of protected zones and improved fishing practices.

Talking Sawfish: An Interview with Michael Grant

Sawfish (c) Fish and Wildlife Research Centre
Michael “Mick” Grant is a PhD Candidate at James Cook University in Queensland, Australia. He has been on a number of expeditions to Papua New Guinea to study its sawfish as part of his research into this fascinating and enigmatic group of fishes . Here we talk to Mick about his expeditions, why sawfish are so remarkable, and how he is hoping to help conserve this highly threatened group.

by Michael Grant and Merlin Veron

Why Sawfish?

Evolutionarily, sawfish are very interesting, The toothed rostrum of sawfish make them a very unique member of the Chondrichthyes (sharks, rays, and chimaeras). There are five species of sawfish. The smalltooth sawfish, Pristis pectinata is found only in the tropical coastal waters of the Atlantic Ocean, while the dwarf Pristis clavata, green Pristis zijsron, and narrow Anoxypristis cuspidata sawfish species are found only in tropical waters of the Indo Pacific region. Meanwhile, the largetooth sawfish Pristis pristis is found globally throughout the topics.

Unfortunately for sawfish, they are one of the most threatened families across all sharks and rays. This is largely because their toothed rostrum (or ‘saw’) is very easily entangled in fishing nets. They are particularly susceptible to gillnet and trawl fisheries, which are the most common commercial fishing activities in estuaries and coastal regions where sawfish live. In recent decades, sawfish have experienced significant population declines and some species have lost up to 80% of their historic distribution. Presently, all species are either Endangered or Critically Endangered on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species.

So there is an urgent need to focus conservation efforts on identifying where the last refuges for these species are, and to try and understand how sawfish interact with the local people in order to identify threats to these remnant populations. It would be a shame to lose such an amazingly distinct animal.

What is your research trying to discover?

Our research focuses on sawfish in Papua New Guinea, although we are also documenting other species of shark and ray as we go. While it was thought northern Australia was the last major multi-species refuge for the four Indo-Pacific sawfish species, it appears there may still be viable populations in Papua New Guinea also. Recently in 2014, my PhD supervisor Dr. William White discovered all four Indo-Pacific species still present in Papua New Guinea’s Western province when examining dried shark fin during a short visit to the region. This prompted a major research expedition throughout Papua New Guinea to try and discover where viable populations may be, which is what we are currently working on. Primarily we search for rostra around villages, as the rostrum is often kept for decoration in villages houses. Additionally, we have designed a questionnaire for local fishermen to gather information on how sawfish fit in the livelihoods of local people (e.g. if they are culturally significant), and whether fishermen have noticed a change in their population numbers over time.

We have also found lots of river sharks Glyphis spp. River sharks occur in freshwater also as juveniles, becoming more marine as they grow larger. These sharks are also endangered so it has been nice to find pockets where population numbers appear to be quite high.

When do sawfish use freshwater, and what sort of habitat conditions do they require?

Sawfish typically use lower salinity environments within tropical river systems when they are younger. This may be an adaption to avoid large marine predators, and also avoid competition from other shark and ray species that occur in coastal waters during their vulnerable juvenile years.

While all sawfish species occur in non-marine environments (salinity less than 30ppt), only the largetooth sawfish can tolerate freshwater (salinity less than 5ppt) for prolonged periods. Studies in northern Australia have shown that largetooth sawfish spend their first four to five years in the upper reaches of rivers, accessing floodplains opportunistically as they grow. They then move down into the estuaries and out into marine waters (salinities greater than 30ppt) around river mouths and shallow inshore areas as they become adults. The other species have a similar pattern of habitat use as they grow, except they do not occur in freshwater for long periods. Rather, juveniles use estuaries as nursery grounds, generally moving into more marine environments as they grow larger.

The trouble with this strategy of using both non-marine and marine environments during their life cycle is that it compounds their exposure to human pressures. These pressures include not only fishing, but also river engineering (canals, dams, irrigation etc) and habitat degradation. Most sharks and rays only use marine environments, and these extra pressures that sawfish face are further reasons why sawfish are among the most endangered shark and ray species.

