Action Plan for the Conservation of Mexico’s Goodeid Fishes

Action Plan for the Conservation of Mexico’s Goodeid Fishes published today

The Action Plan outlines the necessary steps for an integrated, ambitious multinational conservation programme for Mexican goodeids – the first time this has ever been done.

A photograph of a purple, blue and black iridescent fish. Betta cracens is a peat swamp forest freshwater fish species from Indonesia, identified to have high potential for successful ex situ conservation Freshwater conservation Southeast Asia.

On 31 October, SHOAL and partners from the Universidad Michoacana de San Nicolás de Hidalgo’s AquaLab, Goodeid Working Group, Chester Zoo, and the Freshwater Conservation Committee launched the Action Plan for the Integrated Conservation of Mexican Goodeid Fishes.

Mexican goodeids are one of Earth’s most threatened groups of fishes, with a staggering 90% of the 40 known species threatened with extinction, and one that has already gone extinct.

This Action Plan provides a framework to save the Mexican goodeids – the first time this has been attempted for these species – and is reliant on a robust partnership of passionate and knowledgeable individuals and organisations

The launch builds on previous conservation work of the AquaLab, Goodeid Working Group, and Chester Zoo to breed and reintroduce the Extinct in the Wild Tequila splitfin and golden skiffia (see here to read about the golden skiffia reintroduction, which SHOAL was involved in). Early signs indicate populations of both species are now increasing.

“The Goodeid Working Group was founded in 2009 out of concern for the dramatic population declines of many species of Mexican goodeid, and the large-scale loss and deterioration of their freshwater habitats. We wondered how we – at the time a small group of volunteers with almost no financial resources – could do something to help. Fourteen years after our foundation, the Goodeid Working Group is now part of a network of dedicated people and organisations, working closely together with utmost effort for the shared cause of conserving goodeids, and for the first time ever there is a chance to save this amazing group of fishes for future generations”.

Michael Köck, Cofounder and Chair, Goodeid Working Group

“I’m delighted that such a passionate group of people from such a wide variety of backgrounds have been able to come together to make a plan that hopefully will make a real difference for a highly threatened but very overlooked group of fishes. As this plan moves into implementation, I hope that this will help ensure a sustainable future for all these species, not only for them but also for the freshwater ecosystems. Hopefully this plan will set a positive example for freshwater conservation elsewhere in the world, because as we all know, we humans also depend on these ecosystems for our wellbeing”.

Paul Bamford, Regional Field Programme Manager - Latin America, Chester Zoo

“With 21 extinctions (13 Extinct and 8 Extinct in the Wild) having already occurred, Mexico is the country with the largest number of lost species. The Freshwater Conservation Committee therefore reached the conclusion that Mexico should become a global focal point for actions to address the current crisis. Considering Mexico’s Goodeidae species are among the most emblematic fishes to inhabit Mexican freshwater habitats, we decided to join this effort to develop and implement a strategic plan that has as its main objective the conservation of this important group of fishes”.

Topiltzin Contreras-MacBeath, Head of the Conservation Biology Research Group, University of Morelos, and Co-Chair, Freshwater Conservation Committee, IUCN Species Survival Commission

The next steps are to raise the vital funds to ensure we can start the conservation work that will massively boost the Mexican goodeids’ chances of survival.

The Action Plan is available to read here.

The webinar is available to watch below.