A freshwater fish at risk from extinction has been rediscovered in a river in Turkey. Named the Leopard Barbel, Luciobarbus subquincunciatus, was last scientifically documented in 2011, its rarity seeing its inclusion in conservation collaborative SHOAL’s Most Wanted lost fishes list. Now, due to the efforts of a team of ichthyologists in Türkiye (Turkey), it has been rediscovered in the Turkish section of the River Tigris.
“There is nothing quite like the feeling of finding that a species that has been pushed to the brink of extinction is still hanging on, despite the odds,” Cüneyt Kaya, associate professor at Recep Tayyip Erdogan University and member of the expedition team told SHOAL. “It is even more thrilling than discovering a new species because it means that we can give a rare species a second chance. With both the Batman River loach (rediscovered in the same river in 2012,) and now the Leopard Barbel, we have an obligation to mobilize conservation efforts to ensure neither becomes lost again.”
About the Leopard Barbel
Also known as the Mesopotamian barbel, the Leopard Barbel was once abundant, ranging from Eastern Türkiye, Eastern Syria, Iran, and Iraq in the Tigris-Euphrates river system. Over the last three decades, however, fishing, pollution, habitat destruction, and dam construction have pushed the species to the edge of extinction. Anecdotal evidence from local fishers suggested that the fish may still be out there, so Kaya and Münevver Oral, an assistant professor at Recep Tayyip Erdogan University, enlisted their help, in addition to working with the local fisheries aquaculture department.
The team started by looking at the scientific literature about where the species had been previously found. However, those data were collected before nine dams were built in the Turkish portion of the Tigris River. Dams alter water flow regimes, and cold water that accumulates at the bottom of reservoirs is sometimes released downstream. The release of cold water drives many freshwater fish toward warmer waters, so the team had to adjust its strategy to look further downstream from the dams.
Just days after the second of two expeditions, a local fisherman caught a 20”/50cm fish with conspicuous black spots and the telltale fleshy filament that dangles from the mouths of this species of freshwater fish. The fish was kept alive in a tank with a constant oxygen supply overnight, while the team drove through the night to see—and help release—the fish. By the time they arrived, a second Leopard Barbel was safely in the fisherman’s nets.
“We dropped everything and would have gone to the ends of the Earth to see this fish, this legend, alive in the wild,” Oral said. “I have never seen a fish as beautiful as this. It was the realization 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.” After photos and measurements were made the two fish were safely released.
“We all have a role to play in protecting our incredible natural heritage and I am proud to have used my skills to help rediscover the leopard barbel,” Ülkü said. “Safeguarding this species into the future is going to require educating other fishers and continuing to bring together scientific knowledge and local expertise.”
In November 2023, the International Union of Conservation of Nature released an updated assessment of freshwater fish across the planet, finding that dams and water extraction are putting 45% of all threatened freshwater fish at risk of extinction. Not only have several dams built in the Turkish portion of the Tigris River impacted the Leopard Barbel, but a new dam is under construction in Cizre, very close to where the two specimens were found.
“Freshwater ecosystems play a tremendous role in maintaining the overall health of our planet,” said Harmony Patricio, freshwater fish conservation program manager for Re:wild and SHOAL. “Addressing threats and safeguarding the biodiversity that maintains these ecosystems is critical to solving the climate and biodiversity loss crises, and essential for human wellbeing. We hope the rediscovery of the Leopard Barbel will serve as an inspiring catalyst for future freshwater biodiversity conservation efforts in this region.”
The Search for Lost Fishes is the freshwater-fish-focused branch of Re:wild’s Search for Lost Species program. Re:wild and SHOAL—which is a program of Re:wild and Synchronicity Earth—launched the Search for Lost Fishes in 2021 to encourage individuals and organizations to look for freshwater fish species that have not been scientifically documented in at least 10 years so that conservation programs can be put in place to bring them back from the brink of extinction. In collaboration with Re:wild and the IUCN-SSC Freshwater Fish Specialist Group, SHOAL has compiled a list of more than 300 fish species that are currently lost to science.
About SHOAL
SHOAL is the global collaborative initiative to halt the extinction and recover populations of the most threatened freshwater species in the wild. Join The Shoal at shoalconservation.org.