IUCN Freshwater Fish Red List 2011 by BioFresh Oxford

European Red List of Freshwater Fishes Jรถrg Freyhof and Emma Brooks

IUCN Global Species Programme IUCN Regional Office for Europe IUCN Species Survival Commission

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Freyhof, J. and Brooks, E. 2011. European Red List of Freshwater Fishes. Luxembourg: Publications Office of the European Union. Tasamim Design - www.tasamim.net The Colchester Print Group, United Kingdom The European Mudminnow (Umbra krameri) is a European endemic found in the Danube and Dniestr basin. Its population has declined by more than 30% in the past 10 years due to river regulation and drainage of wetlands for agriculture which resulted in a reduced number of backwaters. This species is therefore classed as Vulnerable. Photograph ÂŠ Andreas Hartl.

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Table of contents Foreword ................................................................................................................................................................. iv Acknowledgements .................................................................................................................................................. v Executive summary . .............................................................................................................................................. vii 1.

Background........................................................................................................................................................1 1.1 The European context ...................................................................................................................................1 1.2 European freshwater fishes: diversity and endemism .....................................................................................1 1.3 Threat status of species...................................................................................................................................2 1.4 Objectives of the assessment .........................................................................................................................4

Assessment methodology...................................................................................................................................6 2.1 Global versus regional assessment..................................................................................................................6 2.2 Geographic scope . ........................................................................................................................................6 2.3 Taxonomic scope...........................................................................................................................................7 2.4 Preliminary assessments and evaluation..........................................................................................................7

3. Results and discussion . .....................................................................................................................................9 3.1 Threat status of freshwater fishes....................................................................................................................9 3.2 Status by taxonomic groups.........................................................................................................................11 3.3 Spatial distribution of species.......................................................................................................................11 3.3.1 Species richness .................................................................................................................................11 3.3.2 Distribution of threatened species . ....................................................................................................12 3.3.3 Endemic species richness....................................................................................................................13 3.3.4 Data Deficient species .......................................................................................................................14 3.4 Major threats to freshwater fishes in Europe . ..............................................................................................14 3.4.1 Water abstraction . .............................................................................................................................16 3.4.2 Alien species.......................................................................................................................................16 3.4.3 Hydropower and water control dams .................................................................................................17 3.4.4 Pollution ...........................................................................................................................................19 3.5 Population trends.........................................................................................................................................19 4. Conservation measures . ..................................................................................................................................21 4.1 Protection of habitats and species in Europe ...............................................................................................21 4.2 Protection of habitats and species in the EU 27...........................................................................................21 4.3 Conservation management of freshwater fishes in the EU ...........................................................................23 4.4 Extinction risk versus conservation status.....................................................................................................24 4.5 Red List versus priority for conservation action . .........................................................................................24 5. Conclusion and recommendations .................................................................................................................25 5.1 Overview and recommendations for conservation measures ........................................................................25 5.2 Application of project outputs ....................................................................................................................26 5.3 Future work.................................................................................................................................................26 References...............................................................................................................................................................27 Appendix 1. Extinct and threatened freshwater fishes at the European and EU 27 level...........................................29 Appendix 2. Bern Convention and Habitats Directive fish species...........................................................................34 Appendix 3. Red List status of European freshwater fishes.......................................................................................41 Appendix 4. Methodology for spatial analyses.........................................................................................................53 Appendix 5. Example species summary and distribution map..................................................................................54

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Foreword complementary and comprehensive information about the situation of biodiversity in Europe.

Europe is a continent rich in natural and cultural heritage, with a diverse range of habitat conditions from dry Mediterranean maquis in the south to the Arctic tundra of the far north.

This first regional assessment of Europe’s freshwater fishes has assessed the 531 described species present in Europe. The assessment shows us that more than a third (37%) of these species are threatened. This compares with 44% of freshwater molluscs, 23% of amphibians, 19% of reptiles, 15% of mammals and dragonflies, 13% of birds, 9% of butterflies and 7% of the aquatic plants, the other groups that have been comprehensively assessed in Europe. Additional European Red Lists assessing a selection from species groups indicate that 20% of terrestrial molluscs, 12% of the crop wild relatives and 11% of the saproxylic beetles are also threatened.

Possibly more than anywhere else in the world the European landscapes have been changed by human activities so that now the continent is covered with a mosaic of natural and semi-natural habitats surrounding urbanized areas. Although bringing higher diversity, this modification has obviously also placed great pressures on our wildlife and natural areas. In consequence, biodiversity loss is an enormous challenge in the EU today, with around one in four species currently threatened with extinction and 88% of fish stocks overexploited or significantly depleted.

Fishes are found in almost all European freshwater bodies. They are an important part of Europe’s natural heritage and provide ecosystem services for tens of millions of people all over Europe, especially for commercial and recreational fisheries. Freshwater fishes are also crucial to almost all food chains in freshwater ecosystems. The current Red List publication shows that there are declining populations in 17% of Europe’s freshwater fish and lamprey species, but for 76% of species the population trend is still unknown.

In line with global commitments made in Nagoya in October 2010, where world leaders adopted a package of measures to address global biodiversity loss over the coming decade, the European Commission has adopted in May 2011 an ambitious new strategy to halt the loss of biodiversity and ecosystem services in the EU by 2020. There are six main targets, and 20 actions to help Europe reach its goal.

Unfortunately, the drivers for these declines are mostly still in place. Abstraction of water, invasive species, overfishing, dams and water pollution are the main threats for freshwater fishes in Europe.

The six targets cover: 1. full implementation of EU nature legislation to protect biodiversity 2. better protection for ecosystems, and more use of green infrastructure 3. more sustainable agriculture and forestry 4. better management of fish stocks 5. tighter controls on invasive alien species 6. a bigger EU contribution to averting global biodiversity loss

What can we as Europeans do about this? First and foremost, we need to fully implement the existing European legislation. The EU Habitats and Birds Directives are the main pieces of legislation ensuring the protection of Europe’s nature. The Natura 2000 network of protected sites and the efforts to conserve and restore biodiversity in the wider countryside are helping to guarantee its future conservation. But the challenge is a wider one, as the new EU Biodiversity Strategy shows. Sustainable use of our wider environment and the maintaining of ecosystem services have come to the centre of our attention.

Numerous scientific studies show that biodiversity in Europe has been declining rapidly for some time during periods of expansion and intensification of land use. The reporting process under Article 17 of the EU Habitats Directive underlines this fact as most species and habitats of community interest are still not under a favourable conservation status.

I hope that this European Red List of Freshwater Fishes will add another piece of evidence for the fact that efforts aimed at halting the loss of biodiversity need a major boost in the coming years.

Regional European Red Lists are another important tool to scientifically assess and communicate the status of species. They usefully complement the reporting under the Habitats Directive as they usually address all species in a specific taxonomic group, not just those protected by EU legislation. They hence give important

Pia Bucella Director Directorate B: Nature, Biodiversity & Land Use European Commission

Acknowledgements All of IUCN’s Red Listing processes rely on the willingness of scientists to contribute and pool their collective knowledge to make the most reliable estimates of species status. Without their enthusiastic commitment to species conservation, this kind of regional overview would not be possible.

Co-ordination of the European freshwater fishes component of the European Red List was carried out by Kevin Smith and Emma Brooks (IUCN Global Species Programme, Freshwater Biodiversity Unit) with Annabelle Cuttelod (IUCN Global Species Programme, Red List Unit) and Ana Nieto (IUCN Regional Office for Europe) with support and guidance from Will Darwall and Jean-Christophe Vié.

We would therefore like to acknowledge the committed work of Europe’s ichthyologists who have provided information and expertise to this project. In particular we would like to thank Maurice Kottelat who along with the primary author of this report, provided the bulk of the species data and acted as the assessor or reviewer for the majority of the species. We would also like to thank the Freshwater Fishes Specialist Group, the Salmon Specialist Group and the Sturgeon Specialist Group, and all the other species assessors and reviewers who contributed to this project:

We would like to thank Yichuan Shi and Adrian Hughes for providing support and advice in relation to GIS, and particularly to Andrew Ladle who undertook the GIS analysis for this report. Red List guidance was provided by Caroline Pollock and Maiko Lutz, and Melanie Bilz also deserves thanks for providing sound advice throughout the project. The finances of the project have also been efficiently managed by Maureen Martindell and Amy Burden.

Arlati, G.; Arshad, U.; Atkinson, S.; Barbieri, R.; Beens, K.; Beresford, A.; Bianco, P.G.; Bin, Z.; Bogutskaya, N.; Bohlen, J.; Bronzi,P.; Brooks, E.; Carmona, J.; Cealich, E.; Chang, J.; Chebanov, M.; Chenery, A.; Collen, B.; Congiu, L.; Crivelli, A.J.; Darwall, W.; Devi, R.; Devrim, M.; Doadrio, I.; Doukakais, P.; Du, H.; Elvira, B.; Erk’akan, F.; Gadich, E.; Gesner, J.; Halkett, G.; Hammerson, G.; Haxton, T.; Hilton, E.; Karaji, A.; Karatash, A.; Ludwig, A.; Lukey, J.R.; Mrakovcic, M.; Mugue, N.; Munroe, T.A.; Nagshi, S.S.; Norouzi, M.; Noyon, M.; Pikitch, E.; Pourkazemi, M.; Povz, M.; Qiwei, W.; Rad, S.S.; Ram, M.; Richman, N.; Rochard, E.; Rosenthal, H.; Rossir, R.; Ruban, G.; Schreier, A.D.; Shakourian, M.; Shariat, F.; Skopets, M.; Smith, K.; Suciu, R.; Switzer, D.; Taati, R.; Tajan, M.N.; Van Tassell, J.L.; Wanzenböck, J.; Wickström, H.; Williot, P; Zerunian, S. and Zhang, H.

The writing of this report was supported by the Biofresh Project (funded by the European Union under the 7th Framework programme, Contract No. 226874). We would especially like to thank Chester Zoo for their support in the organisation of the sturgeon workshop (through the IUCN/WI Freshwater Fishes Specialist Group). The European Red List Assessment of Freshwater Fishes, and consequently this report, were made within the framework of a service contract with the European Commission (Service Contract No. 070307/2007/483305/MAR/B2). All opinions, results, conclusions and recommendations expressed in this material are those of the authors, and do not necessarily reflect the views of the European Commission, or the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN).

Executive summary Aim

workshop held in Berlin (Germany) in December 2006, in coordination with the IUCN Freshwater Biodiversity Assessment Unit. All species present in the 27 Member States of the EU were re-assessed for their regional conservation status in 2010. Assessments are available on the European Red List website and data portal: http://ec.europa.eu/environment/nature/conservation/ species/redlist and http://www.iucnredlist.org/europe.

The European Red List is a review of the conservation status of c. 6,000 European species to date (dragonflies, butterflies, freshwater fishes, reptiles, amphibians, mammals and selected groups of beetles, molluscs, and vascular plants) according to IUCN regional Red Listing guidelines. It identifies those species that are threatened with extinction at the regional level – in order that appropriate conservation action can be taken to improve their status. This Red List publication summarizes the results for all described native European freshwater fishes and lampreys (hereafter referred to as just freshwater fishes).

The status of all European freshwater fish species has been reviewed. For certain species groups of Mediterranean river basins, the taxonomy has been revised since the 2004 Malaga workshop, requiring an update of their Red List status. Also, several species have been newly described since 2007. All this is leading to an improved understanding of their conservation status. Up-to-date information for all these species is included in this report. Evaluations have mostly been done through the formal IUCN validation procedure, except for a few species still awaiting comments by relevant specialist groups of the IUCN Species Survival Commission.

Scope All species of freshwater fishes recorded from European freshwater waters are included. Marine migrants and species of brackish waters are also included if they regularly enter freshwater habitats. Species are only included if the record is based on individuals with locality data and reliable identification.

Freshwater fishes in Europe As part of this Red List assessment, 531 native and described European species have been assessed, of which 381 are present in the 27 Member States of the European Union. Almost 80% of the European species are endemic to Europe (which means that they are unique to Europe and are found nowhere else in the world). About 50% of the species found in the 27 Member States of the EU are endemic to the EU. Seven species occur only marginally on the European continent, and are considered as Not Applicable in this assessment.

Red List assessments were made at two regional levels: for geographical Europe, and for the 27 current Member States of the European Union. The distribution of freshwater fishes is considered at the sub-river basin level. Therefore the distribution included here sometimes extends beyond the political boundaries.

Status assessment The status of all species was assessed using the IUCN Red List Criteria, which are the world’s most widely accepted system for measuring extinction risk. All assessments followed the Guidelines for Application of IUCN Red List Criteria at Regional Levels.

Results Overall, at least 37% of Europe’s freshwater fishes are threatened at a continental scale, and 39% are threatened at the EU 27 level. A further 4% of freshwater fishes are considered Near Threatened. This is one of the highest threat levels of any major taxonomic group assessed to date for Europe. The conservation status of Europe’s eight sturgeon species is particularly worrying: all but one are Critically Endangered. By comparison, 44% of freshwater molluscs, 23% of amphibians, 19% of reptiles, 15% of mammals and dragonflies, 13% of birds, 9% of

The status of species endemic to the Mediterranean basin is based on evaluations made during an IUCN workshop held in Malaga (Spain) in December 2004. All European sturgeons were assessed at a workshop held in Wuhan (China), during the 6th International Symposium on Sturgeon in October 2009. The status of all other European species has been evaluated when preparing the Handbook of European Freshwater Fishes during an IUCN

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butterflies and 7% of aquatic plants are threatened at the European level. Despite a lack of good trend data for certain countries, the current assessment shows that about 17% of Europe’s freshwater fish species have declining populations, whereas only 1% are on the increase, and 6% are considered stable. For the remaining 76%, the current level of knowledge is insufficient to define their population trends.

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The highest levels of species diversity are found in the lower parts of the rivers draining into the Black and Caspian Seas. However, a number of species with restricted ranges are also encountered in the Alps, in Great Britain and Ireland, and around the Mediterranean and Black Seas. Most of the threatened species are confined to certain areas in southern Europe.

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Most freshwater fishes are in some way affected by pollution of domestic, industrial and agricultural origin. Another primary threat to Europe’s freshwater fishes is habitat loss due to over-abstraction of water. Additional major threats are the introduction of alien species, overfishing (particularly in the larger rivers of Eastern Europe) and a massive increase in the construction of dams, blocking migration and altering stream habitats.

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Conclusions and recommendations ■■

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Freshwater fishes are one of the most highly threatened species groups in Europe. At least 37% of all European species are threatened at a continental scale, and 39% are threatened at the EU 27 level. Of all assessed species groups, this level of threat is second only to the one for freshwater molluscs. The conservation status of Europe’s eight sturgeon species is particularly worrying: all but one are Critically Endangered. There is an ongoing extinction crisis affecting Europe’s freshwater fishes. At least 13 species are now globally Extinct. Five additional species are Possibly Extinct, but the information is currently inadequate to certify their extinction. Furthermore, several freshwater fish species are currently under immediate threat of extinction, amongst them several species of sturgeons, and certain species of the Mediterranean river basins. The high overall threat level of Europe’s freshwater fishes is an indicator for the exceptional vulnerability of Europe’s freshwater habitats, and of their poor state of protection. The main threats to Europe’s

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freshwater fishes are pollution, habitat loss due to over-abstraction of water, and the introduction of alien species. Alien species introduction, especially where these are of European origin, is almost totally uncontrolled. The main vectors of alien species introduction are recreational fisheries and the connection of formerly separate river basins by manmade canals. An increased frequency and intensity of droughts is already impacting freshwater systems and the species that rely on them, especially in the Mediterranean region. The predicted impact of climate change is likely to worsen the situation in the future. While many freshwater fishes are protected under national legislation or under the EU Habitats Directive, the majority of threatened species still remain unprotected. Furthermore, where legal protection does exist, it often remains ineffective against threats such as alien species introduction or water abstraction. In order to improve the conservation status of European freshwater fishes and to reverse their decline, ambitious conservation actions are urgently needed. In particular: ensuring adequate protection and management of key freshwater habitats and of their surrounding areas, drawing up and implementing Species Action Plans for the most threatened species, establishing monitoring and ex-situ programmes, finding appropriate means to limit further alien species introductions, especially by anglers, and revising national and European legislation, adding species identified as threatened where needed. The identification, establishment and management of a network of Freshwater Key Biodiversity Areas in Europe is urgently needed. This project contributes to improving and updating the coverage of fishes on the global IUCN Red List, thanks to the assessment of endemic European freshwater fishes.

The largest of all sturgeon, the beluga, Huso huso, has formerly been the basis of an important commercial fishery. As a result of overfishing, and the creation of dams preventing it from reaching its spawning sites, this species has suffered a more than 90% population decline and is now assessed as Critically Endangered. Photo © A. Hartl.

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1. Background 1.1 The European context

The improvement of life conditions for Europeans has also led to more leisure time. Recreational fishing is still an expanding sector, especially in southern Europe. Where attractive sport fishes are scarce or missing, this is still leading to a massive introduction of alien, often predatory, species. As a result of this largely uncontrolled practise, certain rivers have lost as much as 100% of their native fish fauna.

Europe stretches from the Arctic Circle in the north to the Mediterranean in the south, and from the Atlantic coast in the west to the Caspian steppes in the east – an area containing a great diversity of climates, landscapes and habitats and a very diverse flora and fauna. The Mediterranean part of Europe is particularly rich, not only in freshwater fish species, but also in plant and terrestrial animal species, and has been recognized as a global “biodiversity hotspot” (Mittermeier et al. 2004, Cuttelod et al. 2008).

Europe is a very diverse continent and the relative importance of different threats varies widely across its countries and biogeographic regions. Even though considerable efforts have been made to protect and conserve European habitats and species (e.g. see Sections 4.1, 4.2, 4.3), biodiversity decline and the associated loss of vital ecosystem services (such as water purification, and provision of natural resources) continues to be a major concern all over Europe.

Deforestation and cultivation of soils are the main human activities that have caused major modifications to inland waters since the Bronze Age, largely through changes in river discharge and sediment transport (Tockner et al. 2009). At least since medieval times, human activities have been dominant in shaping most European landscapes. Overfishing and translocation of freshwater fish species has been locally documented since the Roman times. The regulation of rivers and the drainage of wetlands started just as early, but have become more intense, thanks to improved technologies in the 19th and 20th centuries. With the industrialization of Europe in the late 19th century, the already strongly impacted rivers and lakes faced a massive pollution crisis which led to the extinction of several fish species. Starting from the 19th century but particularly since the second half of the 20th century, dams for electricity, flood control and irrigation have been built on almost all European rivers and streams, transforming them into impoundments. This trend is now again on the increase: within the frame of climate change mitigation, thousands of additional dams are currently being planned throughout Europe, posing an even greater threat to Europe’s freshwater biodiversity.

1.2 European freshwater fishes: diversity and endemism Freshwater fishes represent about one quarter of the worlds vertebrates (see Box 1 for a definition of freshwater fishes). Freshwater fishes are also the most species-rich group amongst European vertebrates. European biodiversity includes 546 native species of freshwater fishes (Kottelat and Freyhof 2007), 489 species of birds (IUCN 2011), 260 species of mammals (Temple and Terry 2007, 2009), 151 species of reptiles, and 85 species of amphibians (Fauna Europaea 2004). In the definition used here (see Box 1), freshwater fishes are a composite of different taxonomic and ecological groups (see Table 1). For the purpose of this Red list assessment, lampreys have been defined as freshwater fishes. This small group of archaic vertebrates includes 42 species, and the European Continent, with its 14

A Wels Catfish, Siluris glanis, from the Danube drainage. This species has been widely introduced outside of its natural range and is now present throughout most of Europe. It is now one of the worst alien species in Europe. Photo © A. Hartl.

species, is one of the centres of diversity and evolution of lampreys in the world (Kottelat and Freyhof 2007). Another family of European importance are the sturgeons. As with lampreys, the diversity of European sturgeons is exceptionally high: eight of the 26 species globally known occur in the waters of Europe and the EU 271. The lower Danube is the single most important spawning area globally for three of the world’s sturgeon species, including the impressive beluga, Huso huso, which used to reach up to 8 meters in length and 3.2 tones in weight. Most sturgeon species are anadromous, meaning that they hatch and spawn in freshwaters but migrate to the sea for foraging, usually for 10 or more years, before they migrate back into the rivers to spawn for the first time. Anadromous species, all of which are included here in the group of freshwater fishes, are known from several fish families, including lampreys.

groups are well known for including many local endemics at species level. A third major group are the Percimorphs. Even though rather species-poor, they often occupy a key ecological role in freshwater ecosystems. Unfortunately, this group also includes several notorious alien invasive species, both within Europe and on other continents. Over 80% of all European freshwater fish species are endemic to Europe, i.e. only found on this continent. Many of these species are range restricted, only found in one or few rivers or lakes.

