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SHOAL Wrapped is where freshwater fans get a deep dive into our most memorable moments of the year.
We launched our flagship initiative The 1,000 Fishes Blueprint
In April we launched flagship initiative The SHOAL Blueprint for Conservation Action for 1,000 Freshwater Fishes by 2035.
This exciting and ambitious new plan accelerates action for freshwater species by mobilising collaborative conservation efforts for 1,000 of Earth’s most threatened freshwater fish species by 2035.
“The Blueprint shows the level of ambition and determination we need to turn back the tide on the freshwater biodiversity crisis, and halt extinctions and recover populations of the world’s most threatened freshwater fish. It is collaborative to its core and puts local communities at the forefront of impactful conservation action.”
Mike Baltzer, Executive Director, SHOAL
Efficiency and collaboration are key to the success of the plan’s global impact – a whopping 74% of Priority Species are found across just 20 countries.
The lost Leopard Barbel was found
What a way to start the year! In January a team of ichthyologists in Türkiye, lead by Dr Cüneyt Kaya and Dr Münevver Oral rediscovered the Leopard Barbel.
The species is the second of our Most Wanted Lost Fishes to be rediscovered, after the Batman River Loach was found by the same team in 2021.
Local fisherman Mehmet Ülkü called just two days after their second expedition with the good news.
“We dropped everything and would have gone to the ends of the Earth to see this fish, this legend, alive in the wild. It was the realisation not only of our dream to find this lost species, but of the hope that not all is lost — we still have a chance to protect the Leopard Barbel and all of the other incredible freshwater species it shares its home with.”
Dr Münevver Oral, Assistant professor at Recep Tayyip Erdogan University
Ülkü kept the fish alive in a tank overnight, as the pair raced back. Kaya took a flight to Van city, then drove nearly six hours to Cizre, while Oral drove more than 11 hours through the night.
By the time they arrived, Ülkü had caught a second Leopard Barbel safely in his nets.
We released our third New Species report
A minnow hiding in a megacity, seven Swiss whitefish, and a cavefish so relaxed around humans that it eats cookie crumbs straight out of people’s hands.
On World Wildlife Day in March we released our third annual New Species report, detailing the 243 freshwater fish species described in 2023.
“Awareness-raising is a critical part of the work needed to give these species a chance of survival, and it’s our hope and expectation that New Species reports will go some way to driving a greater appreciation for freshwater fish.”
Mike Baltzer, Executive Director, SHOAL
Contributions from researchers and taxonomists who work hard to discover and describe new species make the landmark report possible. We’re now looking forward to New Species 2024, and we want to hear from you again! If you have come across a species this year you think should be included, get in touch.
We partnered on WWF’s flagship Mekong report
March was a busy month at SHOAL HQ! Just one day after New Species 2023 dropped, the WWF released a flagship report focussing on the dazzlingly diverse fishes of the Mekong.
Home to some world’s largest freshwater species (as well as one of the smallest!), one-fifth of the fish that call the Mekong home are already facing extinction. Urgent action is needed to safeguard the future of these extraordinary fishes – and the people & ecosystems that depend on them.
“While this report is definitely intended to be a wake-up call, it is not just a litany of doom and gloom. It is a story of hope because we can still chart a course for a brighter future for the Mekong River.”
Lan Mercado, WWF Asia-Pacific Director
We are proud to have partnered with the WWF on this report – a celebration of these amazing fishes and their mighty river, as well as an urgent call for action to save them.
The SHOAL team grew and grew
The SHOAL team doubled in size this year, as we expand to meet our ambitious Phase 2 goals! We were thrilled to be joined by Georgie Bull as Programme Officer, Dr. Chouly Ou as US Conservation Coordinator, and Dr. Nathaniel Ng as Southeast Asia Programme Coordinator.
“Each of the new SHOAL staff members is a real expert at what they do, and the fresh energy and ideas that Chouly, Georgie and Nat have brought to the team have been powerful drivers to help us kick on and provide a new level of support to the SHOAL partners around the globe. It’s fantastic to have them on board!”
Mike Baltzer, Executive Director, SHOAL
We stopped by the Sustainable Eel Group conference
In July SHOAL Executive Director Mike Baltzer spoke at the Sustainable Eel Group conference, discussing The 1,000 Fishes Blueprint’s relevance to the conservation of the Critically Endangered European Eel.
Afterwards we were thrilled to participate in the release of thousands of elvers into the River Brue in Glastonbury, a great chance to boost numbers of the depleted species!
“The work the Somerset Eel Recovery Project (SERP) do, in partnership with the Sustainable Eel Group, is fully aligned with SHOAL’s mission, and it is wonderful to be involved with such a passionate and dedicated group who are doing wonders to give the Critically Endangered European Eel the best possible chances of recovery in the Somerset Levels.”
Mike Baltzer, Executive Director, SHOAL
We followed Michael Köck around Europe
Michael Köck is the Chair of Plan G, an initiative to save the highly threatened Goodeinae family of Splitfins in Mexico.
He spent the Autumn of this year on tour across Europe with the aim of engaging stakeholders in Plan G’s conservation plan – and he took us (digitally) with him!
“I thought I should introduce myself and Plan G to potential new partners in this exciting conservation plan, which has the potential to raise the bar for other projects and set new standards in freshwater conservation.”
Michael Köck, Chair of Plan G
In total Michael visited a whopping 39 zoos, public aquaria and museums across an incredible 9 countries. Follow his trip diaries to see how he got on with his mission.
We launched a fresh new website
November saw the launch of our brand new website! Reflecting Phase 2’s escalation of our scale and ambition, the new site has a much clearer focus on SHOAL’s strategic direction, and a big emphasis on our flagship campaign The 1,000 Fishes Blueprint.
The new site is packed with stories from the field, the latest freshwater news and information about amazing freshwater conservation work being done around the world.
“SHOAL’s growth over the past five years has meant the old website was not no longer representing the full depth of the work that the expanding number of SHOAL’s partners are doing. The new website provides a new fresh platform to show more clearly the ambitions and results of the SHOAL partnership’s work, particularly the exciting 1000 Fishes initiative.”
Mike Baltzer, Executive Director, SHOAL
One of our favourite new areas is Take A Breath – and that’s all we’re saying, no spoilers!
If you want to support the work SHOAL are doing to conserve freshwater species through action-driven conservation donate here. Don’t forget to sign up to our newsletter The Stream below to get all the latest freshwater news straight to your inbox.
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