Michael Grant conducting an interview with local fishermen at Goare Village in the Kikori River Delta (c) Darcy Roeger

Just how do sawfish use their rostrum?

The rostrum has three main functions. Besides the obvious defence benefits that a sharp saw on one’s face would offer in shallow estuarine and inshore environments full of crocodiles and sharks, the rostrum is also used for feeding in two ways. Much like swordfish use their bill to stun schooling baitfish, sawfish have been observed rapidly waving their rostrum in schooling prawns and baitfish. The rostrums secret weapon however lies not in its sharp teeth, but rather a sixth-sense in small pores on its underside. All sharks and rays have pores around their mouth called ampullae of Lorenzini (first described by Stefano Lorenzini in 1678). These pores are interconnected and filled with a conductive jelly-like substance that acts as an electo-magnetic receptor. All living animals give off minute electric fields as a result of their bodily functions. These special ampullae of Lorenzini can detect these electrical signals, allowing sharks and rays to find prey that they cannot otherwise see (i.e. invertebrates and fish buried in sand). Sawfishes have a high concentration of ampullae of Lorenzini under their rostrum and they use it like a large metal detector to find food. This is a very critical adaption in the highly turbid rivers in which they live, as visibility is very low, and eyesight is not reliable enough to locate food alone.

When sawfish are caught in nets, the thrashing around of their rostrum in attempts to escape often results in damage to fishing gear. Because of this, some fishermen see sawfish as a pest, and sometimes cut the rostrum in order to untangle and discard the animal from their nets. While thankfully this practice is not considered to be common, starved sawfish that have had their rostrum cut off have been observed in northern Australia, indicating the crucial role the rostrum plays in sawfish feeding habits.

What’s your favourite fact about sawfish?

Probably the adaptability in the physiology of their blood. Weird, but first let me take you back to high school biology and explain. Fish (including bony fish, and sharks and rays) evolved in marine water. Because marine water is salty (and saltier than blood), fish lose water and absorb salt from the environment by osmosis and diffusion, respectively. To combat this, they have to drink constantly, and continuously excrete salts. If their blood gets too salty, it disrupts their nervous system and brain function.

In freshwater they have the opposite problem. They absorb water from the environment and loose salts. This means they don’t drink and retain salts as best as they can which they mainly obtain from food. If they loose to much salt, it also disrupts their nervous system and brain function. For fish that live in marine environments, they have adapted to have quite salty blood to help alleviate the ‘salt gradient’ between their blood and their environment so that they have less work to do in maintaining a balance.

Sharks and rays on the other hand have taken a different approach to the problem. They retain nitrogenous compounds in their blood, so that their overall blood salt level is loosely equal to their marine environment. The benefit of this is that they don’t loose much water by osmosis, and therefore sharks and rays generally don’t need to drink! The only problem they have is excreting salt. Unlike bony fish, sharks and rays have a special gland called the salt gland, that helps them remove excess salt from their body.

For sharks and rays this is a great adaption to marine environments, though it limits their ability to live in freshwater. For bony fish in freshwater, generally all they have to do is decrease the saltiness of their blood, so that they don’t absorb more water than the amount of urine their kidneys can produce. For sharks and rays however, they have the extra baggage of dissolved nitrogenous compounds in their blood. They have to reduce their blood salts, though keep enough for their nervous system to work, although they can’t lower their nitrogenous compounds too much. This means that in freshwater, they absorb lots of water because of the difference between their blood and the environment. They also have a very difficult time not losing all their salts through diffusion out of their gills. For this reason, there are only 43 rays that have been able to adapt to live in freshwater for their whole lives (most of which no longer have dissolved nitrogenous compounds in their blood), only 10 species of shark and ray that can occur in both freshwater and marine. The other 1200 species of sharks and ray stick to marine environments. Comparatively, around 40% of bony fish species (~15 000 species) occur in non-marine environments either full- or part-time, because this transition into freshwater is much easier for them. So the fact that sawfish can tolerate non-marine environments, and alter their blood chemistry to suit the environment type they are in is very special! We don’t entirely understand exactly how they do it at the biochemical level, though evolutionarily speaking, it’s quite a feat!