1.3 Threatened status of species The conservation status of plants and animals is one of the most widely used indicators for assessing the condition of ecosystems. The conservation status also provides an important tool in establishing priorities for species conservation. At the global scale, the best source of information on the conservation status of plants and animals is the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species (see www.iucnredlist.org). The Red List is designed to determine the relative risk of extinction, with the main purpose of cataloguing and highlighting those taxa that are facing a higher risk of extinction. It provides taxonomic, conservation status, and distribution information on

The majority of Europe’s freshwater fish species are belonging to one of the following two taxonomic groups. The warm-water adapted Cypriniforms, such as carps, chubs, dace and loaches, have their highest level of species diversity in the southern and temperate parts of Europe, whereas the Salmoniforms, such as salmon, trout, grayling and whitefish, are most abundant and diverse in mountainous regions and in northern Europe. Both

Box 1: Freshwater fishes Biogeographers usually classify freshwater fish according to their tolerance to salt water. Primary division families are those whose members are strictly intolerant of salt water, at present and historically; examples include Cyprinidae, Cobitidae and most siluriform families. Secondary division families are those whose members now live in freshwater but are able, or supposedly once were able, to tolerate seawater for a short period; families of this group are supposed to be of marine origin; examples include Cottidae, Lotidae and Valenciidae. In addition to these categories that apply to entire families, many species that occur in freshwaters do actually belong to primarily marine families: ■■

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diadromous species are species that migrate between fresh and seawater at different periods of their life, either to spawn in the sea (catadromous, like the eel Anguilla anguilla) or in freshwater (anadromous, like the salmon Salmo salar); vicarious species are non-diadromous, strictly freshwater species of primarily marine families; examples are freshwater shad Alosa agone, the blenny Salaria fluviatilis and many Gobiidae; sporadic species are species that seem to be indifferent to salinity (i.e. euryhaline) and usually occur in estuaries; examples are many species of Mugilidae and the pipefish Syngnathus abaster; accidental species are defined as normally marine species that are very occasionally caught in inland waters; their occurrence is not predictable and there are usually only a few records of the species in freshwaters; an example is the single record of the flatfish Citharinus linguatula from Skadar Lake.

Source: Kottelat and Freyhof 2007.

1 One sturgeon species, Acipenser oxyrinchus, was known from the Baltic Sea but is no longer present in Europe (Kottelat and Freyhof 2007). It has therefore not been included in the European sturgeon assessments.

Table 1. Diversity and endemism in freshwater fish families*. Class

Order

Family

Europe Number of species

Actinopterygii

Acipenseriformes

Acipenseridae

EU 27

Number % Number Number % of Endemics of species of Endemics Endemics Endemics 2

25%

14%

Anguilliformes

Anguillidae

Atheriniformes

Atherinidae

Clupeiformes

Clupeidae

56%

36%

Cypriniformes

Balitoridae

88%

60%

Cobitidae

89%

76%

Cyprinidae

237

205

86%

162

127

78%

Cyprinodontiformes

Cyprinodontidae

75%

Valenciidae

100%

Esociformes

Esocidae

Umbridae

100%

Gadiformes

Lotidae

Gasterosteiformes

Gasterosteidae

50%

43%

Mugiliformes

Mugilidae

Osmeriformes

Osmeridae

33%

100%

Perciformes

Blenniidae

50%

Gobiidae

67%

36%

Moronidae

Percidae

80%

38%

Pleuronectiformes

Pleuronectidae

33%

Salmoniformes

Salmonidae

102

91%

89%

Scorpaeniformes

Cottidae

88%

69%

Siluriformes

Siluridae

50%

Syngnathiformes

Syngnathidae

Cephalaspidomorphi Petromyzontiformes

Petromyzontidae

69%

38%

Total

531

426

80%

381

263

69%

* This table includes all species that were assessed as part of this project, and that are native or were naturalised before AD 1500; species introduced after this date are not included. Species of marginal occurrence in Europe are included. For the EU 27 assessment those species which do not occur in the EU are excluded. The Grayling, Thymallus thymallus, is a popular angling species found throughout Europe. It is assessed as Least Concern. Photo © A. Hartl.

taxa that have been evaluated using the IUCN Red List Categories and Criteria: Version 3.1 (IUCN 2001). There are nine Categories, ranging from Least Concern, for species that are not threatened, to the Extinct category, for species that have disappeared from the planet2. The IUCN Red List Categories are based on a set of quantitative criteria linked to population trends, population size and structure, and geographic range. Species classified as Vulnerable, Endangered and Critically Endangered are considered as ‘threatened’. When conducting regional or national assessments, two additional categories are used (Regionally Extinct and Not Applicable) for non-native species (IUCN 2003) (Figure 1).

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To strengthen the network of experts focused on conservation of freshwater fishes in Europe, so that the assessments can be kept up-to-date, and expertise be targeted to address the highest conservation priorities.

The assessment provides three main outputs: ■■

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1.4 Objectives of the assessment The European regional assessment has four main objectives: ■■ To contribute to regional conservation planning through the provision of a baseline dataset describing the conservation status of Europe’s freshwater fish species. ■■ To identify those geographic areas and habitats that need conservation measures to prevent extinctions and ensure that European freshwater fishes reach and maintain a favourable conservation status. ■■ To identify the major threats and propose mitigating measures and conservation actions to address them.

This summary report on the status and distribution of European freshwater fishes; their main threats and recommendations for conservation measures. A freely available database holding the baseline data for monitoring the status and distribution of European freshwater fishes. A website and data portal (http://ec.europa.eu/ environment/nature/conservation/species/redlist and http://www.iucnredlist.org/europe) showcasing this data in the form of species factsheets for all European freshwater fishes, along with background and other interpretative material.

The data presented in this report provide a snapshot based on the knowledge available at the time of writing. The database will continue to be updated and made freely and widely available. IUCN will ensure a wide dissemination of these data to relevant decision makers, NGOs and scientists to strengthen and support the implementation of conservation actions on the ground.

Figure 1. IUCN Red List Categories at regional scale

2 For a description of each of the global IUCN Red List Categories go to: http://www.iucnredlist.org/technical-documents/categories-and-criteria/2001categories-criteria#categories

Box 2: How many species of freshwater fishes are there in Europe? Every year 300-500 species of fishes are described as new to science and the number of new species seems only limited by the time and funding available to taxonomists. About 5-10 new freshwater fish species are also described every year from across Europe. Currently it is accepted that 18 of the 564 native European species are undescribed, but further still undescribed species are expected to be discovered over the coming years. In the future, the total number of native European freshwater fishes is most likely to stabilise around 700-800 species. The Mediterranean region of Europe has only been recognized as a hotspot of freshwater fish diversity in the last 20 years and many new species have been described from there. By the time of their scientific description, many of these newly described species are already threatened with extinction. Furthermore, as molecular methods are becoming increasingly important in the exploration of biodiversity, more and more cryptic species are now being recognised and described. Since the 19th Century, standard books have typically listed between 160 and 270 species of freshwater fishes in Europe, depending on taxonomic and geographical definitions. The current Red List assessment is based on extensive studies and reviews of Kottelat and Freyhof (2007) who demonstrated that the species diversity of Europeâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s freshwater fishes is far higher than commonly believed. The recognition of the true scale of diversity within Europe is vital for an effective conservation planning, but also for our understanding of the freshwater ecosystems of this continent.

Species in the spotlight is unique in being a summer spawner, while most other whitefish reproduce in autumn. More than 100 years ago, C. bavaricus was a species of commercial importance; today, only one or two individuals are caught each year. The species is obviously still suffering from the regulation of the inflow of the river Ammer into the lake and from high nutrient levels. However the species has survived the historic pollution peaks which led to the extinction or hybridization of various other Coregonus species of subalpine lakes. Besides C. bavaricus, Ammersee holds two other endemic species, a deepwater charr (Salvelinus evasus) and a perch (Gymnocephalus ambriaelacus). Currently, none of these species receives any attention or protection through legislation or fisheries management.

The Ammerseekilch, Coregonus bavaricus (Critically Endangered) Coregonus bavaricus (CR) is endemic to the subalpine lake Ammersee in the south of Germany. It is one of many species of whitefish that are endemic to one or few lakes in Europe. It is a small sized, deepwater and bottom dwelling species, similar to those that were previously or are still known to occur in Lake Bourget (C. bezola; Extinct), Lake Geneva (C. hiemalis; Extinct), Lake Thun (C. alpinus; Least Concern) and Lake Constance (C. gutturosus; Extinct). In several other lakes, as yet undescribed species of this group are suspected to exist. In the Danube drainage, to which Lake Ammersee belongs, Coregonus bavaricus

Coregonus bavaricus, a Critically Endangered whitefish endemic to Ammersee in southern Germany. Photo ÂŠ U. Schliewen.

2. Assessment methodology 2.1 Global versus regional assessment

2.2 Geographic scope

The extinction risk of a species can be assessed at global, regional or national level. One species can have a different category in the Global Red List and a Regional Red List. For example, a species that is common worldwide and classed as Least Concern (LC) in the Global Red List could face a high level of threat and fit the Endangered category (EN) in a particular region (see Figure 1 for the explanation of the IUCN categories). In order to avoid an over- or underestimation of the regional extinction risk of a species, the Guidelines for the application of IUCN Red List Criteria at Regional Level should be applied (IUCN 2003). Logically, an endemic species should have the same category at regional and global level, as it is not present in any other part of the world.

The boundaries of Europe as defined for the purpose of this assessment are shown in Figure 2. This includes all sub-basin catchments that fall within geographical Europe (from Iceland in the west to the Urals in the east, including the European part of the Russian Federation, and from Franz Josef Land in the north to the Mediterranean in the south). Because sub-catchments do not always fall along political boundaries, the area covered extends sometimes beyond the geographical definition: the eastern boundary is drawn by the Baidaratsa Bay and the Ural Range divide as far south as Orsk. From Orsk southward, the perimeter is defined by the divide between the Ural River and the Or (a tributary entering the Ural at Orsk) and the Sagiz and Emba (two Caspian Sea tributaries). It also extends into the Caucasus, where its limits are defined by the

Figure 2. Regional assessments were made for two areas â&#x20AC;&#x201C; geographical Europe and the EU 27. The brown line marks the extent of geographical Europe used by other taxonomic groups in the European Red Lists, but freshwater-related speciesâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; assessments have been extended to the northern Caucasus and the northern Caspian Sea basin.

Greater Caucasus range, which (approximately) starts to the west at the Black Sea near to the Russian city of Novorossiisk, then runs along the Caucasus divide until Baku (Azerbaijan) on the Caspian Sea. The upper-most reaches of the Terek in Georgia are also included, as is Turkey, north of the Bosphorus. In the Aegean Sea, the boundary follows the political border between Greece and Turkey. Crete and Malta, Cyprus, Spanish and Portuguese islands in the Atlantic Ocean are included but almost no native freshwater fishes occur in this area. Species occurring only in the saline or brackish parts of the Baltic, Black and Caspian Seas are not included (see Figure 2). Red List assessments were made at two regional levels: 1) for geographical Europe (limits described above); and 2) for the sub-catchments of the 27 Member States of the European Union, which again extend slightly beyond political boundaries, e.g. to include much of Switzerland.

olidus, Rhynchocypris czekanowskii, R. percnurus, Thymallus arcticus). Taxonomy largely follows Kottelat and Freyhof (2007 – see Box 2).

2.4 Preliminary assessments and evaluation In order to carry out an assessment, the following information was compiled for each species: ■■ ■■ ■■ ■■ ■■ ■■ ■■ ■■

2.3 Taxonomic scope

Species’ taxonomic classification Geographic range (including distribution map) Red List Category and Criteria Habitat preferences Major threats Conservation measures Other general information Key literature references

The status of species endemic to the Mediterranean basin is based on evaluations made during an IUCN workshop held in Malaga (Spain) in December 2004. All European Sturgeons were assessed at a workshop held in Wuhan (China), at the 6th International Symposium on Sturgeon in October 2009. The status of all other European species was evaluated when preparing the Handbook of European Freshwater Fishes (Kottelat and Freyhof 2007) during an IUCN workshop held in Berlin (Germany) in December 2006, in coordination with the IUCN Freshwater Biodiversity Assessment Unit. Following these meetings, the assessments were reviewed once again and adjustments

In total there are 603 species of freshwater fishes recognised within European river catchments (including non-natives, and as yet undescribed species). All described freshwater fish species native to Europe recognised at the start of the project were included, with some additional assessments added later following taxonomic changes. This resulted in 531 species being assessed, of which seven species that are of marginal occurrence in Europe were considered in this assessment, but were classed as Not Applicable (Coregonus muksun, C. nasus, C. sardinella, Hypomesus

Knipowitschia mrakovcici is only found in Lake Visovac, Croatia. The species is experiencing a massive decline, but the reasons for this decline are not fully understood. Pollution from nearby towns is a potential threat, but research is ongoing to determine the causes of decline. It is currently listed as Critically Endangered. Photo © J. Freyhof.

were made. All species which are found in the 27 Member States of the EU were re-assessed by the primary assessors and evaluators for their regional conservation status in 2010 via email exchange.

Following the review workshops and the uncertainty discussion, the data were edited, and outstanding questions were resolved through communications with the experts and members of relevant Species Survival Commission Specialist Groups (e.g. Salmon Specialist Group).

As part of these assessments the population trend status for each species was considered. Due to a lack of centralised monitoring data for most species of freshwater fish, this status is largely qualitatively and not quantitatively determined, with a high level of uncertainty. This is reflected in the high number of species with an Unknown population trend.

Consistency in the use of IUCN Criteria was checked by IUCN staff from the IUCN Red List Unit. The resulting finalised IUCN Red List assessments are a product of scientific consensus concerning species status and are backed by relevant literature and data sources.

Species in the spotlight The fate of the last Acipenser sturio Acipenser sturio is one of the most threatened European fish species, strictly protected at the national level in most countries, at the EU level and by a number of international agreements. Its protection depends largely on the efficiency and attention of those in charge of enforcing fisheries laws. It is interesting to record the fate of the last sturgeons ... Acipenser sturio (CR) is one of the most threatened fish species in Europe. Photo © J. Freyhof.

... in the Black Sea: The last known individual of A. sturio in the Black Sea basin was caught by fishermen in 1991 in Georgia. It was recognized by scientists who tried to transport it alive to a research aquarium. On their way, they were stopped by a policeman, the fish was ‘confiscated’ and barbecued.

... in Belgium: A juvenile A. sturio tagged in the Gironde estuary (France) was caught on 12 February 2007 off the Belgian coast. It was released shortly after catch. Hopefully, this animal will once return to the Gironde to reproduce. We hope this will be the fate of the sturgeons in future.

... in the Mediterranean Sea: The last known individual of A. sturio in the Mediterranean Sea basin was caught by fishermen in 1991 in Italy and sold at a local market.

… in France: At present, the last wild A. sturio are occuring in the Gironde, a large estuary in southwestern France. The population is still declining and the last recorded natural spawning occurred in 1994. By-catch and unintentional kills are still major threats. However, in 2007, French biologists managed to develop a system for artificial reproduction. Once this was in place, experimental stockings have been undertaken in France and Germany. There is now a reasonable hope that the species could survive as a “ranched” species, into a future where the fishing pressure in European marine water will be back to a sustainable level that would even allow the survival of long-living species.

... in Spain: The last known individual of A. sturio on the Iberian Atlantic coast was caught by fishermen in 1992 close to the Guadalquivir estuary, close to Doñana National Park and sold to a local restaurant. The chef took a last picture and the fish was then served to his guests. ... in Germany: The last A. sturio caught in the North Sea was reportedly caught in 1993 and was landed illegally in Germany. It was sold on the fish market and eaten in the canteen of the Ministry of Interior.

Further reading: Kottelat and Freyhof 2007.

3. Results and discussion 3.1 Threat status of freshwater fishes

addition, 4% of species are considered as Near Threatened (Table 2 and Figure 4).

The status of freshwater fishes was assessed at two regional levels: geographical Europe and the EU 27. At the European level, at least 37% of the species are considered as threatened, 12% of them being Critically Endangered, 10% Endangered and 15% Vulnerable (Table 2 and Figure 3). A further 4% of species are classified as Near Threatened.

Thirteen species are globally Extinct, 10 of which were endemic to the EU 27. Species classed as Extinct or threatened (Critically Endangered, Endangered and Vulnerable) at the European and EU 27 level are listed in Appendix 1. Seven species were considered as Not Applicable, due to their marginal occurrence in Europe.

Within the EU 27, 39% of the freshwater fishes are threatened with extinction, of which 13% are Critically Endangered, 11% Endangered and 15% Vulnerable. In

Objective data on population trends over the last ten years (or three generations, as required by some of the IUCN criteria) are unavailable for many countries, including

Table 2. Summary of numbers of European freshwater fishes within each IUCN Red List category

Threatened categories

IUCN Red List categories

No. species Europe (no. endemic species)

No. species EU 27 (no. endemic species)

Extinct (EX) Extinct in the Wild (EW) Regionally Extinct (RE) Critically Endangered (CR) Endangered (EN) Vulnerable (VU) Near Threatened (NT) Least Concern (LC) Data Deficient (DD) Total

13 (13) 1 (1) 0 63 (53) 52 (49) 79 (75) 22 (20) 266 (188) 28 (26) 524 (425)

10 (10) 0 0 48 (39) 43 (37) 59 (55) 16 (16) 185 (88) 21 (18) 382 (263)

Figure 3. IUCN Red List status of freshwater fishes in Europe. See Table 2 for abbreviations

Figure 4. IUCN Red List status of freshwater fishes in the EU 27. See Table 2 for abbreviations

several eastern European countries that comprise a large part of the area covered by this assessment.

of decline have slowed, with certain populations even recovering. Therefore species that may have suffered large declines in the past are not listed as threatened as their risk of extinction is now reduced and populations have stabilised, albeit still at a low level.

Better population trend data may be available through the monitoring schemes that have been established in the EU 27 countries for the Water Framework Directive, but these were not available for the assessment. It is possible that a more in depth analysis of the available river basin management plans would identify several more species as threatened. Where good trend data exists (in some countries such as Spain), a considerably greater proportion of freshwater fishes are classified as threatened (based on known population declines) as compared to other countries where similarly widespread but declining species may be listed as Data Deficient.

Amongst all taxonomic groups assessed so far for a European Red List, the threat level of freshwater fishes (37%) is second only to freshwater molluscs at 44% (Cuttelod et al. 2011), followed by another, freshwater dependant group, the amphibians with 23% (Temple and Cox 2009). This is clearly highlighting the insufficient conservation of freshwater biodiversity in Europe. In contrast, 19% of reptiles, 15% of mammals and dragonflies, 13% of birds, 9% of butterflies and 7% of the aquatic plants are threatened at the European level (BirdLife International 2004a, Temple and Terry 2007, Cox and Temple 2009, Nieto and Alexander 2010, Kalkman et al. 2010, van Swaay et al. 2010, Bilz et al.

For many western European countries, major population declines of freshwater fishes occurred primarily between 1890-1990. In the past two or three decades the rates

Table 3. IUCN Red List status (at the European level) of freshwater fishes by taxonomic family Family

Total*

ACIPENSERIDAE ANGUILLIDAE ATHERINIDAE BALITORIDAE BLENNIIDAE CLUPEIDAE COBITIDAE COTTIDAE CYPRINIDAE CYPRINODONTIDAE ESOCIDAE GASTEROSTEIDAE GOBIIDAE LOTIDAE MORONIDAE MUGILIDAE OSMERIDAE PERCIDAE PETROMYZONTIDAE PLEURONECTIDAE SALMONIDAE SILURIDAE SYNGNATHIDAE UMBRIDAE

8 1 1 8 2 18 35 16 236 6 1 8 43 1 1 5 2 15 13 3 98 2 1 1

Total

525

7 1

1 1 3 5 1 23 3

35 2

1 4

1 5

3 6 2 38

3 1

1 8

1 1

1 6 1 10 16 10 119 1 1 6 30 1 1 5 2 10 10 3 32 1 1

1 3 4

15 1

1 13

267

% Threatened* 100% 100% 0% 25% 50% 39% 46% 19% 41% 83% 0% 13% 21% 0% 0% 0% 0% 20% 8% 0% 41% 0% 0% 100% 37%

IUCN Red List Status: EX – Extinct, EW – Extinct in the Wild, CR – Critically Endangered, EN – Endangered, VU – Vulnerable, NT – Near Threatened, LC – Least Concern, DD – Data Deficient. * Does not include species classed as Not Applicable (NA)

2011). Over 90% of threatened freshwater fish species are endemic to either Europe or the EU, highlighting the responsibility that European countries have to protect the entire global populations of these species. It should be noted that some groups of freshwater fishes show a much higher threat level than others. For example, all eight European sturgeon species assessed here are threatened, seven of which are Critically Endangered.

restricted to the EU) and A. persicus, there has been no, or only very occasional, known natural reproduction in the wild for decades, and if ranching were to stop, these species would rapidly become Extinct. Others, such as A. stellatus, A. gueldenstaedtii and Huso huso, now have their only remaining spawning areas restricted to the EU, in the lower Danube. Another highly threatened group of species are the Mediterranean killifishes of the Cyprinidontidae family, victims of intensive development of Mediterranean coasts and threatened by invasive alien species, and the European Eel (now classified as Critically Endangered) which is the sole European representative of the Anguillidae.

Finally, it should be noted that the percentages of threatened freshwater fishes represent minimum estimates. A more realistic value may be calculated based only on the surviving species which have been assessed for their extinction risk (i.e. omitting DD and EX from the total). In this scenario 40% of European freshwater fishes and 42% of EU 27 are threatened with extinction.

3.3 Spatial distribution of species 3.3.1 Species richness

3.2 Status by taxonomic group Figure 5 highlights areas with particularly high numbers of freshwater fish species. The areas of highest species richness clearly coincide with the lower parts of the large rivers flowing to the Black and Caspian seas, such as Danube, Bug, Dniestr, Dniepr, Don, Volga and Ural. Eastern and central Europe are also particularly rich, as is all of the Balkan Peninsula, and the catchments of the Elbe and the southern Baltic Sea basin.

Europeâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s freshwater fish species belong to a number of different families (see Section 1.2), which are varying both in species numbers and in the relative threat status of their species (Table 3). The most threatened group are the sturgeons. All but one European sturgeon species depend on artificial reproduction and stocking for their survival. For Acipenser naccarii, A. sturio (both now Figure 5. Species richness of all European fishes

they receive is limited to fishing restrictions, whilst their habitats are openly degraded, and anglers are free to stock alien species to their small natural ranges. In many Mediterranean countries, water abstraction remains unregulated or unsupervised in practise. As climate change is expected to bring higher temperatures and lower precipitation to the Mediterranean region, the pressure on remaining freshwater resources may further increase in the future.

3.3.2 Distribution of threatened species

The distribution of threatened freshwater fishes in Europe (Figure 6) shows divergent patterns from the picture of the overall species diversity (Figure 5). The highest concentrations of threatened freshwater fish species are found; (1) along the northern Mediterranean coast, (2) on the tip of the Crimean Peninsula, and (3) in coastal streams of Bulgaria and European Turkey. All three regions have many locally endemic species, with natural ranges limited to one or few streams, springs or rivers. In certain areas within these regions, almost every river has its own unique freshwater fish fauna composed of local endemics. Many of these endemic species have only recently been discovered and described, or have so far only been treated as synonyms of more widespread species. They are therefore still not well known to conservationists and national or regional governments. They are largely unprotected by any national legislation, nor are they covered by the EU Habitats Directive. Their distribution area is usually poorly documented and situated within protected areas only by chance. Many southern European freshwater fishes are still abundant within their often tiny natural ranges, but the protection

Another hotspot of threatened freshwater fish species is in the lower parts of the river basins draining into the Black and Caspian Seas. Here, migratory fish species such as sturgeons, migratory herrings, migratory whitefish and cyprinids, are groups of major conservation concern. In large parts of Europe the only threatened species is the still widespread (but declining) eel Anguilla anguilla, or there are no threatened species at all. Except for the lower parts of the large rivers flowing to the Black and Caspian Seas, the threat level in the species rich areas of central, eastern and northern Europe remains rather low. Here, anadromous species are threatened, such as the freshwater herring Alosa alosa, or the migratory whitefish Coregonus mareana. Other anadromous species such as the Atlantic

Figure 6. Distribution of threatened fishes in Europe

The European eel, Anguilla anguilla, may have suffered as much as a 99% decline of its European stocks since the 1980s. Photo ÂŠ A. Hartl.

most threatened species are endemic to one or few lakes, from which eight species went Extinct in the 19th and 20th centuries due to lake level alterations and water pollution. The diversity of lake endemics in central and northern Europe was much higher than is now reported and modelling approaches suggest that many unrecognized and undescribed species may have been lost forever. 3.3.3 Endemic species richness

Figure 7 shows the distribution of endemic freshwater fish species (e.g. those that are unique to Europe and are found nowhere else in the world). At 80%, the level of freshwater fish endemism within Europe is very high, so the overall distribution of European endemic species is similar to that of overall species richness at the European level. As described above, many species are restricted to one, or very few, waterbodies. This includes some famous examples, such as the Critically Endangered Cottus petiti in a spring in France, or Romanichthys valsanicola, currently known from just one single stream in Romania. The most important hotspot of endemism in central Europe is the region of subalpine lakes in Austria, Germany, Switzerland and France. Most of these lakes

salmon Salmo salar, and the sturgeon Acipenser sturio, vanished from these areas during the 19th or 20th centuries. Coregonus oxyrinchus, which was endemic to this area, became globally Extinct in the 1940s. The Atlantic salmon is now only locally distributed and many â&#x20AC;&#x153;populationsâ&#x20AC;? largely depend on permanent artificial reproduction and stocking. Acipenser sturio is in an initial, experimental phase of re-introduction and no natural reproduction has occurred to date. In central, eastern and northern Europe,

Figure 7. Distribution of freshwater fishes endemic to Europe.

host one to four endemic species of Coregonus as well as endemic species of Salvelinus. Several of these endemic species became Extinct in the 20th century. Another centre of freshwater fish endemism exists in northern Europe, in Iceland, Ireland, Scotland, Wales, Norway, Sweden, Finland and Russia. Many postglacial lakes of that region are home to unique Coregonus and Salvelinus populations that are still not recognized as distinct conservation units.

hosts a unique fauna. Most of these river systems are currently unprotected, and their fish fauna exposed to high pressures from alien species or habitat destruction. 3.3.4 Data Deficient species

Figure 8 shows the distribution of Data Deficient (DD) freshwater fish species (e.g. those for which there is not enough information to assess them against the IUCN Red List criteria). The highest numbers of DD species are found in the Eastern Adriatic basin, especially in Albania, where the knowledge on the conservation status, distribution and taxonomy of freshwater fishes remains very poor.

In the tributaries of the Mediterranean and the western Black Sea coast and Crimea, the species diversity per water body is low, whereas the rate of endemism is high. Many species occur in just one catchment, in few springs or streams, and about 60% of all freshwater fishes assessed as Critically Endangered in Europe occur in this area. Overall, our knowledge about the diversity of Mediterranean freshwater fishes is still incomplete; many new species have been described in recent years. Well known hotspots of endemism include the poljes (plains) and streams of the Dinaric karst in Croatia and BosniaHerzegovina, the southern Balkan region of Greece, FYR of Macedonia, southern Bulgaria, the tip of Crimea and European Turkey. Almost every river in these regions

3.4 Major threats to freshwater fishes in Europe The major threats to each species were coded using the IUCN Threats Classification Scheme (see http://www. iucnredlist.org/technical-documents/classificationschemes). A summary of the relative importance of the different threatening processes is shown in Figure 9.

Figure 8. Distribution of Data Deficient fishes in Europe

Figure 9. Major threats to freshwater fishes in Europe

Species in the spotlight Drinking water for Montpellier is extracted in large amounts from the sources of the Lez and there have been plans to take all the water from the Lez, which would have led to the extinction of this species.

The Lez sculpin, Cottus petiti (Vulnerable) This little, dull species is one of several freshwater fishes endemic to southern France. Its natural occurrence is limited to the headwaters of the Lez, close to the city of Montpellier. It is one of numerous Mediterranean local endemics that make this region such a biodiversity hotspot for freshwater fishes. The Lez is fed by a large resurgence draining a karstic plateau.

While there has been some debate about its taxonomic distinctiveness, Cottus petiti is well distinguished by morphology from the more widespread C. gobio and even shows some unique behaviour and reproductive strategies. Due to the fact that this species also matures faster and reaches only a small size, it has recently found its way into the laboratories of evolutionary biologists as a model species.

Water pollution and the introduction of the related Cottus gobio are the major threats to this species.

The Lez sculpin, Cottus petiti, is restricted to just one stream in France. Photo ÂŠ J. Freyhof.

Although pollution is one of the most widespread threats, impacting the highest number of species, it is not the most serious threat. Other significant threats such as water abstraction and the introduction of alien species are causing much more rapid population declines for some freshwater species. Below is a discussion of the most major threats to freshwater fishes in Europe, in order of severity.

species poor communities exist with little inter-specific competition. Local populations are easily wiped out from such catchments if ecologically more competitive species, from species-rich central and eastern European fish communities, invade their habitats. For example, in Montenegro, the connection between the Morava drainage (which is home to many endemic and threatened species) and the Danube that is currently planned in order to increase the supply of water for hydropower generators, is likely to wipe out most of the native species of the Morava-Lake Skadar basin.

3.4.1 Water abstraction

The single most important threat to European freshwater fishes is the abstraction of water; from underground, or from the streams and rivers themselves. Water is abstracted for many reasons (agriculture, drinking water, etc.). In the Mediterranean region of Europe, illegal water abstraction is widespread, and many countries still lack an effective enforcement of legislation that could limit the damages of excessive water abstraction to biodiversity. Commercial use of water is usually given priority over biodiversity concerns.

It is a great challenge to control the introduction of alien fish species in Europe. It only takes a few anglers to stock trout to a small spring stream, and any endemic species could be wiped out, as has happened in Croatia and elsewhere. The rapid spread of Pseudorasbora parva, a Chinese invasive species, from Romania to all over Europe in just 40 years, shows what can happen if there are no legislative barriers for alien fish dispersal. Most of the alien species in Europe are however of European native origin. For example, the pike, Esox lucius, has been introduced to Spain (where it is alien) from France (where it is native). In Spain, its introduction is responsible for the local extinction of entire species assemblages.

Freshwater resources are already very limited in many southern countries, such as Portugal, Spain, Italy, Greece and Turkey. While all these countries are home to high numbers of endemic and threatened species, their consumption of freshwater is expected to increase further in the coming years, both as a result of increasing demand and climate change (Alcamo et al. 2007, Bates et al. 2008). This is also true for the Crimean Peninsula where a highly endemic fish fauna is restricted to a few small streams, from which water is already extracted in large and unsustainable amounts.

Sadly, every impoundment is nowadays routinely stocked with alien fish species by anglers. Hence, impoundments are often the starting points of alien fish invasions into entire river basins. Impoundments offer suitable conditions for recreational fisheries, but in the Mediterranean, most angling species known by local anglers and tourists from angling magazines, are not native. Predatory species which are deemed to make good game for recreational fisheries are particularly problematic.

In those parts of Europe subject to the highest levels of water abstraction, no baseline exists for identifying geographic hotspots for the conservation of freshwater biodiversity. The awareness about the existence of threatened freshwater fish species is often missing. Concepts and approaches in place usually ignore the limited and isolated distribution patterns of fish species. Strong efforts are needed for the conservation of freshwater fishes and associated biodiversity in these regions, in order to prevent catastrophic losses in the coming years.

The poor condition of the major rivers of Italy, provide a good idea of the potential future of other large rivers in the Mediterranean. For the purpose of recreational fishing, alien predatory fishes (Silurus glanis and Sander lucioperca) have been intentionally (and often illegally) introduced by local anglers and tourists. Bait fishes, such as the central European Alburnus alburnus, Rutilus rutilus and Abrams brama, have been released and are now widespread in these river systems. Now no, or only few, native fish species remain in the main rivers. Another worst-case example is provided by the Ebro. To date, nearly all native freshwater fish species of the Ebro have been eradicated from the main channel and have been replaced by a central European fish assemblage. Whilst there has been an increased commercial benefit from recreational fisheries based on these alien species, it has

3.4.2 Alien species

Many European fishes are highly susceptible to the impact of introduced alien species. These may be predators or competitors, especially under â&#x20AC;&#x153;insularâ&#x20AC;? conditions of Mediterranean catchments, where rivers and streams may be naturally devoid of predatory fish, or where naturally

had a devastating effect on the native fish fauna, and the true toll on the biodiversity and ecosystem services of all these river systems is still unknown.

3.4.3 Hydropower and water control dams

Most freshwater fishes are very sensitive to alterations of their natural habitat. In addition, many require long distance migrations to fulfil their life cycle.

Where fish are only considered from a utilitarian point of view, “wanted fish” species must be introduced, “unwanted pest species” must be removed and commercially uninteresting species (usually threatened or endemic native species) are considered as being useless and unnecessary. In several European countries, certain species introduced for recreational fisheries, such as rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss) and carp (Cyprinus carpio), have even been declared native in order to allow unrestricted stocking.

No other group of European freshwater fishes show higher threat levels than anadromous species. This group includes, amongst others, lampreys (which have just recently recovered from a population decline in the 1970s and 1980s), sturgeons, herrings of the genus Alosa, salmonids, and some migratory whitefishes of the genus Coregonus and Stenodus.

Species in the spotlight The horse barbel, Barbus tyberinus (Near Threatened)

colleagues then lead to the introduction of Luciobarbus graellsii to central Italy.

As little as 20 years ago, this species was a very common inhabitant of all the Tyrrhenian rivers of Italy. It was found in any moderately fast flowing waters that weren’t degraded by pollution. Sadly, this species has since become one of the victims of uncontrolled fish introduction. Recreational fishers have been stocking rivers in an effort to improve catches at low cost, with little concern for biogeographical borders, ignoring whether the stocked species are native to the catchment or not. Most of the rivers in Italy have now been stocked with fishes from northern Italy, where another species of barbel, Barbus plebejus is native. B. plebejus has now been introduced widely into the range of B. tyberinus. On top of this, fishes were also easily available from fish farms and dealers north of the Alps and so the northern species Barbus barbus was introduced to several Italian drainages. Good relationships with Spanish angler

Having been the only species of barbel in its natural range, B. tyberinus is unable to discriminate alien barbels from its own kind at spawning grounds, and at most sites today, only hybrids are found. Also, in competitive situations with the other barbels, the horse barbel has been losing territory step by step. Now, true horse barbels have lost the larger rivers within their range to the alien species, and are found only in isolated populations in headwaters. Even in northern Italy, native B. plebejus has lost most of its range to alien B. barbus. There are still some rivers however where horse barbels are the only barbels and it is therefore assessed as Near Threatened. But unless fish stocking becomes effectively controlled, it is only a matter of time before this species will move into a higher threat category on the IUCN Red List.

The horse barbel, Barbus tyberinus, is severely impacted by introduced species, and is now categorised as Near Threatened. Photo © J. Freyhof.

There are few rivers in Europe that have not been impacted by dams for hydropower or irrigation purposes (see Figure 10). The first dam upriver of an estuary is now usually the end point for the migration of anadromous species, especially in Eastern Europe. Dams are also a major threat for catadromous species, such as the European Eel, which forage in freshwater and spawn at sea. In most cases, dams block the migration route of fishes. If they are well conceived, fish ladders can mitigate this impact, and allow migratory fishes to migrate further upriver. However, until now, very few rivers in Europe have been equipped with well-functioning fish ladders. Where several dams are built in a cascade, the cumulative effect of these dams can be devastating. Not only does this transform the river into a series of lakes over long distances, with unsuitable habitats for native species, but even where fish ladders are in place, multiple damming is further reducing the probability that migratory fish might reach their spawning grounds.

downstream. Where hydropower dams are in place, there is still no known effective solution to prevent fishes from being caught by turbines and killed. In Southern Europe, there is often no legal requirement for a permanent minimum water outflow from dams. This total lack of consideration for the river ecosystem has devastating consequences in summer: if the river downstream is not prevented from drying out, its entire fish fauna will be wiped out. For hydropower purposes, the outflow from dams is often managed as regular flood pulses and downstream sections experience flash floods at regular intervals; a situation that is both devastating for fishes and for their freshwater habitat. In some major European rivers such as the Rhine, the Danube and the Ural, the first dam is located so far upriver, that populations of anadromous species can still exist below the first dam. In other rivers, migratory species have lost all their spawning places: the beloribitsa,

Anadromous and catadromous fish species not only need to find their way upriver, but must also travel

Figure 10. Cumulative number of upstream dams on major European rivers. From Mulligan et al. 2009.

Stenodus leucichthys, a migratory species of the Caspian sea, formerly migrated 3,000 km upriver into the Volga to spawn. These spawning grounds are now all located above the Volgograd dam. In 1959, after the dam had been completed, only a few spawners remained. Up to 33 million juveniles were stocked annually during Soviet times, peaking in 1988. From 1996–99 only 600,000 juveniles were stocked and the spawning population again declined drastically. In 2004, only about 100 spawners were recorded below the Volgograd dam. The increase of illegal fishing activities on the Volga and in the Caspian Sea is now an additional, very critical concern, for this population.

for migratory fishes, but also for many other species depending on larger rivers and streams with a continuous flow of water. 3.4.4 Pollution

Pollution was the major factor threatening freshwater fish species in Europe during the late 19th and in the 20th centuries, and is still a major driver of population decline and habitat loss for freshwater fishes in Europe. Pollution is caused by a number of sources, including domestic waste, industrial and agricultural effluent, river transportation, and sedimentation. At least eight of the 13 globally Extinct species of European freshwater fishes were the victims of water pollution and lake eutrophication. Migratory species such as sturgeons, migratory herrings and lampreys, salmon and several whitefish, as well as huge numbers of resident species, were exterminated from large parts of their former distribution areas at this time.

Construction of new dams, especially for hydropower, is a major concern for freshwater biodiversity conservation in the future. Hydropower is considered as a green technology, its catastrophic effects on biodiversity being voluntarily ignored. Fish ladders are all too quickly considered as an effective means to mitigate the negative side effects of dams.

Since then, large-scale investments into water purification have helped improve the situation for many fish species. Some migratory species, such as the anadromous lampreys, have recovered well, while others as sturgeons, migratory herrings, salmon and whitefish, still remain imperilled by other threats. Water pollution remains of particular concern in the eastern and southern parts of Europe, where wastewater is still often flowing directly into streams and rivers without any treatment. To make matters worse, these are generally the areas where water is already limited and heavily abstracted for various reasons, often resulting in the only waters remaining in the streams being sewage and wastewaters.

If the current scenarios for the construction of new dams become reality, the extinction risk will not only increase Dams, such as this one in northern Spain, have massive impacts on fish, particularly for migratory species. Not only do they limit or prevent fish from moving up and down the river between their feeding and spawning sites, but the habitat change caused by the creation of reservoirs means that suitable spawning sites are destroyed. Photo © Kevin Smith.

3.5 Population trends Documenting its population trend is key to assessing a species’ status. As part of this assessment, a special effort was made to determine which species are believed to be significantly declining, stable, or increasing. About 17% of Europe’s freshwater fishes are considered to be declining. Only 6% seem to have stable populations, while only 1% are increasing (Figure 11). As almost no population trend data exist from most European countries, population trends for 76% of all species still remain unknown. As explained in section 3.1, because of the lack of reliable data on trends, the actual percentage of species that is declining is thus most probably largely underestimated.

In comparison, 11% of freshwater molluscs (Cuttelod et al. 2011), 16% of aquatic plants (Bilz et al. 2011), 26% of dragonflies (Kalkman et al. 2010), 27% of mammal species, 42% of reptile species (Cox and Temple 2009) and 59% of amphibian species (Temple and Cox 2009) have declining populations. Just under a quarter (23%) of European birds are decreasing in number, based on population trends between 1990 and 2000 (BirdLife International 2004a). Freshwater species have the highest proportions of unknown population trends, with 76% of freshwater fishes falling into this category, and 83% of freshwater molluscs (Cuttelod et al. 2011). Monitoring data for freshwater fish species diversity and abundance collected within the frame of the EU Habitats Directive and the EU Water Framework Directive, should also be compiled and used in the future to determine objective population trends and improve the accuracy of future Red List assessments.

Figure 11. Population trends of European fishes

Valencia letourneuxi is assessed as Critically Endangered as this species has undergone a suspected population decline of at least 50% in the last 10 years due to the impact of introduced species and pollutants. The future decline is projected to be even more severe with an estimated decline of more than 80% over the next 10 years expected. The species is endemic to the coasts of southern Albania and western Greece. Photo ÂŠ A. Hartl.

4. Conservation measures 4.1 Protection of habitats and species in Europe

Annex III, most of which are not threatened according to the IUCN Red List criteria.

European countries and EU Member States are signatories to a number of important conventions aimed at conserving biodiversity that are particularly relevant to freshwater fishes, including the 1979 Bern Convention on the Conservation of European Wildlife and Natural Habitats, and most importantly, the 1992 Convention on Biological Diversity. Many European countries and regions also afford freshwater fishes some form of protective species legislation.

European countries and the EU have made the commitment to reduce (or halt) the loss of biodiversity within Europe. This means that not only should extinctions be prevented, but population declines should also be reversed and populations restored. The result of this Red List shows that this is a great challenge. The CBD targets for 2010 were not met, but this baseline data will aid efforts to meet the new targets for 2020.

4.2 Protection of habitats and species in the EU 27

The Bern Convention is a binding international legal instrument that aims to conserve wild flora and fauna and their natural habitats and to promote European cooperation towards that objective. It covers all European countries and some African states. In particular 12 species of European freshwater fishes are listed on Appendix II (strictly protected species) of the Bern Convention (see Appendix 1 and 2 of this report). Nine additional species have to be added to Appendix II as they were erroneously treated as populations of another Appendix II species. One hundred and fiftyseven species of freshwater fishes are also included in

EU nature conservation policy is based on two main pieces of legislation - the EU Birds Directive of 1979 and the EU Habitats Directive of 1992. The main objective of these two directives is to ensure the favourable conservation status (see Box 3) of the habitats and species found in the EU. The Habitats Directive, which aims to protect natural habitats and wild species other than birds, equally applies to the EUâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s freshwater, terrestrial and marine

A spring in Cernica polje, Bosnia-Herzegovina; one of the few habitats of Telestes metohiensis (VU), the only fish species at this locality. Photo ÂŠ J. Freyhof.

regions. Each Member State is required to identify sites of European importance and is required to put in place measures for their protection and for their management, combining long-term conservation needs with economic and social activities as part of a sustainable development strategy. These sites, together with those of the Birds Directive, make up the Natura 2000 network - the cornerstone of EU nature conservation policy. The Natura 2000 network has grown over the last 25 years and now includes more than 26,000 protected areas in all Member States combined, with a total area of around 850,000 km2 – more than 17.5% of the total EU territory. The Habitats Directive contains a series of Annexes that identify habitats and species of European Community concern. Member States are required to designate Natura 2000 sites for the species listed on Annex II; Annex IV species are subject to a strict protection system. Appendix 2 identifies those freshwater fish species included in the relevant annexes of the Habitats Directive.

Box 3: Selected provisions of the EU Habitats Directive (92/43/EEC) Article 1(i) defines the conservation status of a species as “the sum of the influences acting on the species concerned that may affect the long-term distribution and abundance of its populations in the European territory of the Member States”. It states that a species’ conservation status will be taken as Favourable when: ■■

■■

At present, there are 202 freshwater fish species listed on the Annex II and IV of the Habitats Directive, of which 85 are, according to the current Red List assessment, considered as threatened in Europe. This assessment also shows that there are 60 freshwater fish species threatened at the EU 27 level which are not covered by the relevant annexes of the Habitats Directive.

