A workforce of ichthyologists in Türkiye (Turkey) discovered a “legend” within the type of a noticed, carp-like fish known as leopard barb (Luciobarbus subquincunciatus) within the Turkish part of the Tigris River.
The leopard beard was as soon as plentiful, starting from japanese Turkey, japanese Syria, Iran and Iraq within the Tigris-Euphrates river system. Over the previous three many years, nevertheless, fishing, air pollution, habitat destruction and dam building have pushed the species to the brink of extinction, and it was final scientifically documented in in 2011.
Anecdotal proof from native fishermen nevertheless means that the fish should be on the market, so Affiliate Professor Cüneyt Kaya and Assistant Professor Münevver Oral at Recep Tayyip Erdogan College, requested for his or her assist in discovering one.
“There's nothing like the sensation of discovering {that a} species that's been pushed to the brink of extinction continues to be hanging on, regardless of the chances,” Kaya stated of her achievement. “It's much more thrilling that we uncover a brand new species as a result of it means we may give a second likelihood to a uncommon species.
The workforce started by wanting on the scientific literature on the place the species had been discovered earlier than. Nonetheless, these information have been collected earlier than 9 dams have been constructed on the Turkish facet of the Tigris River.
The dams alter the water stream regimes, and the chilly water that accumulates on the backside of the reservoirs is typically launched downstream. The discharge of chilly water pushes many freshwater fish to hotter waters, so the workforce needed to alter their technique to look additional downstream from the dams.
Just a few days after the second of two expeditions, Kaya and Oral obtained a video name from native fisherman Mehmet Ülkü. He had caught a 20-inch (50-centimeter), 4.4-pound (2-kilogram) fish with conspicuous black spots and the telltale fleshy filament hanging from the mouth of this sort of freshwater fish.
Ülkü saved the fish alive in a tank with a relentless oxygen provide in a single day, whereas Kaya took a direct flight to the area after which drove practically six hours to Cizre within the far southeast of Turkish Kurdistan , the place the species was discovered, whereas Oral led. greater than 11 hours by way of the night time to see the fish and make sure its id.
By the point they arrived, Ülkü had caught a second leopard cub safely in his nets, and so they have been capable of assist free the primary one as nicely.
MORE OF RE:WID'S WORK: Lengthy-beaked creature proven not extinct in first ever photograph: 'Blows My Thoughts' after 60 years
“We’d have dropped every thing and gone to the ends of the Earth to see this fish, this legend, alive within the wild,” Oral stated. “I’ve by no means seen a fish as lovely as this one. It was the conclusion not solely of our dream to search out this misplaced species, however of the hope that not every thing is misplaced – we nonetheless have the prospect to guard the leopard beard and all the opposite unbelievable freshwater species with their dwelling.
After Kaya and Oral took footage and measured the dimensions and form of the 2 fish, they have been joined by the native Cizre aquaculture division to soundly launch the fish, which they described as a joyous occasion.
“All of us have a job to play in defending our unbelievable pure heritage and I’m proud to have used my abilities to assist convey again the leopard beard,” stated fisherman Ülkü. “Safeguarding this species sooner or later would require educating different fishermen and persevering with to convey collectively scientific information and native experience.”
ALSO CHECK: 'How one can discover a unicorn': researchers rediscover black-necked pheasant-pigeon, a hen misplaced to science for 140 years
Kaya and Oral plan to carry a collection of seminars for fishermen and academics to assist construct pleasure of their rivers and wildlife, utilizing the rediscovery as a case research to guard the Tigris River and its wealthy biodiversity. In addition they hope to raised perceive what number of leopard seals there may nonetheless be and the place they nonetheless are of their historic vary.
The expedition to verify that the leopard's beard nonetheless exists was co-financed by Re:wild, the world leaders find misplaced species and defending them. The fish is second on Re:wild and SHOAL's listing of most needed misplaced fish to be rediscovered. The primary, the Loach of the Batman River, was discovered by the identical intrepid workforce in southeastern Turkey on the finish of 2021.
SHARE This Essential Conservation Work Accomplished In Turkey's Rivers…