Michael Grant and Obiri, a local fisherman from Goare Village with the first confirmed account of the freshwater whip ray (Urogymnus dalyensis) in Papua New Guinea (c) Yolarnie Amepou

What is it that drew you to Papua New Guinea for your research?

What drew me to PNG wasn’t so much what we knew about the country but what we didn’t know! PNG is truly one of the last tropical wilderness areas on the planet. We know very little about what lives in its many river systems, and overall much of its coastline and riverine systems remain poorly documented. The second thing is the challenge that research in PNG presents. Outside of major towns and cities, there are no roads, limited airports, no sewage, no electricity and no running water. And to make things harder, crocodiles and disease carrying mosquitoes (including malaria) are commonplace, and wet season rainfall can be upwards of 10 metres. Accessing remote communities is a challenge within itself. Due to these challenges and inaccessibility, there a many discoveries to be made, and that’s what drives me to keep going back.

PNG is known for its birds of paradise and tree kangaroos, but what are its freshwater systems like?

The freshwater systems of PNG are truly remarkable. In the countries north, the Sepik River runs for more than 1,000km making it one of the longest tropical rivers in the world. Meanwhile in the Gulf of Papua in PNG’s south, the Fly, Bamu, Turama, Kikori, Wabo and Purari Rivers all drain into Gulf. These rivers are high flow and incredibly sediment rich, creating a highly turbid low salinity bay, perfect for sawfish. I’ve been lucky to travel up to the head waters of the Bamu, Turama and Kikori Rivers where conversely the water is crystal clear, flowing over volcanic rock through a labyrinth of dense rainforest. The natural beauty and shear expansiveness is truly hard to justify in words!

An expansive sand bank at the coast of Kikori River Delta. Shallow turbid sand banks are ideal habitat for all sawfish species (c) Michael Grant

Have PNG’s freshwater fishes been well documented, or do you think there are still many more to be described by science?

There have been only a few concerted expeditions over the years. The first assessment dates back as early as 1896, when the German botanist Carl Adolf Georg Lauterbach visited the Ramu River in PNG’s north (Lauterbach also collected the first sawfish specimen from PNG, a juvenile largetooth sawfish which is still preserved whole in the Museum für Naturkunde in Berlin). Since then there have been other surveys, while in more modern times the likes of Gerald Allen and David Coates have led extensive surveys throughout the 1980’s and 90’s, again largely focused on the Sepik and Ramu Rivers in the countries north. My PhD supervisor William White recently conducted a large shark and ray orientated project from 2014-2018. The project resulted in 132 documented species in PNG, 12 of which were previously undescribed.

That is what appeals to me about working in the Gulf of Papua. The rivers are so inaccessible that I’m sure there are many freshwater fish waiting to be discovered throughout the multitude of floodplains, creeks and tributaries. For example, in late 2018 we confirmed a species of freshwater whipray, Urogymnus dalyensis, at the mouth of the Kikori river. This species was formerly only known in northern Australia.

What’s the most breathtaking/jaw-dropping moment you’ve had while on your expeditions?

The whole experience is quite amazing. Travelling down the Fly River was certainly up there. We passed about 400km of floodplain stretching to the horizon on either side of the river. The volume of freshwater habitat was incomparable to anything I’ve ever seen.

What is the most hair-raising moment you’ve had while on your expeditions?

The standout ‘only in PNG’ moment would have to be having a cassowary (a large aggressive flightless bird endemic to PNG and northern Australia) interrupt our assessment of the mornings catch during a visit to Kopar Village at the Mouth of the Sepik River. It turns out the cassowary was actually a semi domesticated ‘pet’ of one of the local villagers, though it was a hair-raising experience for a while there! Other experiences have included crossing sand bars at the mouths of rivers on a 20ft banana boat during 2m plus swells with the outflow of rivers providing a strong undercurrent. When you are 200km from civilisation seriously thinking about ‘if we capsize here, where can I swim to and if I make it, then what?’ it certainly gets the heart rate up! The skippers however drive those sort of conditions regularly, and they never seem too worried.

A cassowary holds up assessment of the overnight shark catch, Kopar Village, Sepik River (c) Michael Grant

What advice would you give young conservationists trying to research and protect rare and unique fish?