■■

Population dynamics data on the species concerned suggests that it is maintaining itself on a long-term basis as a viable component of its natural habitats; and The natural range of the species is neither being reduced nor is likely to be reduced for the considerable future; and There is, and probably will continue to be, a sufficiently large habitat to maintain its populations on a long-term basis.

The Water Framework Directive adopted by EU Member States requires that all inland and coastal waters must achieve a good ecological status by 2015. Ballachulish, Scotland. Photo © R. Holland/FBA.

One of the main tools to enhance and maintain this status is the Natura 2000 network of protected areas. EU nature conservation policy also foresees the integration of its protection requirements into other EU sectoral policies such as agriculture, regional development and transport.

of European waterways. In particular, Member States are expected to tackle any remaining water pollution problems. It deals with surface and groundwater quality and quantity, and aims to enforce sustainable levels of water abstraction.

4.3 Conservation management of freshwater fishes in the EU

It is key that this network of sites is defined to cover sites that are either especially vulnerable as they are holding threatened species or that are irreplaceable for example because they hold either endemic or restricted range species or are important spawning areas. Such sites should be identified through the KBA methodology (Holland et al. in press). The establishment and dissemination of a network of Freshwater Key Biodiversity Areas in Europe is one of the priority actions urgently needed.

Important efforts have already been made to improve the conditions of freshwater bodies in Europe and fishes are important indicators to assess the status of freshwater habitats. The conservation of freshwater fishes is mostly carried out on regional and national levels and is often triggered by the interests of recreational fishermen, who often do a time consuming job with great enthusiasm and commitment. The EU’s LIFE+ programme offers financial support for species and habitats conservation projects throughout the EU. In particular, LIFE+ supports the implementation of the Birds and Habitats Directives and the establishment of the Natura 2000 network. Projects involve a variety of actions including habitat restoration, site purchases, communication and awareness-raising, protected area infrastructure and conservation planning.

Legal protection of sites under the Natura 2000 network has already helped to preserve the habitats of threatened species. This has also allowed the financing of many onthe-ground conservation projects, in particular through the EU conservation programmes LIFE and LIFE+, which has been a real step forward in conservation in Europe. In the coming years, the EU’s Water Framework Directive, adopted in 2000, is expected to become another major driver for achieving sustainable water management throughout Europe, and hence, hopefully, for the conservation of Europe’s freshwater fishes. It requires that all inland and coastal waters within defined river basins shall reach a good ecological status by 2015 (i.e. that they have the biological community that would be expected in conditions of minimal anthropogenic impact). This directive includes requirements for increased monitoring of aquatic ecology by the EU Member States, and improved protection and recovery

Since 1992, LIFE has co-financed over 3,115 projects with a total budget of over €2 billion. According to the LIFE project database, 102 LIFE Nature projects have implemented concrete conservation actions that were directly targeting fish species in the EU. The majority of these projects are aimed at habitat or site level restoration and conservation, although 18 are species specific projects, with 10 of them focused on threatened species. Further to this, many more threatened species are benefitting from projects working at improving and restoring inland water habitats.

Overfishing is a threat to certain species of fish in Europe, both from recreational angling and commercial operations. Photos © J. Freyhof.

4.4 Extinction risk versus conservation status

4.5 Red List versus priority for conservation action

The IUCN Red List Criteria classify species solely on the basis of their relative extinction risk (IUCN 2001). However, Unfavourable Conservation Status according to the EU Habitats Directive has a much broader definition. This is identified clearly in Article 1 of the Directive (see Box 3). No species meeting the IUCN Red List Criteria for one of the threatened categories at a regional level can be considered to have a Favourable Conservation Status in the EU. To be classified as Vulnerable (the lowest of the three IUCN threatened categories) a species must undergo a reduction in population size of at least 30% over ten years or three generations, have a restricted geographic range and a continuing decline, or have a small and declining population size; see the 2001 IUCN Red List Categories and Criteria version 3.1 for the full criteria and sub-criteria, available at http://www.iucnredlist. org/technical-documents/categories-and-criteria. It is difficult to claim that a species experiencing a decline of this magnitude is maintaining its population, that its range is stable, and that it remains a viable component of its habitat. Crucially, however, this does not mean that the opposite is true: species that are not threatened as defined by IUCN Red List Criteria do not necessarily have a Favourable Conservation Status (BirdLife International 2004a). Guidelines issued by the European Commission on the protection of animal species under the Habitats Directive reinforce this message that ‘the fact that a habitat or species is not threatened (i.e. not faced by any direct extinction risk) does not necessarily mean that it has a favourable conservation status’ (Anon. 2007).

Assessment of extinction risk and setting conservation priorities are two related but different processes. Assessment of extinction risk, such as the assignment of IUCN Red List Categories, generally precedes the setting of conservation priorities. The purpose of the Red List categorization is to produce a relative estimate of the likelihood of extinction of a taxon. Setting conservation priorities, on the other hand, normally includes the assessment of extinction risk, but also takes into account other factors such as ecological, phylogenetic, historical, economical, or cultural preferences for some taxa over others, as well as the probability of success of conservation actions, availability of funds or personnel, cost-effectiveness, and legal frameworks for conservation of threatened taxa. In the context of regional risk assessments, a number of additional pieces of information are valuable for setting conservation priorities. For example, it is important to consider not only conditions within the region but also the status of the taxon from a global perspective and the proportion of the global population that occurs within the region. A decision on how these three variables, as well as other factors, are used for establishing conservation priorities is a matter for the regional authorities to determine. The Sea Lamprey, Petromyzon marinus, is Europe’s largest lamprey. It is anadromous and migrates to rivers which have no dams or dams with a functioning fish pass. Sea lampreys declined strongly during the 20th century and had been listed as threatened by most countries where they occur. Since the late 20th century, the European population has recovered fast following the increasing water quality in many countries. It is assessed as Least Concern. Photo © A. Hartl.

Many freshwater fishes remain widely distributed in Europe, although their populations and ranges have suffered significant long-term decline as a result of habitat loss and degradation in conjunction with other threats (see Sections 3.4 and 3.5). The European Red List has highlighted the fact that 17% of freshwater fishes have declining populations and a staggering 76% have an unknown population trend (see Figure 11). It should however be noted that both the distribution and population size of some species has declined severely during the 20th century, but not in the timeframe indicated by IUCN methodology or at a rate that does not exceed 30%, and thus does not satisfy IUCN Red List Criteria for a threatened category. Therefore, although many of these species are categorised as Near Threatened or Least Concern, they should not be regarded as having Favourable Conservation Status.

5. Conclusion and recommendations 5.1 Overview and recommendations for conservation measures

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Overall, at least 37% of all European freshwater fishes are threatened in Europe, and 39% are threatened at the EU 27 level. Thus, more than one third of freshwater fishes in Europe are threatened. This is the second highest threat level of any taxonomic group assessed so far and shows the immense problems in the conservation of freshwater habitats and species in Europe. This extraordinarily high threat level is only comparable with other assessments of larger freshwater fish faunas such as in North America (39%, Jelks et al. 2008). It should be noted that both the distribution and population size of numerous species declined severely during the 20th century (but not in the timeframe of 10 years or three generations taken into consideration by IUCN methodology). In some cases the few remaining populations in these countries are stable as a result of conservation measures, which means these species are not categorized here as threatened species.

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The highest diversity of freshwater fishes is found in Eastern Europe, but most of the threatened species are rather confined to southern Europe. The main current threat to European freshwater fishes is direct habitat loss and loss of habitat connectivity, due to water abstraction, construction of dams and spread of alien species. Improving the conservation status of European freshwater fishes and reversing these negative trends is a very challenging task and conflicts with the interests of many other users. Further conservation actions are urgently needed and intelligent and detailed solutions have to be found. In particular:

■■

Use the European Red List of freshwater fishes to inform revisions of the relevant European, national and regional legislation, in particular for where this can help to improve the conservation status of threatened species. Establish a network of Freshwater Key Biodiversity Areas in Europe. In the European Union, these areas should be integrated into the Natura 2000 network. Draw up and implement Species Action (Recovery) Plans for all threatened European freshwater fish species. Assess and regulate the abstraction of waters in areas with threatened freshwater fish species and improve the enforcement of existing legislation on water abstraction. Impose a strict legal ban on any further introduction of fish species into lakes and river basins where they are not native. The loss of riverine habitat needs to be prevented to ensure the future of freshwater fish in Europe. This is especially important in consideration of new dam construction. Impose stricter requirements on environmental impact assessment for the construction of canals, dams and hydropower plants. The assessments should take full account of the often very serious threats that such infrastructure is posing to freshwater biodiversity. Support the development and maintenance of the network of ex-situ facilities, to halt the extinction of the most threatened species. Revise the list of threatened European freshwater fishes regularly, and when new data become available. Conduct further ecological research on threatened European species and the adequate management of their habitats to underpin conservation programmes.

Rutilus meidingeri was known from five sub-Alpine lakes, but has been wiped out from two of them, due to the damming of spawning tributaries. Photo © A. Hartl.

5.2 Application of project outputs

policy, to identify priority sites and species to include in research and monitoring programmes and to identify internationally important areas for biodiversity.

This freshwater fishes Red List is part of a wider project aimed at comprehensively assessing several taxonomic groups (mammals, amphibians, reptiles, butterflies, dragonflies), and selected beetles, molluscs and plants. It has gathered large amounts of data on population, ecology, habitats, threats and recommended conservation measures for each species assessed. These data are freely available on the IUCN Red List website (www.iucnredlist.org/ europe), on the European Commission website (http:// ec.europa.eu/environment/nature/conservation/species/ redlist) and through paper publications (see the list of European Red List published at the end of this report). In conjunction with the data on European birds published by BirdLife International (BirdLife International 2004a, b), it provides key resources for decision-makers, policymakers, resources managers, environmental planners and NGOs. This Red List is a dynamic tool that will evolve with time, as species are reassessed according to new information or situations. It is aimed at stimulating and supporting research, monitoring and conservation action at local, regional and international levels, especially for threatened, Near Threatened and Data Deficient species. The outputs of this project can be applied to inform

5.3 Future work Through the process of gathering and compiling freshwater fish data across Europe, several knowledge gaps have been identified. There are in particular significant geographical and taxonomical biases in the quality and quantity of data available on the distribution and status of species. If the freshwater fish assessments are periodically updated, they will enable the changing status of these species to be tracked through time via the production of a Red List Index (Butchart et al. 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007). To date, this indicator has been produced for birds, mammals, amphibians and reptiles at the European regional level and has been adopted as one of the headline biodiversity indicators to monitor progress towards halting biodiversity loss in Europe by 2010 (European Environment Agency 2007). By regularly updating the data presented here we will be able to track the changing fate of European freshwater fishes in the future and hopefully help to protect the species from becoming extinct.

References Alcamo, J., Flörke, M. and Märker, M. 2007. Future long-term changes in global water resources driven by socio-economic and climatic changes. Hydrological Sciences–Journal–des Sciences Hydrologiques 52(2):247275 Bates, B.C., Kundzewicz, Z.W., Wu S. and Palutikof, J.P. (eds) 2008. Climate Change and Water. Technical Paper of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, IPCC Secretariat, Geneva, 210 pp. Bilz, M.,Kell, S.P., Maxted, N. and Lansdown, R.V. 2011. European Red List of Vascular Plants. Luxembourg: Publications Office of the European Union. BirdLife International. 2004a. Birds in Europe: population estimates, trends, and conservation status. BirdLife International, Cambridge, UK. BirdLife International. 2004b. Birds in the European Union: a status assessment. BirdLife International, Wageningen, The Netherlands. Butchart, S.H.M, Stattersfield, A.J., Bennun, L.A., Shutes, S.M., Akcakaya, H.R., et al. 2004. Measuring global trends in the status of biodiversity: Red List Indices for birds. PLoS Biology 2: e383. Butchart, S.H.M., Stattersfield, A.J., Baillie, J.E.M., Bennun, L.A., Stuart, S.N., et al. 2005. Using Red List Indices to measure progress towards the 2010 target and beyond. Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society of London B 360: 255–268. Butchart, S.H.M., Akcakaya, H.R., Kennedy, E., Hilton-Taylor, C. 2006. Biodiversity indicators based on trends in conservation status: strengths of the IUCN Red List Index. Conservation Biology 20: 579–581. Butchart, S.H.M., Akcakaya, H.R., Chanson, J., Baillie, J.E.M., Collen, B., et al. 2007. Improvements to the Red List Index. PLoS ONE 2(1): e140. doi:10.1371/ journal. pone.0000140. Cox, N.A. and Temple, H.J. 2009. European Red List of Reptiles. Luxembourg: Office for Official Publications of the European Communities. Cuttelod, A., García, N., Abdul Malak, D., Temple, H. and Katariya, V. 2008. The Mediterranean: a biodiversity hotspot under threat. In: J.-C. Vié, C. Hilton-Taylor and S.N. Stuart (eds). The 2008 Review of the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. IUCN Gland, Switzerland. Cuttelod, A., Seddon, M. and Neubert, E. 2011. European Red List of Non-marine Molluscs. Luxembourg: Publications Office of the European Union.

European Environment Agency. 2007. Halting the loss of biodiversity by 2010: proposal for a first set of indicators to monitor progress in Europe. EEA Technical Report No. 11/2007. Fauna Europaea Web Service. 2004. Fauna Europaea version 1.1, Available online at http://www.faunaeur. org García Murillo, P., Fernández Zamudio, R. and Cirujano Bracamonte, S. 2009. Habitantes del agua. Macrófitos. Agencia Andaluza del Agua, Consejeria de Medio Ambiente, Junta de Andalucia. Holland, R.A., Darwall, W.R.T and Smith, K. G. In review. Conservation priorities for freshwater biodiversity: the Key Biodiversity Area approach refined and tested for continental Africa. IUCN. 1994. IUCN Red List Categories. Prepared by the IUCN Species Survival Commission. IUCN, Gland, Switzerland. IUCN. 2001. IUCN Red List Categories and Criteria: Version 3.1. IUCN Species Survival Commission. IUCN, Gland, Switzerland. IUCN. 2003. Guidelines for application of IUCN Red List Criteria at Regional Levels: Version 3.0. IUCN Species Survival Commission. IUCN, Gland, Switzerland. IUCN 2011. IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. www. iucnredlist.org. Jelks, H.L., Walsh, S.J., Burkhead, N.M., ContrerasBalderas, S., Díaz-Pardo, E. , Hendrickson, D.A., Lyons, J., Mandrak, N.E., McCormick, F., Nelson, J.S., Plantania, S.P., Porter, B.A., Renaud, C.B., Schmitter-Soto, J.J., Taylor, E.B. and Warren, M.L., Jr. 2008. Conservation status of imperilled North American freshwater and diadromous fishes. Fisheries 33: 327-407. Kalkman, V.J., Boudot, J-P., Bernard, R., Conze, K-J. , De Knijf, G., Dyatlova, E., Ferreira, S., Jović, M., Ott, J., Riservato E. and Sahlén, G. 2010. European Red List of Dragonflies. Luxembourg: Office for Official Publications of the European Communities. Kottelat, M. and Freyhof, J. 2007. Handbook of European freshwater fishes. Kottelat, Cornol, Switzerland and Freyhof, Berlin, Germany. Mittermeier, R.A., Robles Gil, P., Hoffmann, M., Pilgrim, J., Brooks, T., Mittermeier, C.G., Lamoreux, J. & Fonseca, G.A.B. 2004. Hotspots Revisited: Earth’s Biologically Richest and Most Endangered Terrestrial Ecoregions. CEMEX, Conservation International and Agrupación Sierra Madre, Mexico City.

Mulligan, M., Saenz-Cruz , L., van Soesbergen, A., Smith, V.T. and Zurita, L. 2009 Global dams database and geowiki. Version 1. http://www.ambiotek.com/dams. Nieto, A. and Alexander, K.N.A. 2010. European Red List of Saproxylic Beetles. Luxembourg: Office for Official Publications of the European Communities. Temple, H.J. and Terry, A. 2007. The status and distribution of European mammals. Luxembourg: Office for Official Publications of the European Communities. Temple, H.J. and Terry, A. 2009. European Mammals: Status, trends and conservation priorities. Folia Zoologica.

Temple H.J., and Cox, N.A. 2009. European Red List of Amphibians. Luxemburg: Office for Official Publications of the European Communities. Tockner, K., Uehlinger, U. and Robinson, C.T. 2009. Rivers of Europe. Elsevier Ltd, London, UK, Burlington, USA, San Diego, USA. van Swaay, C., Cuttelod, A., Collins, S., Maes, D., López Munguira, M., Šašić, M., Settele, J., Verovnik, R., Verstrael, T., Warren, M., Wiemers, M. and Wynhoff, I. 2010. European Red List of Butterflies. Luxembourg: Publications Office of the European Union.

Appendix 1. Extinct and threatened freshwater fishes at the European and EU 27 level Species endemic to European or to EU 27 subcatchments are marked with an asterisk (*). Details on which Annexes within the Bern Convention (BC) and Habitats Directive (HD) each species appears on can Family

Species

CYPRINIDAE

be found in Appendix 2. IUCN Red List Status: EX – Extinct, EW – Extinct in the Wild, CR – Critically Endangered, EN – Endangered, VU – Vulnerable, NT – Near Threatened, NA – Not Applicable.

Red List status Europe

Red List status EU 27

Included in BC and/or HD Annexes

Romanogobio antipai

EX*

Yes

GASTEROSTEIDAE

Gasterosteus crenobiontus

EX*

SALMONIDAE

Coregonus bezola

EX*

Yes

SALMONIDAE

Coregonus fera

EX*

Yes

SALMONIDAE

Coregonus gutturosus

EX*

Yes

SALMONIDAE

Coregonus hiemalis

EX*

Yes

SALMONIDAE

Coregonus oxyrinchus

EX*

Yes

SALMONIDAE

Coregonus restrictus

EX*

Yes

SALMONIDAE

Salvelinus neocomensis

EX*

SALMONIDAE

Salvelinus profundus

EX*

CYPRINIDAE

Chondrostoma scodrense

EX*

CYPRINIDAE

Telestes ukliva

EX*

PETROMYZONTIDAE

Eudontomyzon sp. nov. 'migratory'

EX*

SALMONIDAE

Stenodus leucichthys

EW*

ACIPENSERIDAE

Acipenser gueldenstaedtii

Yes

ACIPENSERIDAE

Acipenser naccarii

CR*

Yes

ACIPENSERIDAE

Acipenser nudiventris

Yes

ACIPENSERIDAE

Acipenser stellatus

Yes

ACIPENSERIDAE

Acipenser sturio

CR*

Yes

ACIPENSERIDAE

Huso huso

Yes

ANGUILLIDAE

Anguilla anguilla

CLUPEIDAE

Alosa killarnensis

CR*

Yes

CLUPEIDAE

Alosa vistonica

CR*

Yes

BALITORIDAE

Oxynoemacheilus theophilii

COBITIDAE

Cobitis puncticulata

COBITIDAE

Cobitis stephanidisi

CR*

Yes

CYPRINIDAE

Alburnus macedonicus

CR*

CYPRINIDAE

Alburnus mandrensis

CR*

Yes

CYPRINIDAE

Alburnus vistonicus

CR*

Yes

CYPRINIDAE

Barbus euboicus

CR*

Yes

CYPRINIDAE

Iberochondrostoma almacai

CR*

Yes

CYPRINIDAE

Iberochondrostoma lusitanicus

CR*

Yes

CYPRINIDAE

Iberochondrostoma oretanum

CR*

Yes

CYPRINIDAE

Iberocypris palaciosi

CR*

Yes

CYPRINIDAE

Parachondrostoma arrigonis

CR*

Yes

CYPRINIDAE

Pelasgus epiroticus

CR*

Yes

Family

Species

Red List status Europe

Red List status EU 27

Included in BC and/or HD Annexes

CYPRINIDAE

Pelasgus laconicus

CR*

Yes

CYPRINIDAE

Scardinius graecus

CR*

Yes

CYPRINIDAE

Scardinius racovitzai

CR*

Yes

CYPRINIDAE

Scardinius scardafa

CR*

CYPRINIDAE

Squalius sp. nov. 'Evia'

