Conservation news 147


Shark and Ray Areas globally will transform shark conser- vation and contribute to reducing mortality in this highly threatened group.


PETER M. KYNE ( orcid.org/0000-0003-4494-2625, peter.kyne@cdu.edu.au), GIUSEPPE NOTARBARTOLO DI SCIARA*( orcid.org/0000-0003-0353-617X), AMANDA BATLLE MORERA ( orcid.org/0000-0003-0275-8299), RYAN CHARLES ( orcid.org/0000-0002-2187-2137), EMILIANO GARCÍA RODRÍGUEZ ( orcid.org/0000-0002-9078- 1300), DANIEL FERNANDO ( orcid.org/0000-0003-2163- 1832), ADRIANA GONZALEZ PESTANA ( orcid.org/0000-0001- 9510-3966), MARK PRIEST ( orcid.org/0000-0001-5409- 4266) and RIMA W. JABADO ( orcid.org/0000-0001-6239- 6723) IUCN SSC Shark Specialist Group, Dubai, United Arab Emirates


*Also at: IUCN Marine Mammal Protected Areas Task Force


This is an Open Access article, distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution licence (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits un- restricted re-use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.


Creating safety stock populations of two of the smallest threatened freshwater fishes of Europe


The dwarf goby Economidichthys trichonis and the Greek stickleback Pungitius hellenicus are both endemic to Greece, have narrow geographical ranges and are cate- gorized as Endangered and Critically Endangered, respec- tively, on the IUCN Red List. The creation of safety stock populations is a top priority for future conservation translo- cations of the two species. Therefore, within the framework of conservation project AFRESH (afresh.hcmr.gr), we col- lected, transferred and acclimatized individuals of both species to closed circuit systems in 2021 and 2022. The first attempt to transfer E. trichonis (maximum


length 3 cm), on 10 November 2021, involved the collection with a seine net of 107 individuals from Lake Trichonis, at a water temperature of 19 °C. Fish were transported in an 80 l aerated tank. Mortality upon arrival following a transport time of 4 hwas 46%, attributed to the mode of transport and/or to intestinal parasitosis. Despite subsequent anti- parasite treatment, only 12 individuals survived. We identi- fied transport stress and intestinal parasitosis as the causes of mortality, to be addressed through modification of the collection and transport protocol. On 16 November 2022, 89 fish were caught with a seine net at a water temperature of 20 °C, and transported in groups of 1–4 fish in plastic bot- tles supplied with pure oxygen from a portable cylinder. Upon arrival, with no mortalities, fish were acclimatized to 17.7 °C and then treated with anti-helminthic medication. They were kept initially in low lighting and provided with live Artemia nauplii daily. Fish were observed feeding


A dwarf goby Economidichthys trichonis (total length 2.5 cm) guarding its nest in a reed. Photo: Y. Kapakos.


after 48 h, and 3 weeks after transfer all fish appeared healthy, with no mortalities. The first attempt to transfer P. hellenicus (maximum length


5 cm), on 19 January 2022, involved the collection of 40 fish by electrofishing, from an irrigation channel at a water tempera- ture of 8 °C, in Sperchios basin, and transfer in an 80 laerated tank, with a transport time of 3 h. Transport was completed with no mortalities and fish were then acclimatized to 20 ° C. However, therewere primary and secondary parasite infec- tions, and the fish did not feed,withmortalities starting after 3 weeks. Only five individuals survived.We identified the tem- perature difference between collection site and housing aquaria, and absence of feeding, with subsequent parasitosis, as the main issues to be addressed. On 9 November 2022, 32 P. hellenicus were collected, at a water temperature of 12.2 °C, and, following anti-parasite treatment, they were trans- ferred to the laboratory and acclimatized to 15.6–16.6 °C. They were offered live Artemia nauplii and Tubifex worms, and were observed feeding soon after transfer. Four weeks after transfer mortalities were zero. This work highlights the need to address a wide array of


issues related to handling, mode of transfer, acclimatization issues, disease prevention and dietary differences when cre- ating fish stock populations of threatened species.


ELENI KALOGIANNI ( orcid.org/0000-0002-9460-3122), IOANNIS LERIS ( orcid.org/0000-0002-5475-0355, i.leris@ hcmr.gr) and YIANNIS KAPAKOS ( orcid.org/0000-0002-6677- 643X) Hellenic Centre for Marine Research, Anavyssos, Greece. BRIAN ZIMMERMAN ( orcid.org/0000-0002-4428- 8451) Bristol Zoological Society, Bristol, UK


This is an Open Access article, distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution licence (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits un- restricted re-use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.


Oryx, 2023, 57(2), 145–148 © The Author(s), 2023. Published by Cambridge University Press on behalf of Fauna & Flora International doi:10.1017/S0030605323000091


Page 1  |  Page 2  |  Page 3  |  Page 4  |  Page 5  |  Page 6  |  Page 7  |  Page 8  |  Page 9  |  Page 10  |  Page 11  |  Page 12  |  Page 13  |  Page 14  |  Page 15  |  Page 16  |  Page 17  |  Page 18  |  Page 19  |  Page 20  |  Page 21  |  Page 22  |  Page 23  |  Page 24  |  Page 25  |  Page 26  |  Page 27  |  Page 28  |  Page 29  |  Page 30  |  Page 31  |  Page 32  |  Page 33  |  Page 34  |  Page 35  |  Page 36  |  Page 37  |  Page 38  |  Page 39  |  Page 40  |  Page 41  |  Page 42  |  Page 43  |  Page 44  |  Page 45  |  Page 46  |  Page 47  |  Page 48  |  Page 49  |  Page 50  |  Page 51  |  Page 52  |  Page 53  |  Page 54  |  Page 55  |  Page 56  |  Page 57  |  Page 58  |  Page 59  |  Page 60  |  Page 61  |  Page 62  |  Page 63  |  Page 64  |  Page 65  |  Page 66  |  Page 67  |  Page 68  |  Page 69  |  Page 70  |  Page 71  |  Page 72  |  Page 73  |  Page 74  |  Page 75  |  Page 76  |  Page 77  |  Page 78  |  Page 79  |  Page 80  |  Page 81  |  Page 82  |  Page 83  |  Page 84  |  Page 85  |  Page 86  |  Page 87  |  Page 88  |  Page 89  |  Page 90  |  Page 91  |  Page 92  |  Page 93  |  Page 94  |  Page 95  |  Page 96  |  Page 97  |  Page 98  |  Page 99  |  Page 100  |  Page 101  |  Page 102  |  Page 103  |  Page 104  |  Page 105  |  Page 106  |  Page 107  |  Page 108  |  Page 109  |  Page 110  |  Page 111  |  Page 112  |  Page 113  |  Page 114  |  Page 115  |  Page 116  |  Page 117  |  Page 118  |  Page 119  |  Page 120  |  Page 121  |  Page 122  |  Page 123  |  Page 124  |  Page 125  |  Page 126  |  Page 127  |  Page 128  |  Page 129  |  Page 130  |  Page 131  |  Page 132  |  Page 133  |  Page 134  |  Page 135  |  Page 136  |  Page 137  |  Page 138  |  Page 139  |  Page 140