Admittedly, it can be a hard space to get into. There is often limited funding for such research and usually a bit of luck is required. I think volunteering is a great way to start out, and importantly not being afraid to reach out and offer assistance however you can. I’m a big believer in the old adage ‘it’s not what you know, it’s who you know’. If you are not meeting and talking to people, it’s hard to get anywhere! I think social media is a good platform, lots of scientists are on Twitter. Starting a professionally orientated account has paid good dividends for me personally. For undergraduate or postgraduate researchers, attending conferences in also important. For me, actually presenting a poster or talk comes secondary to having the opportunity to meet people. That being said, pick a conference that will attract the type of people you want to meet. Lastly, recognising that management of fisheries is not about managing the fish, it’s about managing the people. This cannot be overstated enough. I think social sciences, and studying how animals fit into the livelihoods of people is still in its infancy. There’s lots to learn and any conservation orientated project needs to include the local people.

What’s next for you and the wonderful sawfish you study?

A dangerous question to ask a mid-end term PhD candidate! It’s all a bit of an unknown at this point (for me and sawfish!). I’ve got a few things lined up to continue working in Papua New Guinea. There is lots of capacity building required to get things moving over there, and I’m fortunate to have good relationships with the University of Papua New Guinea and Provincial Fisheries officers. Gathering information to inform fisheries management plans is what the focus will be moving forward. If we can develop some sort of legislation to protect sawfish that would be fantastic, although community based awareness measures are probably more realistic in the short term. I’m planning on writing a children’s book to distribute to remote communities in PNG which will help inform people on sawfish, and concepts of overfishing. Taxonomic research is also high on my future agenda. I’m lucky to research under Dr William White at Australia’s National Fish Collection so we’ll see what happens. 10 years from now I’d like to be pulling the strings in my own lab, but for now its about completing research projects and ticking boxes.

The author would like to acknowledge and specifically thank William White for giving him the opportunity to work in Papua New Guinea and to his other PhD supervisors, Andrew Chin, Colin Simpfendorfer and Peter Kyne. Thanks also to Save our Seas Foundation for funding our research, and to the PIKU Biodiversity Network for their contribution to our project. Interested readers can stay up to date through the twitter account @Mickkgrant

Community Conservation: The Anguillids of Ambon

Happy eel faces

by Kathy Hughes

Kathy is a Freshwater Specialist with experience from across Asia, Africa and Europe. She visited Ambon to see its awesome anguillids on holiday earlier this year.

When people think about the world’s most threatened animals, it’s unlikely that Anguillid (freshwater) eels spring to mind. In Europe, freshwater eels are one of our least appreciated but most critically endangered species, having declined by around 95% since the 1980s. Unlike most people, as a freshwater ecologist, I spend a lot of time thinking about animals like the freshwater eel because globally, all freshwater species are facing considerable threats. In fact, freshwater species are declining at double the rate of terrestrial or marine biodiversity and for me, freshwater eels are a bit of a poster-fish for all freshwater biodiversity.

Anguillid eels have life cycles more complex and mysterious than any other species I can think of. They are catadromous; spending most of their lives in freshwaters but returning to the ocean to spawn (a return journey of around ten thousand kilometres). Eels can live for many years, especially females – the oldest known European eel was over 100 years old. Despite being long-lived they only spawn once in their lives. The marine phase of an eel’s life remains much of a mystery – we do not know what eels do during their time in the oceans or exactly where they spawn. An exciting new project is radio-tracking eels to attempt to answer the mysteries that have eluded scientists since the time of Aristotle.

There are multiple threats facing European eels, and to different extents, all other species of freshwater eel around the world. Threats include: climate change, human infrastructure and development, disease, water pollution, habitat loss, over-exploitation and mortality caused by pumps and hydropower dams. Furthermore, as the illegal trade in European, American and Japanese eel is stopped, eels in other parts of the world where protections are less, may be at increased risk.

A critical step in the conservation of eels is ensuring people care about them and with this in mind, during a recent trip to Ambon, Indonesia, I visited Larike village, home to a population of Marbled eels, Anguilla marmorata, to find out why they are important to the local community. I met with Hafes Lauspa who is the King (or Raja) of Larike village. Hafes has taken the unusual step of protecting the eels in his village, meaning that no one can fish for them or harm them in anyway. Hafes hopes that by protecting the eels, the eels will attract tourism to the village and generate income.