CR*

CYPRINODONTIDAE

Aphanius almiriensis

CR*

Yes

CYPRINODONTIDAE

Valencia hispanica

CR*

Yes

CYPRINODONTIDAE

Valencia letourneuxi

CR*

Yes

GASTEROSTEIDAE

Pungitius hellenicus

CR*

Yes

BLENNIIDAE

Salaria economidisi

CR*

Yes

GOBIIDAE

Knipowitschia cameliae

CR*

GOBIIDAE

Knipowitschia milleri

CR*

Yes

PERCIDAE

Romanichthys valsanicola

CR*

Yes

PERCIDAE

Zingel asper

CR*

Yes

PETROMYZONTIDAE

Eudontomyzon hellenicus

CR*

Yes

SALMONIDAE

Coregonus bavaricus

CR*

Yes

SALMONIDAE

Coregonus hoferi

CR*

Yes

SALMONIDAE

Coregonus pennantii

CR*

Yes

SALMONIDAE

Coregonus trybomi

CR*

Yes

SALMONIDAE

Salmo carpio

CR*

Yes

SALMONIDAE

Salvelinus grayi

CR*

SALMONIDAE

Salvelinus lonsdalii

CR*

SALMONIDAE

Salvelinus obtusus

CR*

COTTIDAE

Cottus rondeleti

CR*

Yes

ACIPENSERIDAE

Acipenser persicus

Yes

CLUPEIDAE

Clupeonella abrau

CR*

COBITIDAE

Cobitis illyrica

CR*

Yes

COBITIDAE

Cobitis jadovensis

CR*

Yes

COBITIDAE

Cobitis taurica

CR*

Yes

CYPRINIDAE

Delminichthys jadovensis

CR*

Yes

CYPRINIDAE

Delminichthys krbavensis

CR*

Yes

CYPRINIDAE

Gobio delyamurei

CR*

CYPRINIDAE

Luciobarbus brachycephalus

CYPRINIDAE

Phoxinellus dalmaticus

CR*

CYPRINIDAE

Telestes fontinalis

CR*

Yes

CYPRINIDAE

Telestes polylepis

CR*

Yes

CYPRINIDAE

Telestes turskyi

CR*

Yes

GOBIIDAE

Knipowitschia mrakovcici

CR*

Yes

GOBIIDAE

Proterorhinus tataricus

CR*

Yes

SALMONIDAE

Salmo ezenami

CR*

CYPRINIDAE

Alburnus sarmaticus

EN*

Yes

COBITIDAE

Cobitis arachthosensis

EN*

Yes

COBITIDAE

Cobitis calderoni

EN*

COBITIDAE

Cobitis hellenica

EN*

Yes

COBITIDAE

Cobitis trichonica

EN*

Yes

COBITIDAE

Cobitis vettonica

EN*

CYPRINIDAE

Achondrostoma occidentale

EN*

Yes

CYPRINIDAE

Achondrostoma salmantinum

EN*

Yes

CYPRINIDAE

Alburnus schischkovi

EN*

Yes

Family

Species

Red List status Europe

Red List status EU 27

Included in BC and/or HD Annexes

CYPRINIDAE

Alburnus volviticus

EN*

Yes

CYPRINIDAE

Anaecypris hispanica

EN*

Yes

CYPRINIDAE

Barbus caninus

EN*

Yes

CYPRINIDAE

Barbus pergamonensis

Yes

CYPRINIDAE

Chondrostoma soetta

EN*

Yes

CYPRINIDAE

Luciobarbus graecus

EN*

Yes

CYPRINIDAE

Parachondrostoma turiense

EN*

Yes

CYPRINIDAE

Pelasgus prespensis

EN*

Yes

CYPRINIDAE

Petroleuciscus smyrnaeus

CYPRINIDAE

Phoxinus strandjae

EN*

CYPRINIDAE

Phoxinus strymonicus

EN*

CYPRINIDAE

Romanogobio benacensis

EN*

CYPRINIDAE

Rutilus meidingeri

EN*

Yes

CYPRINIDAE

Rutilus ylikiensis

EN*

Yes

CYPRINIDAE

Squalius castellanus

EN*

Yes

CYPRINIDAE

Squalius cii

CYPRINIDAE

Squalius keadicus

EN*

CYPRINIDAE

Squalius lucumonis

EN*

CYPRINIDAE

Squalius malacitanus

EN*

Yes

CYPRINIDAE

Squalius moreoticus

EN*

CYPRINIDAE

Squalius torgalensis

EN*

Yes

CYPRINIDAE

Telestes beoticus

EN*

CYPRINODONTIDAE

Aphanius baeticus

EN*

Yes

CYPRINODONTIDAE

Aphanius iberus

EN*

Yes

GOBIIDAE

Economidichthys trichonis

EN*

GOBIIDAE

Knipowitschia thessala

EN*

Yes

SALMONIDAE

Coregonus pollan

EN*

Yes

SALMONIDAE

Coregonus stigmaticus

EN*

Yes

SALMONIDAE

Coregonus vandesius

EN*

Yes

SALMONIDAE

Hucho hucho

EN*

Yes

SALMONIDAE

Salmo peristericus

EN*

Yes

SALMONIDAE

Salvelinus willoughbii

EN*

CLUPEIDAE

Alosa volgensis

EN*

Yes

CYPRINIDAE

Alburnus mentoides

EN*

Yes

CYPRINIDAE

Aulopyge huegelii

EN*

CYPRINIDAE

Chondrostoma phoxinus

EN*

Yes

CYPRINIDAE

Gobio skadarensis

EN*

CYPRINIDAE

Phoxinellus alepidotus

EN*

CYPRINIDAE

Squalius microlepis

EN*

Yes

CYPRINIDAE

Squalius tenellus

EN*

Yes

CYPRINIDAE

Telestes croaticus

EN*

Yes

CYPRINIDAE

Telestes sp. nov.

EN*

SALMONIDAE

Salmo obtusirostris

EN*

CLUPEIDAE

Alosa immaculata

Yes

ACIPENSERIDAE

Acipenser ruthenus

Yes

BALITORIDAE

Oxynoemacheilus pindus

VU*

CLUPEIDAE

Alosa macedonica

VU*

Yes

COBITIDAE

Cobitis meridionalis

VU*

Yes

COBITIDAE

Cobitis paludica

VU*

Yes

Family

Species

COBITIDAE

Cobitis punctilineata

Red List status Europe

Red List status EU 27

Included in BC and/or HD Annexes

VU*

COBITIDAE

Cobitis zanandreai

VU*

Yes

COTTIDAE

Cottus petiti

VU*

Yes

COTTIDAE

Cottus scaturigo

VU*

Yes

CYPRINIDAE

Achondrostoma arcasii

VU*

Yes

CYPRINIDAE

Alburnoides prespensis

VU*

CYPRINIDAE

Alburnus albidus

VU*

Yes

CYPRINIDAE

Alburnus belvica

VU*

CYPRINIDAE

Barbus haasi

VU*

Yes

CYPRINIDAE

Chondrostoma prespense

VU*

CYPRINIDAE

Cyprinus carpio

CYPRINIDAE

Gobio feraeensis

VU*

CYPRINIDAE

Gobio kovatschevi

VU*

CYPRINIDAE

Iberochondrostoma lemmingii

VU*

Yes

CYPRINIDAE

Iberocypris alburnoides

VU*

Yes

CYPRINIDAE

Ladigesocypris ghigii

VU*

Yes

CYPRINIDAE

Luciobarbus comizo

VU*

Yes

CYPRINIDAE

Luciobarbus guiraonis

VU*

Yes

CYPRINIDAE

Luciobarbus microcephalus

VU*

Yes

CYPRINIDAE

Luciobarbus steindachneri

VU*

Yes

CYPRINIDAE

Parachondrostoma toxostoma

VU*

Yes

CYPRINIDAE

Pseudochondrostoma duriense

VU*

Yes

CYPRINIDAE

Pseudochondrostoma willkommii

VU*

Yes

CYPRINIDAE

Rutilus panosi

VU*

Yes

CYPRINIDAE

Rutilus prespensis

VU*

Yes

CYPRINIDAE

Squalius aradensis

VU*

Yes

CYPRINIDAE

Squalius janae

VU*

CYPRINIDAE

Squalius valentinus

VU*

Yes

CYPRINIDAE

Tropidophoxinellus spartiaticus

VU*

GOBIIDAE

Padogobius nigricans

VU*

Yes

SALMONIDAE

Coregonus arenicolus

VU*

Yes

SALMONIDAE

Coregonus atterensis

VU*

Yes

SALMONIDAE

Coregonus candidus

VU*

Yes

SALMONIDAE

Coregonus clupeoides

VU*

Yes

SALMONIDAE

Coregonus confusus

VU*

Yes

SALMONIDAE

Coregonus danneri

VU*

Yes

SALMONIDAE

Coregonus lavaretus

VU*

Yes

SALMONIDAE

Coregonus lucinensis

VU*

Yes

SALMONIDAE

Coregonus maraena

VU*

Yes

SALMONIDAE

Salmo fibreni

VU*

Yes

SALMONIDAE

Salmo nigripinnis

VU*

SALMONIDAE

Salmo pelagonicus

VU*

Yes

SALMONIDAE

Salmo stomachicus

VU*

SALMONIDAE

Salvelinus evasus

VU*

SALMONIDAE

Salvelinus fimbriatus

VU*

SALMONIDAE

Salvelinus gracillimus

VU*

SALMONIDAE

Salvelinus killinensis

VU*

SALMONIDAE

Salvelinus mallochi

VU*

SALMONIDAE

Salvelinus maxillaris

VU*

Family

Species

Red List status Europe

Red List status EU 27

Included in BC and/or HD Annexes

SALMONIDAE

Salvelinus perisii

VU*

SALMONIDAE

Salvelinus struanensis

VU*

SALMONIDAE

Salvelinus youngeri

VU*

UMBRIDAE

Umbra krameri

VU*

Yes

CLUPEIDAE

Alosa sp. nov. 'Skadar'

VU*

COBITIDAE

Cobitis dalmatina

VU*

Yes

COBITIDAE

Cobitis narentana

VU*

Yes

CYPRINIDAE

Alburnoides maculatus

VU*

Yes

CYPRINIDAE

Alburnoides ohridanus

VU*

CYPRINIDAE

Barbus tauricus

VU*

Yes

CYPRINIDAE

Chondrostoma knerii

VU*

Yes

CYPRINIDAE

Delminichthys adspersus

VU*

Yes

CYPRINIDAE

Delminichthys ghetaldii

VU*

Yes

CYPRINIDAE

Gobio krymensis

VU*

CYPRINIDAE

Gobio ohridanus

VU*

CYPRINIDAE

Luciobarbus capito

CYPRINIDAE

Phoxinellus pseudalepidotus

VU*

CYPRINIDAE

Squalius svallize

VU*

Yes

CYPRINIDAE

Telestes metohiensis

VU*

Yes

GOBIIDAE

Knipowitschia croatica

VU*

GOBIIDAE

Knipowitschia radovici

VU*

SALMONIDAE

Salmo ohridanus

VU*

SALMONIDAE

Salvelinus sp. nov. 'FjellfrĂ¸svatn'

VU*

COBITIDAE

Cobitis pontica

Yes

PERCIDAE

Percarina demidoffii

NT*

Appendix 2. Bern Convention and Habitats Directive fish species Fish species included on either Appendices II or III of the Bern Convention, or Annex II, IV or V of the Habitats Directive. Taxonomy is constantly being updated, and the species are listed by the scientific name as it is currently accepted, with the name it was listed under at the time added in parentheses. Please see the IUCN Red List website for up-to-date information. Since many of the species have been listed, they have been split into multiple Protected species

species. These are listed in the final column, and both the Bern Convention and Habitats Directive apply to and protect species which were not on the original list, but are splits from those species that were. IUCN Red List Status: EX – Extinct, EW – Extinct in the Wild, CR – Critically Endangered, EN – Endangered, VU – Vulnerable, NT – Near Threatened, LC – Least Concern, DD – Data Deficient, NA – Not Applicable, NE – Not Evaluated.

Habitats Directive Newly described species (with EU 27 Red List Category) that European EU 27 Bern Annexes receive the same level of protection as their parent species RL RL Convention listed in the left hand column. Annexes

ACIPENSERIDAE Acipenser gueldenstaedtii

Acipenser naccarii

V II

II, IV

Acipenser nudiventris

Acipenser oxyrinchus

Acipenser persicus

Acipenser ruthenus

III

Acipenser stellatus

III

Acipenser sturio

II, IV

Huso huso

II, III

III

BLENNIIDAE Salaria fluviatilis (as Blennius fluviatilis)

Salaria economidisi (CR)

CLUPEIDAE Alosa agone

II, V

Alosa algeriensis

II, V

Alosa alosa

Alosa caspia

Alosa fallax

III

II, V

Alosa agone (LC), Alosa algeriensis (DD), Alosa killarnensis (CR)

Alosa immaculata (as Alosa pontica)

III

II, V

Alosa kessleri (NA), Alosa volgensis (NA)

Alosa kessleri

II, V

Alosa killarnensis

II, V

Alosa macedonica

II, V

Alosa maeotica

II, V

Alosa tanaica

II, V

Alosa vistonica

II, V

Alosa volgensis

II, V

Cobitis calderoni (as Sabanejewia calderoni)

III

Cobitis elongata

III

Cobitis paludica (as Cobitis hassi)

III

II, V II, V

COBITIDAE

II Cobitis vettonica (EN)

Protected species

Cobitis taenia

III

Cobitis trichonica

III

Misgurnus fossilis

III

Sabanejewia aurata

III

Sabanejewia larvata

Coregonus albellus

III

Coregonus albula

III

COREGONIDAE

Coregonus alpinus

III

Coregonus arenicolus

III

Coregonus atterensis

III

Coregonus autumnalis

III

Coregonus baerii

III

Coregonus bavaricus

III

Coregonus bezola

III

Coregonus candidus

III

Coregonus clupeoides

III

Coregonus confusus

III

Coregonus danneri

III

Coregonus fatioi

III

Coregonus fera

III

Coregonus fontanae

III

Coregonus gutturosus

III

Coregonus heglingus

III

Coregonus hiemalis

III

Coregonus hoferi

III

Coregonus ladogae

III

Coregonus lavaretus

III

Coregonus lucinensis

III

Coregonus lutokka

III

Coregonus macrophthalmus

III

Coregonus maraena (as Coregonus oxyrhynchus)

III

II, IV, V

Coregonus maxillaris

III

Coregonus megalops

III

Coregonus muksun

III

Coregonus nasus

III

Coregonus nilssoni

III

Coregonus nobilis

III

Coregonus oxyrinchus

III

Coregonus palaea

III

Coregonus pallasii

III

Coregonus peled

III

Coregonus pennantii

III

Coregonus pidschian

III

Coregonus pollan

III

Coregonus renke

III

Cobitis arachthosensis (EN), Cobitis bilineata (LC), Cobitis dalmatina (NA), Cobitis elongatoides (LC), Cobitis hellenica (EN), Cobitis illyrica (NA), Cobitis jadovaensis (NA), Cobitis meridionalis (VU), Cobitis narentana (NA), Cobitis ohridana (NA), Cobitis pontica (EN), Cobitis stephanidisi (CR), Cobitis tanaitica (NA), Cobitis taurica (NA), Cobitis vardarensis (LC), Cobitis zanandreai (VU)

Sabanejewia balcanica (LC), Sabanejewia baltica (LC), Sabanejewia bulgarica (LC), Sabanejewia kubanica (NA), Sabanejewia vallachica (NT)

Protected species

Coregonus restrictus

Coregonus sardinella

III

Coregonus stigmaticus

III

Coregonus suidteri

III

Coregonus trybomi

III

Coregonus vandesius

III

Coregonus vessicus

III

Coregonus wartmanni

III

Coregonus widegreni

III

Coregonus zuerichensis

III

Coregonus zugensis

III

Cottus gobio

Cottus petiti

Cottus poecilopus

III

Triglopsis quadricornis

III

Achondrostoma arcasii (as Rutilus arcasii )

III

Achondrostoma salmantinum (EN)

Achondrostoma oligolepis (as Rutilus macrolepidotus)

III

Achondrostoma occidentale (EN)

Alburnoides bipunctatus

III

Alburnus albidus

III

Alburnus chalcoides (as Chalcalburnus chalcoides)

III

Anaecypris hispanica (as Phoxinellus hispanicus)

III

II, IV

Ballerus ballerus (at Abramis ballerus)

III

Ballerus sapa (as Abramis sapa)

III

Barbus balcanicus

Barbus barbus

Barbus bergi

Barbus caninus

Barbus carpathicus

Barbus ciscaucasicus

Barbus cyclolepis

Barbus euboicus

Barbus haasi

Barbus kubanicus

Barbus macedonicus

Barbus meridionalis

COTTIDAE II

Cottus aturi (LC), Cottus duranii (DD), Cottus haemusi (DD), Cottus hispaniolensis (LC), Cottus koshewnikowi (LC), Cottus metae (LC), Cottus microstomus (LC), Cottus perifretum (LC), Cottus rhenanus (LC), Cottus rondeleti (CR), Cottus scaturigo (VU), Cottus transsilvaniae (DD)

CYPRINIDAE

III

Alburnoides devolli (NE), Alburnoides fangfangae (NE), Alburnoides ohridanus (NA), Alburnoides prespensis (VU), Alburnoides eichwaldii (NA), Alburnoides fasciatus (NE), Alburnoides gmelini (NA), Alburnoides kubanicus (NA), Alburnoides maculatus (NA), Alburnoides rossicus (NA), Alburnoides thessalicus (NE)

II, V

Alburnus danubicus (NE), Alburnus istanbulensis (NA), Alburnus leobergi (NA), Alburnus mandrensis (CR), Alburnus mento (LC), Alburnus mentoides (NA), Alburnus sarmaticus (CR), Alburnus schischkovi (EN), Alburnus vistonicus (CR), Alburnus volviticus (EN)

Protected species

Barbus peloponnesius (as Barbus peloponesis)

Barbus pergamonensis

Barbus petenyi

Barbus plebejus

Barbus prespensis

Barbus rebeli

Barbus sperchiensis

Barbus strumicae

Barbus tauricus

Barbus tyberinus

III

V V V

III

II, V

Barbus waleckii

Chondrostoma kneri

III

Chondrostoma nasus Chondrostoma phoxinus Chondrostoma soetta

LC EN EN

LC NA EN

III III III

Delminichthys adspersus (as Phoxinellus adspersus)

III

Delminichthys ghetaldii Delminichthys jadovensis Delminichthys krbavensis

VU CR CR

NA NA NA

Iberochondrostoma lemmingii (as Chondrostoma lemmingii)

III

Iberochondrostoma lusitanicum (as Chondrostoma lusitanicum)

III

Delminichthys jadovensis (NA), Delminichthys krbavensis (NA)

II II II

Iberocypris alburnoides (as Rutilus alburnoides) Iberocypris palaciosi Ladigesocypris ghigii Leucaspius delineatus Aspius aspius Luciobarbus albanicus Luciobarbus bocagei (as Barbus bocagei)

CR VU LC LC LC

III

Luciobarbus comizo (as Barbus comizao)

III

II, V

Luciobarbus graecus Luciobarbus graellsii

EN LC

V V

Luciobarbus guiraonis

Luciobarbus microcephalus (as Barbus microcephalus)

III

Luciobarbus sclateri (as Barbus sclateri)

III

Luciobarbus steindachneri (as Barbus steindachneri)

III

Pachychilon macedonicus (as Rutilus macedonicus)

III

Pachychilon pictum

III

Parachondrostoma toxostoma (as Chondrostoma toxostoma)

III

Iberochondrostoma almacai (CR), Iberochondrostoma oretanum (CR)

II II III III

II, V V

Pelasgus epiroticus

Pelasgus laconicus

Pelasgus marathonicus (as Pseudophoxinus marathonicus)

III

Parachondrostoma arrigonis (CR), Parachondrostoma miegii (LC), Parachondrostoma turiense (EN)

Pelasgus epiroticus (CR), Pelasgus laconicus (CR)

Protected species

Pelasgus minutus

Pelasgus prespensis

Pelasgus stymphalicus (as Pseudophoxinus stymphalicus)

Pelasgus thesproticus

Pelecus cultratus

Protochondrostoma genei (as Chondrostoma genei)

II III

III

II, V

III

Pseudochondrostoma polylepis (as Chondrostoma polylepis)

III

Pseudochondrostoma willkommi (as Chondrostoma willkommi)

III

Rhodeus amarus (as Rhodeus sericeus)

III

Rhynchocypris percnurus (as Phoxinus percnurus)

Romanogobio albipinnatus (as Gobio albipinnatus)

III

Romanogobio belingi (LC), Romanogobio tanaiticus (NA), Romanogobio vladykovi (LC)

Romanogobio kessleri (as Gobio kessleri)

III

Romanogobio antipai (EX)

Romanogobio uranoscopus (as Gobio uranoscopus)

III

Romanogobio elimeius (LC)

Rutilus frisii

III

II, V

Rutilus meidingeri (EN)

Rutilus pigus

III

II, V

Rutilus virgo (LC)

Rutilus rubilio

III

Scardinius graecus (as Rutilus graecus)

III

Scardinius racovitzai (as Rutilus racovitzai)

III

Squalius illyricus (as Leuciscus illyricus)

III

Squalius lucumonis (as Leuciscus lucumonis)

III

Squalius microlepis (as Leuciscus microlepis)

III

Squalius tenellus (NA)

III

Squalius aradensis (VU), Squalius carolitertii (LC), Squalius castellanus (EN), Squalius malacitanus (EN), Squalius torgalensis (EN), Squalius valentinus (VU)

Squalius svallize (as Leuciscus svallize)

III

Squalius zrmanjae (NA)

Telestes croaticus

Squalius pyrenaicus (as Leuciscus pyrenaicus)

Rhodeus meridionalis (LC)

II, IV

Rutilus aula (LC), Rutilus albus (NE), Rutilus basak (NA), Rutilus karamani (NA), Rutilus ohridanus (NA), Rutilus panosi (VU), Rutilus prespensis (VU), Rutilus ylikiensis (EN)

Telestes fontinalis

Telestes metohiensis

Telestes polylepis (as Leuciscus polylepis)

III

Telestes souffia (as Leuciscus souffia)

III

Telestes turskyi (as Leuciscus turskyi)

III

Telestes sp. nov. (NA) II

Telestes montenigrinus (NA), Telestes muticellus (LC)

Protected species

Vimba vimba (as Abramis vimba)

III

CYPRINODONTIDAE Aphanius fasciatus

II, III

Aphanius almiriensis (CR)

Aphanius iberus

II, III

Aphanius baeticus (EN)

Valencia hispanica

Valencia letourneuxi

Pungitius hellenicus

III

Puntitius platygaster

III

II, III

Knipowitschia thessala (as Gobius thressalus)

III

Neogobius fluviatilis (as Gobius fluviatilis)

