Save the planet! Aquarists have saved 30 species of fish from extinction

Is it okay to have wild animals as pets? We think many will answer that it is not worth it. Wild animals are accustomed to a different environment and it is cruel to torture them with a “cage”! But there are situations where it is possible – and even useful. They are in aquaria! Although here everything is not so clear. Remember the movie Finding Nemo? When it was released, the popularity of clownfish skyrocketed. More and more of them were caught in the wild – and clownfish have practically disappeared from some areas of their habitat. To save, not destroy the planet, start the right fish.

In 2004, enthusiast Claudia Dickinson founded the American CARES Fish Conservation Program. The program motivates aquarists to keep endangered fish species to prevent their extinction.

CARES is a unique list, without which little-known species will simply become extinct. There are now more than 600 species of freshwater fish on the list that are endangered in the wild.

In addition to conserving existing species, the CARES program is exploring new ones. Their list includes 80 species that have not yet been formally described by scientists, but are valued by amateur aquarists. People who are passionate about their hobby are ready to run after it to the ends of the world. This is exactly what lovers of rare fish do to study their habitat, observe their behavior and increase the population in their aquarium. 

At the moment, aquarists have managed to save more than 30 species of fish that have become extinct in the wild. In the future, enthusiasts may play their part in restoring wild populations.

One species that has gone extinct in the wild but continues to survive in home aquaria is the small-scaled Allodontichthys polylepis. The species was originally described only in 1988, and is now extinct in rivers.

Concern for freshwater fish, due to climate change, comes to the fore: environmental pollution, mining, climate change and the construction of dams are dangerous for wild populations. Therefore, aquarists today are not just enthusiastic people, but real wildlife rescuers! And if you want to join them too, read