What were your motivations for protecting the eels?

People in my village have a big appetite for the eels as they believe they are good for achieving healthiness. But the population of eels is getting smaller and it made me think that I must do something to protect the eels so that the population does not become extinct.

What do the villagers think of the eels and the tourists that come to visit them?

Since I introduced tourists to the eels of Larike in 2010, the villagers are very happy. They realised that to protect the eels is one of the ways to bring Larike village to the eyes of the world.

What are your hopes for the eels, the river, and Larike village for the future?

I am the son of my father, the son of a king and the son of kings, we become a king since the village exists. It is our duty, as kings, to love, to carry and to protect the village until our last breath. As a king I hope to make the village much better in the future. The river has existed for a long time and brings so much life here to the village.  I hope it exists forever and will always be with us, for current and future generations.  And what about the eels – I hope the eels know that we really love them, and I hope they can love us as much as we do.

Hafes (King of Larike Village) and I posing by the sign welcoming tourists to the village.

Whilst visiting Larike I took the chance to personally test out how much of a tourist-attraction these giant Marbled eels might be. For me the opportunity was very special, my time spent time with their eely cousins in Europe has been dominated by catching them during fish surveys – a challenging endeavour because in the hand they are extremely strong (both physically and in terms of their opinions of trying to escape) and pretty slimy which doesn’t help deal with their aforementioned strength. However, in Larike Village, I had the opportunity to observe freshwater eels on their terms for the first time in my life.

We started the visit with a walk through the picturesque village of Larike where we were greeted by curious children and locals (I must admit, we may have looked strange with our snorkelling equipment and cameras!). At the far end of the village we reached the stunning tropical and tree-lined Lady river (or Weidu Rupae as it is known locally). Hafes pointed to an area on the other side of the river that had large boulders ‘this is where the eels live’. We waded across the shallow middle of the river and as soon as we got close to the boulders, around twenty eels came out of their holes and started to swim around our ankles. It was time to get our snorkel masks on! The water was pristine and cool, a contrast to the warm Indonesian day.

And what a treat the river had in store – as soon as I put my head underwater I had a window to a world that I would’ve never appreciated from the river bank. The water was clear and the river bed a beautiful mix of multiple shades of beige cobbles. Amazingly, the eels were not backwards in coming forwards (as my Mum would say); they were very inquisitive and in groups of two or three inched closer and closer to ‘bop’ my mask and underwater camera. This was especially true of the largest eel (named Bruce by the villagers). Bruce and the gang were clearly interested in the new strange big animal in their habitat, and that interest was mutual! It was clear to see that these fish are capable of complex and inquisitive behaviours and I was blown away that this conservation underdog is outright one of the most charismatic and charming animals I’ve hung out with. It was hard to top such a great experience, but Hafes tried – afterwards he took us to a shop in the village which sold real chocolate!

So has eel eco-tourism got legs? I’m clearly biased but in my opinion yes! If you like fish, water and exploring beautiful places, then hanging out underwater with eels should be on your bucket list. But it must be done in a sustainable way like in Larike village where eels are in pristine natural habitat and free to come and go as they please, and where villagers benefit from tourism. Quite honestly, I’m convinced that if everyone had the chance to engage with eels on their terms like I did in Larike, everyone would become an anguillid advocate like Hafes and I.

Lady river
In the river with eels
Singing eel
Bruce
Lrike village

Killifish: Surviving in an Elephant’s Footprint

Elephant’s footprint (c) Sussane

by Andy Patel

Killifish are a group of unusually small and colourful fish that have evolved particularly robust egg casings. These casings prevent the embryos from drying out and some species survive for months, even years in dry mud. This has allowed killifish to colonise and survive in the smallest temporary pools, even in an elephant’s footprint. The sudden appearance of fish in fresh puddles has given rise to the phrase ‘It rains fishes’.

Because the pools may only be wet for a short time, some species can grow and mature extremely rapidly. The turquoise killifish (Nothobranchius furzeri) is capable of completing its lifecycle within 14 days of hatching. This remarkable factor has led to the species being used in research on ageing.