III

Padogobius bonelli (as Padogobius martensi)

III

Padogobius nigricans (as Gobius nigricans)

III

Pomatoschistus canestrinii (as Pomatoschistus canestrini)

II, III

Pomatoschistus microps

III

Ponticola kessleri (as Gobius kessleri)

III

Ponticola gorlap (NA)

Proterorhinus marmoratus

III

Proterorhinus nasalis (NA), Proterorhinus semilunaris (LC), Proterorhinus tataricus (NA)

Gymnocephalus baloni

III

II, IV

Gymnocephalus schraetzer

III

IV, V

Romanichthys valsanicola

Sander volgense (as Stizostedion volgense)

III II

GASTEROSTEIDAE

GOBIIDAE Knipowitschia panizzae (as Padogobius panizzae)

Knipowitschia goerneri (DD), Knipowitschia milleri CR), Knipowitschia radovici (NA), Knipowitschia mrakovcici (NA), Knipowitschia montenegrina (NA)

Neogobius pallasi (NA)

Pomatoschistus montenegrensis (NA)

PERCIDAE

II, IV

Zingel asper

Zingel balcanicus

II, IV

Zingel streber

III

Zingel zingel

III

II, V

PETROMYZONTIDAE Eudontomyzon danfordi

Eudontomyzon hellenicus

III

II II

Eudontomyzon mariae

III

Eudontomyzon stankokaramani

Eudontomyzon vladykovi

III

Lampetra fluviatilis

III

II, V

Lampetra planeri

III

Lampetra zanandreai (as Lethenteron zanandreai)

II, III

II, V

Petromyzon marinus

III

Gymnocephalus ambriaelacus (CR)

Protected species

SALMONIDAE Hucho hucho

Salmo macrostigma

III

II, V II

Salmo marmoratus

Salmo salar

III

II, V

Siluris aristotelis

III

II, V

Siluris glanis

III

SILURIDAE

SYNGNATHIDAE Syngnathus abaster THYMALLIDAE Thymallus thymallus UMBRIDAE Umbra krameri

Salmo aphelios (NA), Salmo balcanicus (NA), Salmo carpio (CR), Salmo cenerinus (NE), Salmo cettii (NT), Salmo dentex (DD), Salmo farioides (NE), Salmo fibreni (VU), Salmo letnica (NA), Salmo lumi (NA), Salmo macedonicus (DD), Salmo montenigrinus (NE), Salmo pelagonicus (VU), Salmo peristericus (EN), Salmo rhodanensis (DD), Salmo taleri (NA)

Appendix 3. Red List status of European freshwater fishes Order

Family

Species

IUCN Red List Category (Europe)

IUCN Red List Criteria (Europe)

IUCN Red List Category (EU 27)

IUCN Red List Criteria (EU 27)

ACIPENSERIFORMES

ACIPENSERIDAE

Acipenser gueldenstaedtii

A2bcde

ACIPENSERIFORMES

ACIPENSERIDAE

Acipenser naccarii

A2bcde;B2ab (i,ii,iii,iv,v)

A2cd

ACIPENSERIFORMES

ACIPENSERIDAE

Acipenser nudiventris

ACIPENSERIFORMES

ACIPENSERIDAE

Acipenser oxyrinchus

ACIPENSERIFORMES

ACIPENSERIDAE

Acipenser persicus

A2cde

ACIPENSERIFORMES

ACIPENSERIDAE

Acipenser ruthenus

A2cde

ACIPENSERIFORMES

ACIPENSERIDAE

Acipenser stellatus

A2cde

ACIPENSERIFORMES

ACIPENSERIDAE

Acipenser sturio

A2cde;B2ab (ii,iii,v)

ACIPENSERIFORMES

ACIPENSERIDAE

Huso huso

A2bcd

ANGUILLIFORMES

ANGUILLIDAE

Anguilla anguilla

A2bd+4bd

ATHERINIFORMES

ATHERINIDAE

Atherina boyeri

CLUPEIFORMES

CLUPEIDAE

Alosa agone

LC DD

Endemic Endemic to to Europe EU 27

Yes

NE NA

CLUPEIFORMES

CLUPEIDAE

Alosa algeriensis

CLUPEIFORMES

CLUPEIDAE

Alosa alosa

CLUPEIFORMES

CLUPEIDAE

Alosa caspia

CLUPEIFORMES

CLUPEIDAE

Alosa fallax

CLUPEIFORMES

CLUPEIDAE

Alosa immaculata

Yes

LC B2ab(v)

B2ab(v)

CLUPEIFORMES

CLUPEIDAE

Alosa kessleri

CLUPEIFORMES

CLUPEIDAE

Alosa killarnensis

B1ab(iii)

NA CR

B1ab(iii)

Yes Yes

Yes

CLUPEIFORMES

CLUPEIDAE

Alosa macedonica

Yes

CLUPEIFORMES

CLUPEIDAE

Alosa maeotica

CLUPEIFORMES

CLUPEIDAE

Alosa sp. nov. ‘Skadar’

CLUPEIFORMES

CLUPEIDAE

Alosa tanaica

LC D2

Yes

CLUPEIFORMES

CLUPEIDAE

Alosa vistonica

A2ace; B1ab(iii,v)

CLUPEIFORMES

CLUPEIDAE

Alosa volgensis

B2ab(iii,v)

Yes

CLUPEIFORMES

CLUPEIDAE

Clupeonella abrau

B1ab(ii,iii,v) +2ab(ii,iii,v)

Yes

CLUPEIFORMES

CLUPEIDAE

Clupeonella caspia

Yes

CLUPEIFORMES

CLUPEIDAE

Clupeonella cultriventris

A2ace; B1ab(iii,v)

Yes

CLUPEIFORMES

CLUPEIDAE

Clupeonella tscharchalensis

Yes

CYPRINIFORMES

BALITORIDAE

Barbatula barbatula

Yes

CYPRINIFORMES

BALITORIDAE

Barbatula quignardi

Yes

CYPRINIFORMES

BALITORIDAE

Barbatula sturanyi

Yes

CYPRINIFORMES

BALITORIDAE

Barbatula zetensis

Yes

CYPRINIFORMES

BALITORIDAE

Oxynoemacheilus bureschi

Yes

CYPRINIFORMES

BALITORIDAE

Oxynoemacheilus merga

Yes

CYPRINIFORMES

BALITORIDAE

Oxynoemacheilus pindus

CYPRINIFORMES

BALITORIDAE

Oxynoemacheilus theophilii

CYPRINIFORMES

COBITIDAE

Cobitis arachthosensis

CYPRINIFORMES

COBITIDAE

Cobitis bilineata

CYPRINIFORMES

COBITIDAE

Cobitis calderoni

A2ace+3ce

CYPRINIFORMES

COBITIDAE

Cobitis dalmatina

B1ab(iii) +2ab(iii)

B1b(iii)

B1ab(iii)

Yes

Yes A2ace+3ce

Yes Yes

Yes

Order

Family

Species

IUCN Red List Category (Europe)

CYPRINIFORMES

COBITIDAE

Cobitis elongata

CYPRINIFORMES

COBITIDAE

Cobitis elongatoides

IUCN Red List Criteria (Europe)

IUCN Red List Category (EU 27)

IUCN Red List Criteria (EU 27)

LC LC

Yes

CYPRINIFORMES

COBITIDAE

Cobitis hellenica

B1ab(iii,v) +2ab(iii,v)

CYPRINIFORMES

COBITIDAE

Cobitis illyrica

B1ab(ii,iii)

Yes

CYPRINIFORMES

COBITIDAE

Cobitis jadovensis

B1ab(ii,iii) +2ab(ii,iii)

Yes

CYPRINIFORMES

COBITIDAE

Cobitis melanoleuca

CYPRINIFORMES

COBITIDAE

Cobitis meridionalis

CYPRINIFORMES

COBITIDAE

Cobitis narentana

Yes

CYPRINIFORMES

COBITIDAE

Cobitis ohridana

Yes

CYPRINIFORMES

COBITIDAE

Cobitis paludica

B1ab(iii,v) +2ab(iii,v)

Endemic Endemic to to Europe EU 27

A2ce+3ce

B1ab(iii) +2ab(iii)

Yes

CYPRINIFORMES

COBITIDAE

Cobitis pontica

CYPRINIFORMES

COBITIDAE

Cobitis puncticulata

B1ab(iii)

CYPRINIFORMES

COBITIDAE

Cobitis punctilineata

Yes

CYPRINIFORMES

COBITIDAE

Cobitis stephanidisi

B1ab(i,ii,iii,v) +2ab(i,ii,iii,v)

Yes

CYPRINIFORMES

COBITIDAE

Cobitis strumicae

Yes

CYPRINIFORMES

COBITIDAE

Cobitis taenia

Yes

CYPRINIFORMES

COBITIDAE

Cobitis tanaitica

Yes

CYPRINIFORMES

COBITIDAE

Cobitis taurica

B1ab(ii,iii) +2ab(ii,iii)

Yes

CYPRINIFORMES

COBITIDAE

Cobitis trichonica

B1ab(iii) +2ab(iii)

CYPRINIFORMES

COBITIDAE

Cobitis vardarensis

CYPRINIFORMES

COBITIDAE

Cobitis vettonica

B1ab(ii,iii,v) +2ab(ii,iii,v)

CYPRINIFORMES

COBITIDAE

Cobitis zanandreai

CYPRINIFORMES

COBITIDAE

Misgurnus fossilis

Yes

CYPRINIFORMES

COBITIDAE

Sabanejewia balcanica

Yes

CYPRINIFORMES

COBITIDAE

Sabanejewia baltica

Yes

CYPRINIFORMES

COBITIDAE

Sabanejewia bulgarica

Yes

CYPRINIFORMES

COBITIDAE

Sabanejewia caucasica

B1ab(iii) +2ab(iii)

Yes

B1ab(ii,iii,v) +2ab(ii,iii,v)

Yes

Yes Yes

CYPRINIFORMES

COBITIDAE

Sabanejewia kubanica

Yes

CYPRINIFORMES

COBITIDAE

Sabanejewia larvata

Yes

CYPRINIFORMES

COBITIDAE

Sabanejewia romanica

Yes

CYPRINIFORMES

COBITIDAE

Sabanejewia vallachica

Yes

CYPRINIFORMES

CYPRINIDAE

Abramis brama

CYPRINIFORMES

CYPRINIDAE

Achondrostoma arcasii

A3ce B1ab(iii) +2ab(iii)

LC VU

A3ce

Yes

B1ab(iii) +2ab(iii)

Yes

CYPRINIFORMES

CYPRINIDAE

Achondrostoma occidentale

CYPRINIFORMES

CYPRINIDAE

Achondrostoma oligolepis

CYPRINIFORMES

CYPRINIDAE

Achondrostoma salmantinum

CYPRINIFORMES

CYPRINIDAE

Alburnoides bipunctatus

CYPRINIFORMES

CYPRINIDAE

Alburnoides eichwaldii

CYPRINIFORMES

CYPRINIDAE

Alburnoides gmelini

Yes

CYPRINIFORMES

CYPRINIDAE

Alburnoides kubanicus

Yes

CYPRINIFORMES

CYPRINIDAE

Alburnoides maculatus

B1ab(ii,iii)

Yes

CYPRINIFORMES

CYPRINIDAE

Alburnoides ohridanus

CYPRINIFORMES

CYPRINIDAE

Alburnoides prespensis

CYPRINIFORMES

CYPRINIDAE

Alburnoides rossicus

LC B1ab(ii,v) +2ab(ii,v)

B1ab(ii,v) +2ab(ii,v)

Yes D2

Yes Yes

Yes

Order

Family

Species

IUCN Red List Category (Europe)

IUCN Red List Criteria (Europe)

IUCN Red List Category (EU 27)

IUCN Red List Criteria (EU 27)

CYPRINIFORMES

CYPRINIDAE

Alburnus albidus

B2ab(i,ii,iii,iv,v)

CYPRINIFORMES CYPRINIFORMES

CYPRINIDAE

Alburnus alburnus

CYPRINIDAE

Alburnus arborella

CYPRINIFORMES

CYPRINIDAE

Alburnus belvica

CYPRINIFORMES

CYPRINIDAE

Alburnus chalcoides

CYPRINIFORMES

CYPRINIDAE

Alburnus hohenackeri

CYPRINIFORMES

CYPRINIDAE

Alburnus istanbulensis

CYPRINIFORMES

CYPRINIDAE

Alburnus leobergi

Yes

LC LC D2

CYPRINIFORMES

CYPRINIDAE

Alburnus macedonicus

A3c; B1ab(i,ii,iii) +2ab(i,ii,iii)

CYPRINIFORMES

CYPRINIDAE

Alburnus mandrensis

B1ab(ii,iii)

CYPRINIFORMES

CYPRINIDAE

Alburnus mento

LC EN

Endemic Endemic to to Europe EU 27

B1ab(ii,iii,v) +2ab(ii,iii,v)

Yes

A3c; B1ab(i,ii,iii) +2ab(i,ii,iii)

Yes

B1ab(ii,iii)

Yes

CYPRINIFORMES

CYPRINIDAE

Alburnus mentoides

CYPRINIFORMES

CYPRINIDAE

Alburnus neretvae

CYPRINIFORMES

CYPRINIDAE

Alburnus sarmaticus

B2ab(v)

Yes

CYPRINIFORMES

CYPRINIDAE

Alburnus schischkovi

B1ab(ii,iii,v) +2ab(ii,iii,v)

Yes

CYPRINIFORMES

CYPRINIDAE

Alburnus scoranza

Yes

CYPRINIFORMES

CYPRINIDAE

Alburnus sp. nov. ‘Volvi’

Yes

CYPRINIFORMES

CYPRINIDAE

Alburnus thessalicus

Yes

CYPRINIFORMES

CYPRINIDAE

Alburnus vistonicus

B2ab(ii,iii)

Yes

CYPRINIFORMES

CYPRINIDAE

Alburnus volviticus

B1ab(i,ii,iii,iv,v) +2ab(i,ii,iii,iv,v)

Yes

CYPRINIFORMES

CYPRINIDAE

Anaecypris hispanica

A2ace

Yes

CYPRINIFORMES

CYPRINIDAE

Aspius aspius

CYPRINIFORMES

CYPRINIDAE

Aulopyge huegelii

CYPRINIFORMES

CYPRINIDAE

Ballerus ballerus

CYPRINIFORMES

CYPRINIDAE

Ballerus sapa

CYPRINIFORMES

CYPRINIDAE

CYPRINIFORMES

CYPRINIDAE

CYPRINIFORMES

Yes

LC NA

Yes

Barbus balcanicus

Yes

Barbus barbus

Yes

CYPRINIDAE

Barbus bergi

Yes

CYPRINIFORMES

CYPRINIDAE

Barbus caninus

Yes

CYPRINIFORMES

CYPRINIDAE

Barbus carpathicus

Yes

CYPRINIFORMES

CYPRINIDAE

Barbus ciscaucasicus

Yes

CYPRINIFORMES

CYPRINIDAE

Barbus cyclolepis

Yes

CYPRINIFORMES

CYPRINIDAE

Barbus euboicus

B1ab(i,ii)c(ii) +2ab(i,ii)c(ii)

Yes

CYPRINIFORMES

CYPRINIDAE

Barbus haasi

A2ce+3ce

Yes

CYPRINIFORMES

CYPRINIDAE

Barbus kubanicus

Yes

CYPRINIFORMES

CYPRINIDAE

Barbus macedonicus

Yes

CYPRINIFORMES

CYPRINIDAE

Barbus meridionalis

Yes

CYPRINIFORMES

CYPRINIDAE

Barbus peloponnesius

Yes

CYPRINIFORMES

CYPRINIDAE

Barbus pergamonensis

CYPRINIFORMES

CYPRINIDAE

Barbus petenyi

Yes

CYPRINIFORMES

CYPRINIDAE

Barbus plebejus

Yes

CYPRINIFORMES

CYPRINIDAE

Barbus prespensis

CYPRINIFORMES

CYPRINIDAE

Barbus rebeli

Yes

CYPRINIFORMES

CYPRINIDAE

Barbus sperchiensis

Yes

CYPRINIFORMES

CYPRINIDAE

Barbus strumicae

Yes

CYPRINIFORMES

CYPRINIDAE

Barbus tauricus

CYPRINIFORMES CYPRINIFORMES

CYPRINIDAE CYPRINIDAE

Barbus tyberinus Barbus waleckii

NT LC

NA NT

Yes Yes

Yes

B1ab(iii,v)

A2ace

B1ab(iii)

B1ab(i,ii,iii,v)

A2ace

B1ab(i,ii)c(ii) +2ab(i,ii)c(ii)

A2ce+3ce

Yes

B1ab(iii)

Yes

Order

Family

Species

IUCN Red List Category (Europe)

CYPRINIFORMES

CYPRINIDAE

Blicca bjoerkna

CYPRINIFORMES

CYPRINIDAE

Carassius carassius

CYPRINIFORMES

CYPRINIDAE

Chondrostoma knerii

CYPRINIFORMES

CYPRINIDAE

Chondrostoma kubanicum

CYPRINIFORMES

CYPRINIDAE

CYPRINIFORMES

CYPRINIDAE

IUCN Red List Criteria (Europe)

IUCN Red List Category (EU 27)

IUCN Red List Criteria (EU 27)

Endemic Endemic to to Europe EU 27

LC LC D2

Yes

Chondrostoma nasus

Yes

Chondrostoma oxyrhynchum

Yes

CYPRINIFORMES

CYPRINIDAE

Chondrostoma phoxinus

B1ab(i,ii,iii,iv,v)

CYPRINIFORMES

CYPRINIDAE

Chondrostoma prespense

CYPRINIFORMES

CYPRINIDAE

Chondrostoma scodrense

CYPRINIFORMES

CYPRINIDAE

Chondrostoma soetta

CYPRINIFORMES

CYPRINIDAE

Chondrostoma vardarense

CYPRINIFORMES

CYPRINIDAE

Chondrostoma variabile

CYPRINIFORMES

CYPRINIDAE

Cyprinus carpio

CYPRINIFORMES

CYPRINIDAE

Delminichthys adspersus

Yes D2

NA B2ab(i,ii,iii,iv,v)

Yes

Yes B2ab(i,ii,iii,iv,v)

NT NA

Yes

A2ce

B2ab(iii)

Yes

CYPRINIFORMES

CYPRINIDAE

Delminichthys ghetaldii

B1ab(ii,iii) +2ab(ii,iii)

CYPRINIFORMES

CYPRINIDAE

Delminichthys jadovensis

B1ab(iii,iv)

Yes

CYPRINIFORMES

CYPRINIDAE

Delminichthys krbavensis

B1ab(ii,iii,iv) +2ab(ii,iii,iv)

Yes

CYPRINIFORMES

CYPRINIDAE

Gobio alverniae

Yes

CYPRINIFORMES

CYPRINIDAE

Gobio brevicirris

Yes

CYPRINIFORMES

CYPRINIDAE

Gobio bulgaricus

Yes

CYPRINIFORMES

CYPRINIDAE

Gobio carpathicus

Yes

CYPRINIFORMES

CYPRINIDAE

Gobio delyamurei

B1ab(ii,iii) +2ab(ii,iii)

CYPRINIFORMES

CYPRINIDAE

Gobio feraeensis

B1ab(i,ii,iii,iv,v)

CYPRINIFORMES

CYPRINIDAE

Gobio gobio

Yes

B1ab(i,ii,iii,iv,v)

Yes

CYPRINIFORMES

CYPRINIDAE

Gobio holurus

CYPRINIFORMES

CYPRINIDAE

Gobio kovatschevi

B1ab(iii,v)

NA VU

CYPRINIFORMES

CYPRINIDAE

Gobio krymensis

B1ab(ii,iii,v)

Yes

CYPRINIFORMES

CYPRINIDAE

Gobio kubanicus

Yes

CYPRINIFORMES

CYPRINIDAE

Gobio lozanoi

Yes

CYPRINIFORMES

CYPRINIDAE

Gobio obtusirostris

Yes

CYPRINIFORMES

CYPRINIDAE

Gobio occitaniae

Yes

CYPRINIFORMES

CYPRINIDAE

Gobio ohridanus

Yes

CYPRINIFORMES

CYPRINIDAE

Gobio sarmaticus

Yes

CYPRINIFORMES

CYPRINIDAE

Gobio skadarensis

Yes

D2 B1ab(ii,iii) +2ab(ii,iii)

Yes B1ab(iii,v)

Yes

CYPRINIFORMES

CYPRINIDAE

Gobio volgensis

CYPRINIFORMES

CYPRINIDAE

Iberochondrostoma almacai

B2ab(i,ii,iii)

Yes Yes

Yes

CYPRINIFORMES

CYPRINIDAE

Iberochondrostoma lemmingii

A2ace+3ce

Yes

CYPRINIFORMES

CYPRINIDAE

Iberochondrostoma lusitanicus

A2ce

Yes

CYPRINIFORMES

CYPRINIDAE

Iberochondrostoma oretanum

A2ace; B2ab(ii,iii)

Yes

CYPRINIFORMES

CYPRINIDAE

Iberocypris alburnoides

A3ce

Yes

B1ab(ii,iii) +2ab(ii,iii)

Yes

CYPRINIFORMES

CYPRINIDAE

Iberocypris palaciosi

B1ab(ii,iii) +2ab(ii,iii)

CYPRINIFORMES

CYPRINIDAE

Ladigesocypris ghigii

CYPRINIFORMES

CYPRINIDAE

Leucaspius delineatus

CYPRINIFORMES

CYPRINIDAE

Leuciscus bearnensis

Yes

CYPRINIFORMES

CYPRINIDAE

Leuciscus burdigalensis

Yes

CYPRINIFORMES

CYPRINIDAE

Leuciscus danilewskii

Yes

CYPRINIFORMES

CYPRINIDAE

Leuciscus idus

Order

Family

Species

IUCN Red List Category (Europe)

IUCN Red List Criteria (Europe)

IUCN Red List Category (EU 27)

IUCN Red List Criteria (EU 27)

Endemic Endemic to to Europe EU 27

CYPRINIFORMES

CYPRINIDAE

Leuciscus leuciscus

Yes

CYPRINIFORMES

CYPRINIDAE

Leuciscus oxyrrhis

Yes

CYPRINIFORMES

CYPRINIDAE

Luciobarbus albanicus

Yes

CYPRINIFORMES

CYPRINIDAE

Luciobarbus bocagei

Yes

CYPRINIFORMES

CYPRINIDAE

Luciobarbus brachycephalus

A2d

CYPRINIFORMES

CYPRINIDAE

Luciobarbus capito

A2cd

CYPRINIFORMES

CYPRINIDAE

Luciobarbus comizo

A2ce

Yes

B1ab(i,ii,iii,iv) +2ab(i,ii,iii,iv)

Yes

CYPRINIFORMES

CYPRINIDAE

Luciobarbus graecus

CYPRINIFORMES

CYPRINIDAE

Luciobarbus graellsii

Yes

CYPRINIFORMES

CYPRINIDAE

Luciobarbus guiraonis

A3ce

Yes

CYPRINIFORMES

CYPRINIDAE

Luciobarbus microcephalus

A2ce+3ce

Yes

CYPRINIFORMES

CYPRINIDAE

Luciobarbus sclateri

Yes

CYPRINIFORMES

CYPRINIDAE

Luciobarbus steindachneri

Yes

CYPRINIFORMES

CYPRINIDAE

Pachychilon macedonicum

Yes

CYPRINIFORMES

CYPRINIDAE

Pachychilon pictum

Yes

CYPRINIFORMES

CYPRINIDAE

Parachondrostoma arrigonis

CYPRINIFORMES

CYPRINIDAE

Parachondrostoma miegii

CYPRINIFORMES

CYPRINIDAE

Parachondrostoma toxostoma

CYPRINIFORMES

CYPRINIDAE

CYPRINIFORMES

CYPRINIDAE

LC A2ce

A2ce

A2ace;B2ab (i,ii,iii,iv,v)

A2ce

Parachondrostoma turiense

B2ab(i,iii,v)

Pelasgus epiroticus

A2be; B1ab(v) B2ab(ii,iii,iv,v)

Yes

B2ab(i,iii,v)

Yes

A2be; B1ab(v)

Yes

B2ab(ii,iii,iv,v)

CYPRINIFORMES

CYPRINIDAE

Pelasgus laconicus

Yes

CYPRINIFORMES

CYPRINIDAE

Pelasgus marathonicus

Yes

CYPRINIFORMES

CYPRINIDAE

Pelasgus minutus

Yes

CYPRINIFORMES

CYPRINIDAE

Pelasgus prespensis

CYPRINIFORMES

CYPRINIDAE

Pelasgus stymphalicus

CYPRINIFORMES

CYPRINIDAE

Pelasgus thesproticus

CYPRINIFORMES

CYPRINIDAE

Pelecus cultratus

CYPRINIFORMES

CYPRINIDAE

Petroleuciscus borysthenicus

CYPRINIFORMES

CYPRINIDAE

Petroleuciscus smyrnaeus

CYPRINIFORMES

CYPRINIDAE

Phoxinellus alepidotus

B2ab(ii,iii,iv)

Yes

CYPRINIFORMES

CYPRINIDAE

Phoxinellus dalmaticus

B1ab(ii)+2ab(ii)

Yes

CYPRINIFORMES

CYPRINIDAE

Phoxinellus pseudalepidotus

Yes

CYPRINIFORMES

CYPRINIDAE

Phoxinus bigerri

Yes

CYPRINIFORMES

CYPRINIDAE

Phoxinus colchicus

CYPRINIFORMES

CYPRINIDAE

Phoxinus lumaireul

CYPRINIFORMES

CYPRINIDAE

Phoxinus phoxinus

CYPRINIFORMES

CYPRINIDAE

Phoxinus septimaniae

Yes

CYPRINIFORMES

CYPRINIDAE

Phoxinus strandjae

B1ab(ii,iii)

Yes

CYPRINIFORMES

CYPRINIDAE

Phoxinus strymonicus

B1ab(iii)

Yes

CYPRINIFORMES

CYPRINIDAE

Protochondrostoma genei

Yes

CYPRINIFORMES

CYPRINIDAE

Pseudochondrostoma duriense

Yes

CYPRINIFORMES

CYPRINIDAE

Pseudochondrostoma polylepis

Yes

CYPRINIFORMES

CYPRINIDAE

Pseudochondrostoma willkommii

Yes

CYPRINIFORMES

CYPRINIDAE

Rhodeus amarus

CYPRINIFORMES

CYPRINIDAE

Rhodeus meridionalis

Yes

B1ab(iii,iv,v) +2ab(iii,iv,v)

Yes

LC B1ab(iii)

B1ab(iii)

Yes

LC A3ce

A3ce

LC A3ce+4ce

A3ce+4ce

CYPRINIFORMES

CYPRINIDAE

Rhynchocypris czekanowskii

CYPRINIFORMES CYPRINIFORMES

CYPRINIDAE CYPRINIDAE

Rhynchocypris percnurus Romanogobio albipinnatus

NA LC

NA NA

Yes

CYPRINIFORMES

CYPRINIDAE

Romanogobio antipai

Yes

CYPRINIFORMES

CYPRINIDAE

Romanogobio belingi

Yes

Order

Family

Species

IUCN Red List Category (Europe)

IUCN Red List Criteria (Europe)

IUCN Red List Category (EU 27)

IUCN Red List Criteria (EU 27)

CYPRINIFORMES

CYPRINIDAE

CYPRINIFORMES CYPRINIFORMES CYPRINIFORMES

Endemic Endemic to to Europe EU 27

Romanogobio benacensis

B2ab(i,ii,iii,iv,v)

CYPRINIDAE

Romanogobio ciscaucasicus

Yes

CYPRINIDAE

Romanogobio elimeius

Yes

CYPRINIDAE

Romanogobio kesslerii

Yes

Yes Yes

CYPRINIFORMES

CYPRINIDAE

Romanogobio parvus

Yes

CYPRINIFORMES

CYPRINIDAE

Romanogobio pentatrichus

Yes

CYPRINIFORMES

CYPRINIDAE

Romanogobio tanaiticus

Yes

CYPRINIFORMES

CYPRINIDAE

Romanogobio uranoscopus

Yes

CYPRINIFORMES

CYPRINIDAE

Romanogobio vladykovi

Yes

CYPRINIFORMES

CYPRINIDAE

Rutilus aula

Yes

CYPRINIFORMES

CYPRINIDAE

Rutilus basak

Yes

CYPRINIFORMES

CYPRINIDAE

Rutilus caspicus

CYPRINIFORMES

CYPRINIDAE

Rutilus frisii

CYPRINIFORMES

CYPRINIDAE

Rutilus heckelii

Yes

CYPRINIFORMES

CYPRINIDAE

Rutilus karamani

Yes

CYPRINIFORMES

CYPRINIDAE

Rutilus meidingeri

CYPRINIFORMES

CYPRINIDAE

Rutilus ohridanus

CYPRINIFORMES

CYPRINIDAE

Rutilus panosi

CYPRINIFORMES

CYPRINIDAE

Rutilus pigus

CYPRINIFORMES

CYPRINIDAE

Rutilus prespensis

CYPRINIFORMES

CYPRINIDAE

Rutilus rubilio

CYPRINIFORMES

CYPRINIDAE

Rutilus rutilus

CYPRINIFORMES

CYPRINIDAE

Rutilus virgo

CYPRINIFORMES

CYPRINIDAE

Rutilus ylikiensis

CYPRINIFORMES

CYPRINIDAE

Scardinius acarnanicus

CYPRINIFORMES

CYPRINIDAE

Scardinius dergle

CYPRINIFORMES

CYPRINIDAE

Scardinius erythrophthalmus

CYPRINIFORMES

CYPRINIDAE

Scardinius graecus

CYPRINIFORMES

CYPRINIDAE

Scardinius hesperidicus

CYPRINIFORMES

CYPRINIDAE

Scardinius knezevici

CYPRINIFORMES

CYPRINIDAE

Scardinius plotizza

B1ab(i,ii,iii,iv,v) +2ab(i,ii,iii,iv,v)

NA D2

Yes

LC B1ab(i,ii,iii,iv,v)

Yes

Yes D2

LC D2

Yes

B1ab(i,ii,iii,iv,v)

LC B1ab(i,ii,iii,v) +2ab(i,ii,iii,v)

B1ab(i,ii,iii,v) +2ab(i,ii,iii,v)

Yes

CYPRINIFORMES

CYPRINIDAE

Scardinius racovitzai

B1ab(ii,iii) +2ab(ii,iii)

CYPRINIFORMES

CYPRINIDAE

Scardinius scardafa

A3e

Yes

CYPRINIFORMES

CYPRINIDAE

Squalius albus

Yes

CYPRINIFORMES

CYPRINIDAE

Squalius aphipsi

Yes

CYPRINIFORMES

CYPRINIDAE

Squalius aradensis

CYPRINIFORMES

CYPRINIDAE

Squalius carolitertii

CYPRINIFORMES

CYPRINIDAE

Squalius castellanus

CYPRINIFORMES

CYPRINIDAE

Squalius cephalus

CYPRINIFORMES

CYPRINIDAE

Squalius cii

B2ab(iii,v)

B1ab(ii,iii) +2ab(ii,iii)

Yes

A3e

B2ab(iii,v)

LC B1ab(iii,v)

B1ab(iii,v)

Yes

LC B1ab(iii)

CYPRINIFORMES

CYPRINIDAE

Squalius illyricus

CYPRINIFORMES

CYPRINIDAE

Squalius janae

B1ab(iii)

Yes

A2ce; B1ab (i,ii,iii,iv,v) +2ab(i,ii,iii,iv,v)

Yes

CYPRINIFORMES

CYPRINIDAE

Squalius keadicus

CYPRINIFORMES

CYPRINIDAE

Squalius laietanus

Yes

CYPRINIFORMES

CYPRINIDAE

Squalius lucumonis

B2ab(i,ii,iii,iv)

Yes

CYPRINIFORMES

CYPRINIDAE

Squalius malacitanus

B1ab(ii,iii,v) +2ab(ii,iii,v)

Yes

CYPRINIFORMES

CYPRINIDAE

Squalius microlepis

B2ab(ii,iii)

Yes

Order

Family

Species

IUCN Red List Category (Europe)

IUCN Red List Criteria (Europe)

IUCN Red List Category (EU 27)

IUCN Red List Criteria (EU 27)

CYPRINIFORMES

CYPRINIDAE

Squalius moreoticus

B1ab(ii,iii,v) +2ab(ii,iii,v)

CYPRINIFORMES CYPRINIFORMES

CYPRINIDAE

Squalius orpheus

CYPRINIDAE

Squalius pamvoticus

CYPRINIFORMES

CYPRINIDAE

Squalius peloponnensis

CYPRINIFORMES

CYPRINIDAE

Squalius platyceps

CYPRINIFORMES

CYPRINIDAE

Squalius prespensis

CYPRINIFORMES

CYPRINIDAE

Squalius pyrenaicus

CYPRINIFORMES

CYPRINIDAE

Squalius sp. nov. ‘Aoos’

Endemic Endemic to to Europe EU 27

Yes

B1ab(ii,iii) +2ab(ii,iii)

CYPRINIFORMES

CYPRINIDAE

Squalius sp. nov. ‘Evia’

CYPRINIFORMES

CYPRINIDAE

Squalius squalus

Yes

CYPRINIFORMES

CYPRINIDAE

Squalius svallize

Yes

CYPRINIFORMES

CYPRINIDAE

Squalius tenellus

B1ab(ii,iii) +2ab(ii,iii)

CYPRINIFORMES

CYPRINIDAE

Squalius torgalensis

B1ab(ii,iii) +2ab(ii,iii)

Yes

CYPRINIFORMES

CYPRINIDAE

Squalius valentinus

B1ab(ii,iii,v)

Yes

CYPRINIFORMES

CYPRINIDAE

Squalius vardarensis

Yes

CYPRINIFORMES

CYPRINIDAE

Squalius zrmanjae

Yes

CYPRINIFORMES

CYPRINIDAE

Telestes beoticus

B1ab(i,ii,iii,iv,v)

CYPRINIFORMES

CYPRINIDAE

Telestes croaticus

B1ab(i,ii,iii,iv,v) +2ab(i,ii,iii,iv,v)

Yes

CYPRINIFORMES

CYPRINIDAE

Telestes fontinalis

B1ab(i,ii,iv) +2ab(i,ii,iv)

Yes

CYPRINIFORMES

CYPRINIDAE

Telestes metohiensis

B1ab(ii,iii) +2ab(ii,iii)

Yes

CYPRINIFORMES

CYPRINIDAE

Telestes montenigrinus

Yes

CYPRINIFORMES

CYPRINIDAE

Telestes muticellus

Yes

CYPRINIFORMES

CYPRINIDAE

Telestes pleurobipunctatus

Yes

B1ab(ii,iii,v) +2ab(ii,iii,v)

Yes

B1ab(i,ii,iii,iv,v)

Yes

CYPRINIFORMES

CYPRINIDAE

Telestes polylepis

CYPRINIFORMES

CYPRINIDAE

Telestes souffia

CYPRINIFORMES

CYPRINIDAE

Telestes sp. nov.

B2ab(i,ii,iii)

CYPRINIFORMES

CYPRINIDAE

Telestes turskyi

B1ab(ii)+2ab(ii)

Yes

CYPRINIFORMES

CYPRINIDAE

Telestes ukliva

Yes

CYPRINIFORMES

CYPRINIDAE

Tinca tinca

CYPRINIFORMES

CYPRINIDAE

Tropidophoxinellus hellenicus

CYPRINIFORMES

CYPRINIDAE

Tropidophoxinellus spartiaticus

CYPRINIFORMES

CYPRINIDAE

Vimba melanops

CYPRINIFORMES

CYPRINIDAE

Vimba vimba

CYPRINODONTIFORMES

CYPRINODONTIDAE

Aphanius almiriensis

B1ab(i,ii,iii,iv,v) +2ab(i,ii,iii,iv,v)

CYPRINODONTIFORMES

CYPRINODONTIDAE

Aphanius baeticus

A2ce

CYPRINODONTIFORMES

CYPRINODONTIDAE

Aphanius fasciatus

CYPRINODONTIFORMES

CYPRINODONTIDAE

Aphanius iberus

A2ce

CYPRINODONTIFORMES

CYPRINODONTIDAE

Valencia hispanica

A2ace

CYPRINODONTIFORMES

CYPRINODONTIDAE

Valencia letourneuxi

A3ce; B2ab(i,ii,iii,iv,v)

ESOCIFORMES

ESOCIDAE

Esox lucius

ESOCIFORMES

UMBRIDAE

Umbra krameri

A2c

GADIFORMES

LOTIDAE

Lota lota

B1ab(ii,iii,iv,v) +2ab(ii,iii,iv,v)

Yes

B1ab(i,ii,iii,iv,v) +2ab(i,ii,iii,iv,v)

Yes

A2ce

Yes

A2ce

Yes

A2ace

Yes

A3ce; B2ab(i,ii,iii,iv,v)

Yes

A2c

Yes

B1ab(ii,iii,iv,v) +2ab(ii,iii,iv,v)

LC LC

Order

Family

Species

GASTEROSTEIFORMES

GASTEROSTEIDAE

Gasterosteus aculeatus

IUCN Red List Category (Europe)

IUCN Red List Criteria (Europe)

IUCN Red List Category (EU 27)

IUCN Red List Criteria (EU 27)

Endemic Endemic to to Europe EU 27

GASTEROSTEIFORMES

GASTEROSTEIDAE

Gasterosteus crenobiontus

GASTEROSTEIFORMES

GASTEROSTEIDAE

Gasterosteus gymnurus

GASTEROSTEIFORMES

GASTEROSTEIDAE

Gasterosteus islandicus

GASTEROSTEIFORMES

GASTEROSTEIDAE

Pungitius hellenicus

GASTEROSTEIFORMES

GASTEROSTEIDAE

Pungitius laevis

GASTEROSTEIFORMES

GASTEROSTEIDAE

Pungitius platygaster

GASTEROSTEIFORMES

GASTEROSTEIDAE

Pungitius pungitius

MUGILIFORMES

MUGILIDAE

Chelon labrosus

MUGILIFORMES

MUGILIDAE

Liza aurata

MUGILIFORMES

MUGILIDAE

Liza ramada

MUGILIFORMES

MUGILIDAE

Liza saliens

MUGILIFORMES

MUGILIDAE

Mugil cephalus

OSMERIFORMES

OSMERIDAE

Hypomesus olidus

OSMERIFORMES

OSMERIDAE

Osmerus dentex

OSMERIFORMES

OSMERIDAE

Osmerus eperlanus

PERCIFORMES

BLENNIIDAE

Salaria economidisi

PERCIFORMES

BLENNIIDAE

Salaria fluviatilis

PERCIFORMES

GOBIIDAE

Babka gymnotrachelus

PERCIFORMES

GOBIIDAE

Benthophiloides brauneri

Yes

NA B2ab(i,ii,iii,iv,v)

Yes B2ab(i,ii,iii,iv,v)

LC B1ab(i,ii,iii)

B1ab(i,ii,iii)

Yes

PERCIFORMES

GOBIIDAE

Benthophilus durrelli

Yes

PERCIFORMES

GOBIIDAE

Benthophilus granulosus

Yes

PERCIFORMES

GOBIIDAE

Benthophilus leobergius

Yes

PERCIFORMES

GOBIIDAE

Benthophilus macrocephalus

Yes

PERCIFORMES

GOBIIDAE

Benthophilus magistri

Yes

PERCIFORMES

GOBIIDAE

Benthophilus mahmudbejovi

Yes

PERCIFORMES

GOBIIDAE

Benthophilus nudus

Yes

PERCIFORMES

GOBIIDAE

Benthophilus stellatus

Yes

PERCIFORMES

GOBIIDAE

Caspiosoma caspium

Yes

PERCIFORMES

GOBIIDAE

Economidichthys pygmaeus

PERCIFORMES

GOBIIDAE

Economidichthys trichonis

PERCIFORMES

GOBIIDAE

Knipowitschia bergi

PERCIFORMES

GOBIIDAE

Knipowitschia cameliae

PERCIFORMES

GOBIIDAE

Knipowitschia caucasica

PERCIFORMES

GOBIIDAE

Knipowitschia croatica

PERCIFORMES

GOBIIDAE

Knipowitschia goerneri

PERCIFORMES

GOBIIDAE

Knipowitschia longecaudata

PERCIFORMES

GOBIIDAE

Knipowitschia milleri

B1ab(ii,iii) +2ab(ii,iii)

Yes

A2b; B1ab(v)+2ab(v)

B2ab(iii); D2

A2b; B1ab(v)+2ab(v)

Yes

NA B1ab(i,ii,iii) +2ab(i,ii,iii)

PERCIFORMES

GOBIIDAE

Knipowitschia montenegrina

PERCIFORMES

GOBIIDAE

Knipowitschia mrakovcici

PERCIFORMES

GOBIIDAE

Knipowitschia panizzae

PERCIFORMES

GOBIIDAE

Knipowitschia punctatissima

PERCIFORMES

GOBIIDAE

Knipowitschia radovici

PERCIFORMES

GOBIIDAE

Knipowitschia thessala

PERCIFORMES

GOBIIDAE

Mesogobius batrachocephalus

PERCIFORMES

GOBIIDAE

Neogobius fluviatilis

PERCIFORMES

GOBIIDAE

Neogobius melanostomus

PERCIFORMES

GOBIIDAE

Neogobius pallasi

PERCIFORMES

GOBIIDAE

Padogobius bonelli

PERCIFORMES

GOBIIDAE

Padogobius nigricans

Yes

B1ab(i,ii,iii) +2ab(i,ii,iii)

Yes

B2ab(ii,iii,v)

B1ab(v)

B2ab(ii,iii,v)

Yes

B2ab(ii,iii,iv,v)

Yes Yes

Yes

LC B2ab(ii,iii,iv,v)

Yes

Order

Family

Species

IUCN Red List Category (Europe)