From a conservation point of view, it is easy to see that temporary water bodies can be particularly vulnerable to human disturbance and many species are under threat. Aquarists have collected and kept killifish for many years and pay particular attention to keeping records of where they were originally collected. By doing this and exchanging eggs between themselves they help ensure their survival in case of habitat destruction. The British Killifish Association (https://killis.org.uk/wp/) is one such group of aquarists who are hoping to co-ordinate their conservation efforts within Shoal.

Some may well ask how it is possible to keep wild fish and support conservation. It’s a fair question and one that deserves an answer. Many of the currently described killifish species are only known to science because of aquarists, who have travelled out to remote locations to collect them. Without knowing that a species exists it is not possible to conserve it and aquarists have contributed extensively to the scientific knowledge about these beautiful fish. They often return to those same areas in subsequent years to monitor how the habitats are coping. Aquarists also support many individual conservation projects in particular areas.

As we now know the effectiveness of such small projects can be limited, but collectively we can still make a difference. So, we are looking to increase awareness of conservation within the fishkeeping hobby to make it more sustainable and help ensure the survival of many of the over 1,000 killifish species in existence. Conservation and restoration of habitats is crucial, but where this isn’t immediately possible Killifish Associations hope that they can at least preserve captive populations so that future re-stocking is at least possible. Co-ordinating that effort with scientists, conservation organisations and public aquaria can help raise the profile of these small fish species.

Killifish are little gems found across much of Africa, The Americas and even southern Europe and Asia. They are deserving of our protection, as much as land animals.

To get an idea of how colourful they are, why not visit these two excellent sites:

https://www.itrainsfishes.net/content and https://www.itrainsfishes.net/content/. Run by people who collect, document and even describe new species. It’s a fascinating world, and another astonishing part of the Shoal.

In 1993 enthusiasts from the British and American Killifish Associations ventured into a muddy pool in Tanzania to see whether any new species may be lurking under the thick grass. They found an undescribed Nothobranchius species’.
‘Twenty one years after entering the hobby the beautiful fish is finally named, after study by ‘citizen scientists’, as Nothobranchius sagittae. Finally recognised by the scientific world as a species it is evaluated by the IUCN in 2016 as endangered.

The Search for Spawning Sturgeon

Sturgeon (c) Biodiversity Heritage Library

by Matthew Spencer

In 2017 I was fortunate enough to intern on a project that focused on protecting six critically endangered sturgeon species that have their last refuge in the Rioni River in Georgia, which unlike the Danube and Garonne rivers, had no sturgeon conservation programme.

Following drastic habitat loss, recent surveys show that the Rioni supports the world’s only population of Colchic sturgeon (Acipenser [persicus] colchicus), and some of the last populations of five other species. All species are Endangered or Critically Endangered, and populations are rapidly decreasing (>50% per generation) due to fishing, illegal trade and reduced spawning habitat with just 16% of the historic spawning area remaining!

The internship opportunity, and hosting in Georgia, was kindly supported by Fauna and Flora International (FFI) a leading environmental organisation that focuses on protecting biodiversity across the globe whilst supporting local, sustainable livelihoods. Through working with the government, WWF Caucasus and a range of local stakeholders including local fishers, the project aimed to reduce the poaching and illegal trade in sturgeon products on local markets and to address the further loss of spawning habitat.

This project was one of personal interest, as someone who grew up the coast and had a small fish tank as a child, I have always wanted to work in conservation with fish; in particular working out effective ways, at a local level to help protect species and their habitats. With relatively limited exposure to the UK, Georgia is a country that is as mysterious as it is stunning, with the opportunity to work abroad and learn a new culture making it such an attractive opportunity.

Prior to heading out to Georgia, I spent several weeks spent in FFI’s Cambridge office working out river access points. As maps and information on the Rioni River were sparse, it was important to work out a lot of the detail prior to departure so as to best utilise my time in the field. The nature of Georgia’s turbulent recent past meant that information was either hard to come by or extremely disjointed. One of the key aims of this internship was to fill in some of the knowledge gaps and help develop the foundations to further monitoring activities.

Upon touching down we headed west to the mouth of the Rioni River, at a city called Poti on the eastern shore of the Black Sea and next to the Kolkheti National Park. Over the next few weeks we visited sites along the river and interviewed local fishermen where possible. In keeping with findings from across the world’s river basins, local fishermen had noticed a dramatic decline in the abundance and size of large fish species. What was also notable was that the older the fishermen that was interviewed the greater the loss appeared, particularly the plight of local sturgeon populations. Few of the fishermen below 50 had even seen a sturgeon being caught from the river and sadly many of the fishermen stated that poaching was still a serious problem.

The time spent in Georgia helped to develop a working knowledge and local network base for the area which has contributed to the conservation of sturgeon, in particular in combatting poaching and illegal trade. Most importantly, the work that I was fortunate enough to be a part of led to the first baseline study for sturgeon being conducted. Until recently, very little was known about the status of this particular sturgeon population compared to those in the Danube and Garonne rivers, with there was uncertainty about whether these fish were even still reproducing in the Rioni at all.

I can excitedly tell you that the results from all the hard work FFI is doing is showing that juvenile sturgeon have been found, indicating that sturgeon are still spawning in the Rioni. This is fantastic news and highlights the resilience of ecosystems under extreme pressure but also serves as a warning. Sturgeon, one of the largest fish species on the planet, an animal that has existed for millions of years is surviving…. but barely.

I would urge anyone who reads this to support Shoal, FFI, and WWF with their freshwater conservation projects. Iconic and lesser known species are in decline across the globe and every effort must be made to ensure that these majestic fish can continue to spawn and in turn inspire the next generation.

The Rioni River, Georgia (c) Matt Spencer
The FFI team conducting surveys on the Rioni River, one of the last locations in Europe where sturgeon continue to spawn. (c) Matt Spencer

Starting Shoal in Germany

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by Mike Baltzer

In October, I was invited to be a keynote speaker at the WWF European Freshwater Practice meeting in Berlin. While I was there, I also had a number of meetings aimed to help take Shoal forward in Germany. We are keen to establish a base in Germany to be able to work with companies and hobbyists in Germany and the rest of the European Union.
At the WWF meeting, I had four key messages for the WWF participants. I made the case that successful freshwater conservation must include:

  • Species first – a systems approach and policy led actions must be anchored on targeted impact at the species level
  • Support local action – hundreds of thousands of local actions is the best way to mobilise change and sustain impact
  • Form partnerships – Success lies in effective, powerful collaborations.
  • Raise awareness – despite being the number one priority for global conservation, freshwater biodiversity is the least well known
Presenting at the WWF European Freshwater Practice Meeting in Berlin

 

Meeting with the team at ZZF in Weisbaden

While I only attended the first day of their four-day planning meeting, I learnt of their excellent programmes for free-flowing rivers, sturgeons and a new exciting global initiative for river dolphins.

Two other meetings of note started with Volker Homes, the Director of VdZ the German (Association of Zoo Gardens). He explained the importance of his organisation as a coordination and support to zoos that want to support conservation in the field or even by expert amateurs. Unfortunately, the Director of the Berlin Zoo, Dr Andreas Kneiriem, was away that week but we caught up by phone a week later and discussed a potential future partnership.

After Berlin, I travelled west to Weisbaden and the offices of ZZF. ZZF is the German Pet and Trade Association and the leading association for the aquarium trade. Dr. Stefan Hetz, a leading aquarist at ZZF invited six others from ZZF, BNA and Aquaria Glaser to discuss the next steps and needs for establishing Shoal in Germany. By the end of the week, it was clear that there is a great deal of enthusiasm, support and opportunities for Shoal in Germany and the next stage is to secure the funding to hire a person to represent Shoal in Germany.

I would like to thank everyone that took the time to meet with me and helped with the meetings and discussions.

VdZ Verband der Zoologischen Gärten https://www.vdz-zoos.org/

ZZF is Zentralverband Zoologischer Fachbetriebe Deustchlands https://www.zzf.de/

BNA is the Bundesverband für fachgerechten Natur-, Tier- und Artenschutz bna-ev.de

Aquarium Glaser is a leading and widely respected fish supply company aquariumglaser.de