PERCIFORMES

GOBIIDAE

Pomatoschistus canestrinii

PERCIFORMES

GOBIIDAE

Pomatoschistus microps

PERCIFORMES

GOBIIDAE

Pomatoschistus montenegrensis

PERCIFORMES

GOBIIDAE

Ponticola constructor

PERCIFORMES

GOBIIDAE

Ponticola eurycephalus

PERCIFORMES

GOBIIDAE

Ponticola gorlap

PERCIFORMES

GOBIIDAE

Ponticola kessleri

PERCIFORMES

GOBIIDAE

Ponticola syrman

PERCIFORMES

GOBIIDAE

Proterorhinus nasalis

PERCIFORMES

GOBIIDAE

Proterorhinus semilunaris

PERCIFORMES

GOBIIDAE

Proterorhinus tataricus

PERCIFORMES

MORONIDAE

Dicentrarchus labrax

PERCIFORMES

PERCIDAE

Gymnocephalus acerina

PERCIFORMES

PERCIDAE

Gymnocephalus ambriaelacus

PERCIFORMES

PERCIDAE

Gymnocephalus baloni

PERCIFORMES

PERCIDAE

Gymnocephalus cernua

PERCIFORMES

PERCIDAE

Gymnocephalus schraetser

PERCIFORMES

PERCIDAE

Perca fluviatilis

PERCIFORMES

PERCIDAE

Percarina demidoffii

PERCIFORMES

PERCIDAE

Percarina maeotica

PERCIFORMES

PERCIDAE

Romanichthys valsanicola

PERCIFORMES

PERCIDAE

Sander lucioperca

PERCIFORMES

PERCIDAE

Sander volgensis

PERCIFORMES

PERCIDAE

Zingel asper

Yes

PERCIFORMES

PERCIDAE

Zingel balcanicus

Yes

PERCIFORMES

PERCIDAE

Zingel streber

Yes

PERCIFORMES

PERCIDAE

Zingel zingel

Yes

PETROMYZONTIFORMES

PETROMYZONTIDAE

Caspiomyzon wagneri

PETROMYZONTIFORMES

PETROMYZONTIDAE

Eudontomyzon danfordi

PETROMYZONTIFORMES

PETROMYZONTIDAE

Eudontomyzon hellenicus

PETROMYZONTIFORMES

PETROMYZONTIDAE

Eudontomyzon mariae

Yes

PETROMYZONTIFORMES

PETROMYZONTIDAE

Eudontomyzon sp. nov. ‘migratory’

Yes

PETROMYZONTIFORMES

PETROMYZONTIDAE

Eudontomyzon stankokaramani

Yes

PETROMYZONTIFORMES

PETROMYZONTIDAE

Eudontomyzon vladykovi

Yes

PETROMYZONTIFORMES

PETROMYZONTIDAE

Lampetra fluviatilis

Yes

PETROMYZONTIFORMES

PETROMYZONTIDAE

Lampetra planeri

Yes

PETROMYZONTIFORMES

PETROMYZONTIDAE

Lampetra zanandreai

Yes

PETROMYZONTIFORMES

PETROMYZONTIDAE

Lethenteron camtschaticum

PETROMYZONTIFORMES

PETROMYZONTIDAE

Lethenteron reissneri

PETROMYZONTIFORMES

PETROMYZONTIDAE

Petromyzon marinus

PLEURONECTIFORMES

PLEURONECTIDAE

Liopsetta glacialis

PLEURONECTIFORMES

PLEURONECTIDAE

Platichthys flesus

PLEURONECTIFORMES

PLEURONECTIDAE

Pleuronectes platessa

Yes

SALMONIFORMES

SALMONIDAE

Coregonus albellus

Yes

SALMONIFORMES

SALMONIDAE

Coregonus albula

Yes

SALMONIFORMES

SALMONIDAE

Coregonus alpinus

Yes

SALMONIFORMES

SALMONIDAE

Coregonus arenicolus

Yes

SALMONIFORMES

SALMONIDAE

Coregonus atterensis

Yes

SALMONIFORMES

SALMONIDAE

Coregonus autumnalis

SALMONIFORMES

SALMONIDAE

Coregonus baerii

Yes

IUCN Red List Criteria (Europe)

IUCN Red List Category (EU 27)

IUCN Red List Criteria (EU 27)

B1ab(ii,iii) +2ab(ii,iii)

B1ab(v)

B1ab(ii,iii) +2ab(ii,iii)

Yes Yes Yes Yes

Endemic Endemic to to Europe EU 27

Yes

Yes B1ab(v)

Yes

Yes Yes B1ab(iii)

Yes

Yes Yes

B1ab(ii,iii) +2ab(ii,iii)

Yes

LC LC B2ab(iii)

B1ab(i,ii,iii,iv,v) +2ab(i,ii,iii,iv,v)

Yes B2ab(iii)

B1ab(i,ii,iii,iv,v) +2ab(i,ii,iii,iv,v)

Yes

Order

Family

Species

IUCN Red List Category (Europe)

IUCN Red List Criteria (Europe)

IUCN Red List Category (EU 27)

IUCN Red List Criteria (EU 27)

SALMONIFORMES

SALMONIDAE

Coregonus bavaricus

B1ab(iii,v) +2ab(iii,v)

SALMONIFORMES

SALMONIDAE

Coregonus bezola

SALMONIFORMES

SALMONIDAE

Coregonus candidus

SALMONIFORMES

SALMONIDAE

Coregonus clupeoides

SALMONIFORMES

SALMONIDAE

Coregonus confusus

SALMONIFORMES

SALMONIDAE

Coregonus danneri

SALMONIFORMES

SALMONIDAE

Coregonus fatioi

SALMONIFORMES

SALMONIDAE

Coregonus fera

SALMONIFORMES

SALMONIDAE

Coregonus fontanae

SALMONIFORMES

SALMONIDAE

SALMONIFORMES SALMONIFORMES

Endemic Endemic to to Europe EU 27

Yes

Coregonus gutturosus

Yes

SALMONIDAE

Coregonus heglingus

Yes

SALMONIDAE

Coregonus hiemalis

Yes

SALMONIFORMES

SALMONIDAE

Coregonus hoferi

Yes

SALMONIFORMES

SALMONIDAE

Coregonus ladogae

Yes

SALMONIFORMES

SALMONIDAE

Coregonus lavaretus

Yes

SALMONIFORMES

SALMONIDAE

Coregonus lucinensis

Yes

SALMONIFORMES

SALMONIDAE

Coregonus lutokka

Yes

SALMONIFORMES

SALMONIDAE

Coregonus macrophthalmus

Yes

SALMONIFORMES

SALMONIDAE

Coregonus maraena

SALMONIFORMES

SALMONIDAE

Coregonus maxillaris

Yes

SALMONIFORMES

SALMONIDAE

Coregonus megalops

Yes

SALMONIFORMES

SALMONIDAE

Coregonus muksun

SALMONIFORMES

SALMONIDAE

Coregonus nasus

SALMONIFORMES

SALMONIDAE

Coregonus nilssoni

Yes

SALMONIFORMES

SALMONIDAE

Coregonus nobilis

Yes

SALMONIFORMES

SALMONIDAE

Coregonus oxyrinchus

Yes

SALMONIFORMES

SALMONIDAE

Coregonus palaea

Yes

SALMONIFORMES

SALMONIDAE

Coregonus pallasii

Yes

SALMONIFORMES

SALMONIDAE

Coregonus peled

SALMONIFORMES

SALMONIDAE

Coregonus pennantii

SALMONIFORMES

SALMONIDAE

Coregonus pidschian

B1ab(v)

A2cd

Yes Yes

NA B1ab(iii,v) +2ab(iii,v)

B1ab(iii,v) +2ab(iii,v)

Yes

B1ab(iii) +2ab(iii)

Yes

NA B1ab(iii) +2ab(iii)

SALMONIFORMES

SALMONIDAE

Coregonus pollan

SALMONIFORMES

SALMONIDAE

Coregonus renke

Yes

SALMONIFORMES

SALMONIDAE

Coregonus restrictus

Yes

SALMONIFORMES

SALMONIDAE

Coregonus sardinella

SALMONIFORMES

SALMONIDAE

Coregonus stigmaticus

Yes

SALMONIFORMES

SALMONIDAE

Coregonus suidteri

Yes

B2ab(ii,iii,v)

SALMONIFORMES

SALMONIDAE

Coregonus trybomi

B1ab(iii,iv) +2ab(iii,iv)

SALMONIFORMES

SALMONIDAE

Coregonus vandesius

B1ab(iii) +2ab(iii)

SALMONIFORMES

SALMONIDAE

Coregonus vessicus

SALMONIFORMES

SALMONIDAE

Coregonus wartmanni

Yes

SALMONIFORMES

SALMONIDAE

Coregonus widegreni

Yes

SALMONIFORMES

SALMONIDAE

Coregonus zuerichensis

Yes

SALMONIFORMES

SALMONIDAE

Coregonus zugensis

Yes

SALMONIFORMES

SALMONIDAE

Hucho hucho

Yes

SALMONIFORMES

SALMONIDAE

Salmo aphelios

SALMONIFORMES SALMONIFORMES

SALMONIDAE SALMONIDAE

Salmo balcanicus Salmo carpio

DD DD CR

B1ab(iii,iv) +2ab(iii,iv)

B1ab(iii) +2ab(iii)

Yes

LC B2ab(ii,iii)

B2ab(ii,iii)

NA NA A2bde

Yes Yes A2bde

Yes

Order

Family

Species

IUCN Red List Category (Europe)

SALMONIFORMES

SALMONIDAE

Salmo cettii

SALMONIFORMES

SALMONIDAE

Salmo dentex

IUCN Red List Criteria (Europe)

B1ab(iii,v) +2ab(iii,v)

IUCN Red List Category (EU 27)

IUCN Red List Criteria (EU 27)

Endemic Endemic to to Europe EU 27

Yes

SALMONIFORMES

SALMONIDAE

Salmo ezenami

SALMONIFORMES

SALMONIDAE

Salmo ferox

SALMONIFORMES

SALMONIDAE

Salmo fibreni

SALMONIFORMES

SALMONIDAE

Salmo labrax

Yes

SALMONIFORMES

SALMONIDAE

Salmo letnica

Yes

DD D2

Yes

SALMONIFORMES

SALMONIDAE

Salmo lumi

Yes

SALMONIFORMES

SALMONIDAE

Salmo macedonicus

Yes

SALMONIFORMES

SALMONIDAE

Salmo marmoratus

Yes

SALMONIFORMES

SALMONIDAE

Salmo nigripinnis

Yes

SALMONIFORMES

SALMONIDAE

Salmo obtusirostris

B2ab(v)

SALMONIFORMES

SALMONIDAE

Salmo ohridanus

SALMONIFORMES

SALMONIDAE

Salmo pelagonicus

B1ab(v)

Yes

SALMONIFORMES

SALMONIDAE

Salmo peristericus

B1ab(iii) +2ab(iii)

Yes

SALMONIFORMES

SALMONIDAE

Salmo rhodanensis

Yes

SALMONIFORMES

SALMONIDAE

Salmo salar

SALMONIFORMES

SALMONIDAE

Salmo schiefermuelleri

Yes

SALMONIFORMES

SALMONIDAE

Salmo stomachicus

Yes

SALMONIFORMES

SALMONIDAE

Salmo taleri

SALMONIFORMES

SALMONIDAE

Salmo trutta

SALMONIFORMES

SALMONIDAE

Salvelinus alpinus

SALMONIFORMES

SALMONIDAE

Salvelinus colii

Yes

SALMONIFORMES

SALMONIDAE

Salvelinus evasus

Yes

SALMONIFORMES

SALMONIDAE

Salvelinus fimbriatus

Yes

SALMONIFORMES

SALMONIDAE

Salvelinus gracillimus

Yes

SALMONIFORMES

SALMONIDAE

Salvelinus grayi

B1ab(iii,v)

Yes

SALMONIFORMES

SALMONIDAE

Salvelinus inframundus

Yes

SALMONIFORMES

SALMONIDAE

Salvelinus killinensis

Yes

SALMONIFORMES

SALMONIDAE

Salvelinus lepechini

SALMONIFORMES

SALMONIDAE

Salvelinus lonsdalii

B1ab(v)+2ab(v)

Yes

SALMONIFORMES

SALMONIDAE

Salvelinus mallochi

Yes

SALMONIFORMES

SALMONIDAE

Salvelinus maxillaris

Yes

SALMONIFORMES

SALMONIDAE

Salvelinus murta

SALMONIFORMES

SALMONIDAE

Salvelinus neocomensis

SALMONIFORMES

SALMONIDAE

Salvelinus obtusus

B1ab(iii)

SALMONIFORMES

SALMONIDAE

Salvelinus perisii

SALMONIFORMES

SALMONIDAE

Salvelinus profundus

SALMONIFORMES

SALMONIDAE

Salvelinus sp. nov. ‘Fjellfrøsvatn’

SALMONIFORMES

SALMONIDAE

Salvelinus struanensis

SALMONIFORMES

SALMONIDAE

Salvelinus thingvallensis

SALMONIFORMES

SALMONIDAE

Salvelinus umbla

Yes Yes

DD D2

Yes

NA NT

DD D2

Yes

B1ab(iii) +2ab(iii)

Salvelinus youngeri

Stenodus leucichthys

Stenodus nelma

Thymallus arcticus Thymallus thymallus

NA LC

COTTIDAE

Cottus aturi

Yes

COTTIDAE

Cottus duranii

Yes

SALMONIFORMES

SALMONIDAE

Salvelinus willoughbii

SALMONIFORMES

SALMONIDAE

SALMONIFORMES

SALMONIDAE

SALMONIFORMES

SALMONIDAE

SALMONIFORMES SALMONIFORMES

SALMONIDAE SALMONIDAE

SCORPAENIFORMES SCORPAENIFORMES

B1ab(iii) +2ab(iii)

Yes

Order

Family

Species

IUCN Red List Category (Europe)

IUCN Red List Criteria (Europe)

IUCN Red List Category (EU 27)

SCORPAENIFORMES

COTTIDAE

Cottus gobio

Yes

SCORPAENIFORMES

COTTIDAE

Cottus haemusi

Yes

SCORPAENIFORMES

COTTIDAE

Cottus hispaniolensis

Yes

SCORPAENIFORMES

COTTIDAE

Cottus koshewnikowi

Yes

SCORPAENIFORMES

COTTIDAE

Cottus metae

Yes

SCORPAENIFORMES

COTTIDAE

Cottus microstomus

Yes

SCORPAENIFORMES

COTTIDAE

Cottus perifretum

SCORPAENIFORMES

COTTIDAE

Cottus petiti

SCORPAENIFORMES

COTTIDAE

Cottus poecilopus

SCORPAENIFORMES

COTTIDAE

Cottus rhenanus

SCORPAENIFORMES

COTTIDAE

Cottus rondeleti

B1ab(ii,iii) +2ab(ii,iii)

SCORPAENIFORMES

COTTIDAE

Cottus scaturigo

SCORPAENIFORMES

COTTIDAE

Cottus transsilvaniae

SCORPAENIFORMES

COTTIDAE

Triglopsis quadricornis

LC D2

B1ab(ii,iii) +2ab(ii,iii)

SILURIFORMES

SILURIDAE

Silurus aristotelis

SILURIFORMES

SILURIDAE

Silurus glanis

SYNGNATHIFORMES

SYNGNATHIDAE

Syngnathus abaster

IUCN Red List Criteria (EU 27)

Endemic Endemic to to Europe EU 27

Yes

Appendix 4. Methodology for spatial analyses Data were analysed at the hydroshed level. River basins were selected as the spatial unit for mapping and analysing freshwater species distributions as it is generally accepted that the river/lake basin or catchment is the most appropriate management unit for inland waters. Species distributions have been mapped to include brackish and marine ranges where appropriate, however the spatial analyses only include the inland ranges for the purposes of this report.

Patterns of species richness (Figure 5) were mapped by counting the number of extant species in each hydroshed. Patterns of threatened species richness (Figure 6) were mapped by counting the number of threatened species (categories CR, EN, VU at the European regional level) in each hydroshed. Patterns of endemic species richness were mapped by counting the number of species in each hydroshed that were flagged as being endemic to geographic Europe as defined in this project (Figure 7).

Appendix 5. Example species summary and distribution map The species summary gives all the information collated (for each species) during this assessment, including a distribution map. You can search for and download all the summaries and distribution maps

from the European Red List website and data portal available online at http://ec.europa.eu/environment/ nature/conservation/species/redlist and http://www. iucnredlist.org/europe.

IUCN Red List of Threatened Species™ – Regional Assessments Europe The Status and Distribution of European Mammals. Compiled by Helen J. Temple and Andrew Terry, 2007 European Red List of Reptiles. Compiled by Neil Cox and Helen J. Temple, 2009 European Red List of Amphibians. Compiled by Helen J. Temple and Neil Cox, 2009 European Red List of Dragonflies. Compiled by Vincent J. Kalkman, Jean-Pierre Boudot, R. Bernard, Klaus-Jürgen Conze, Geert De Knijf, Elena Dyatlova, Sonia Ferreira, Miloš Jović, Jürgen Ott, Elisa Riservato and Göran Sahlén, 2010 European Red List of Saproxylic Beetles. Compiled by Ana Nieto and Keith Alexander, 2010 European Red List of Butterflies. Compiled by Chris van Swaay, Sue Collins, Annabelle Cuttelod, Dirk Maes, Miguel López Munguira, Martina Šašić, Josef Settele, Theo Verstrael, Rudi Verovnik, Martin Warren, Martin Wiemers and Irma Wynhoff, 2010 European Red List of Molluscs. Annabelle Cuttelod, Eike Neubert and Mary Seddon, 2011 European Red List of Vascular Plants. Melanie Bilz, Shelagh P. Kell, Nigel Maxted and Richard V. Lansdown, 2011

Other regions The Status and Distribution of Freshwater Biodiversity in Eastern Africa. Compiled by William R.T. Darwall, Kevin G. Smith, Thomas Lowe, Jean-Christophe VieÅL, 2005 The Status and Distribution of Freshwater Fish Endemic to the Mediterranean Basin. Compiled by Kevin G. Smith and William R.T. Darwall, 2006 The Status and Distribution of Reptiles and Amphibians of the Mediterranean Basin. Compiled by Neil Cox, Janice Chanson and Simon Stuart, 2006 Overview of the Cartilaginous Fishes (Chondrichthyans) in the Mediterranean Sea. Compiled by Rachel D. Cavanagh and Claudine Gibson, 2007 The Status and Distribution of Dragonflies of the Mediterranean Basin. Compiled by Elisa Riservato, Jean-Pierre Boudot, Sonia Ferreira, Miloš Jović, Vincent J. Kalkman, Wolfgang Schneider, Boudjéma Samraoui and Annabelle Cuttelod, 2009 The Status and Distribution of Mediterranean Mammals. Compiled by Helen J. Temple and Annabelle Cuttelod, 2009 The Status and Distribution of Freshwater Biodiversity in Southern Africa. Compiled by William R.T. Darwall, Kevin G. Smith, Denis Tweddle and Paul Skelton, 2009 The Status and Distribution of Freshwater Biodiversity in Western Africa. Compiled by Kevin Smith, Mame D. Diop and Mamadou Niane, 2009 The Status and Distribution of Freshwater Biodiversity in Northern Africa. Compiled by Nieves García, Annabelle Cuttelod and Dania Abdul Malak, 2010 The Status and Distribution of Freshwater Biodiversity in the Eastern Himalaya. Compiled by David Allen, Snajay Molur and B.A. Daniel, 2010 The Status and Distribution of Freshwater Biodiversity in Central Africa. Compiled by Emma G.E. Brooks, David J. Allen and William R.T. Darwall, 2011 The diversity of life in African freshwaters; Underwater, under threat. An analysis of the status and distribution of freshwater species throughout mainland Africa. Edited by William Darwall, Kevin Smith, David Allen, Robert Holland, Ian Harrison and Emma Brooks, 2011

European Commission European Red List of Freshwater Fishes

Luxembourg: Publications Office of the European Union 2011 – viii + 60pp + 4pp cover. 210 x 297 mm ISBN 978-92-79-20200-1 doi:10.2779/85903

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IUCN – The Species Survival Commission The Species Survival Commission (SSC) is the largest of IUCN’s six volunteer commissions with a global membership of 8,000 experts. SSC advises IUCN and its members on the wide range of technical and scientific aspects of species conservation and is dedicated to securing a future for biodiversity. SSC has significant input into the international agreements dealing with biodiversity conservation. www.iucn.org/ssc

IUCN – Global Species Programme The IUCN Global Species Programme supports the activities of the IUCN Species Survival Commission and individual Specialist Groups, as well as implementing global species conservation initiatives. It is an integral part of the IUCN Secretariat and is managed from IUCN’s international headquarters in Gland, Switzerland. The Global Species Programme includes a number of technical units covering Species Trade and Use, The IUCN Red List, Freshwater Biodiversity Assessment Initiative (all located in Cambridge, UK), and the Global Biodiversity Assessment Initiative (located in Washington DC, USA). www.iucn.org/species

IUCN – Regional Office for Europe The IUCN Regional Office for Europe (ROfE) is based in Gland (Switzerland) and has three sub-regional offices: the European Union Representative Office in Brussels (Belgium), the Programme Office for South-Eastern Europe in Belgrade (Serbia) and the Caucasus Cooperation Centre in Tbilisi (Georgia). In cooperation with more than 350 European members and other parts of the IUCN constituency, ROfE implements the IUCN European Programme. The Programme area covers 55 countries and stretches from Greenland in the west to Kamchatka in the east. www.iucn.org/europe

This publication summarises results for Europe’s native species of freshwater fishes and lampreys. At least 37% of these species are threatened. Major threats include the over-abstraction of water, which in many cases is further exacerbated by increasing droughts due to climate change, pollution, and the introduction of alien species. Other important threats include overfishing, especially in the large rivers of Eastern Europe and the massive increase in dam constructions which lead to the interruption of stream connectivity and the total alteration of the stream habitats. The European Red List was compiled by IUCN’s Global Species Programme and Regional Office for Europe and is the product of a service contract with the European Commission. It is available online at http://ec.europa.eu/environment/nature/conservation/species/redlist and http://www.iucnredlist.org/europe.

KH-32-11-735-EN-C

The European Red List is a review of the conservation status of c.6,000 European species (mammals, reptiles, amphibians, freshwater fishes, butterflies, dragonflies, and selected groups of beetles, molluscs, and vascular plants) according to IUCN regional Red Listing guidelines. It identifies those species that are threatened with extinction at the regional level – in order that appropriate conservation action can be taken to improve their status.