4. Future conservation goals Sponsors UROPEAN MUDMINNOW E CONSERVATION PROGRAM • to come to know environmental requirements of mudminnow (physicochemical, biological and ( ) ecological investigations in natural habitats) • artificial propagation, larvae and juvenile rearing under controlled conditions • investigate the ecology of (i.e. growth, reproduction, feeding) Local government of National Civil Fund

• introductions for increase number of stocks in village Szada natural habitats • creating new habitats (ponds) in Pilot Demonstration Area • genome conservation of different rescued endangered populations: sperm cryopreservation and introductions of propagated into separated ponds of Pilot Demonstration Area • monitoring biological processes of new ponds in the Pilot Demonstration Area • widespread media communication about outcomes of project • make a film about our program for public and education.

Stocking of bred mudminnow in Pilot Demonstration Area

Tavirózsa Association for Environmental Protection 2011 and Nature Conservation

Szent István University (SzIU) Faculty of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences Institute of Environmental and Landscape Management Department of Aquaculture

Program manager: Sándor Tatár (Tavirózsa Association)

E-mail: [email protected] 5 months old (own propagated) mudminnows Postal address: H-2112 Veresegyház, Pf. 99. www.tavirozsa-egyesulet.hu

Photos: Csaba Posztós/Photomania, Sándor Tatár © 2008-2011, Tavirózsa Association • Reproduction on captivity (26 adults from 1. Conservation status of European Distribution of European mudminnow in Europe endangered populations), embryo and larva mudminnow (Harka & Sallai 2004, Sallai 2005, Freyhof & development of European mudminnow were Kottelat 2008) investigated in SzIU labs. Apart from them, the possibilities of prenursering and rearing were European mudminnow ( krameri , Walbaum investigated in controlled condition and pond. 1792) is an endemic fish species of the middle and Propagation and larvae rearing may help in lower parts of Danube and Dniester rivers’ strengthening population considerably, thus re- catchment area. It is a typical stagnophil species population of decreased stocks (183 ind. so far) and a sudden extinction of the globally endangered and Pilot Demonstration Area (168 ind. so far), fish. It is on the Red List of many European • stockings of broodfishes in natural habitats and in countries (Hungary, , , , Pilot Demonstration Area (stocked fishes grew Ukraina, ) and it also appears in Appendix faster in the artificially created ponds than II. of Bern Convention and in Annex II. of Habitats literature sources describe it), Directive, 92/43/EEC (“Natura 2000 species” of the • we have 3 different rescued stocks of Umbra European Union). It is categorized as "vulnerable" krameri in three ponds of Pilot Demonstration on the IUCN Red List due to its isolated and small Area (these separated ponds serve as refuges of populations and thus it is assumed that it may go endangered Hungarian mudminnow populations), extinct locally. • stocked mudminnows spawned in two years old ponds in spring 2011 (we developed self- sustaining populations), • we created European mudminnow Database 2. Major threats 3. Main objectives and results of program which contains biological and ecological data about mudminnow and it’s habitats, • we showed our results in scientific articles and European mudminnow is known to have been The main objectives of European media several times (e.g. televisions, radios, extirpated from many of it’s original fen habitats. It mudminnow Conservation Program are in gazettes). is estimated that mudminnow populations have situ and ex situ protection of Umbra declined by more than 30% in the past 10 years. krameri for preserve and increase natural The main reason for this decline is considered to be stocks. habitat destruction, especially channelization followed by the destruction of river and stream Results of the first three years (2008-2011): floodplains. Recently, the invasive and aggressive Rotan • 6 new ponds („Illés” ponds) fed by groundwater (Perccottus glenii , Dybowski, 1877) supplants were created in the Pilot Demonstration Area Umbra krameri in most Hungarian waters. For (average sizes of water surfaces and depths: 7x6 instance three original European mudminnow m, 1,5 m), habitats were monitored in Hungary in 2010 and • water quality of 2 years old ponds were reached two of them had only Rotan populations without the characteristic values experienced in semi- Umbra krameri . We would like to highlight that natural habitats of mudminnow, mudminnow is vulnerable because of low average • the quantities and numbers of zooplankton and life expectancy (4 years) as well. macro-invertebrate species are reached the Habitat reconstruction for mudminnow characteristic values experienced in semi-natural in Pilot Demonstration Area (in the northwestern habitats of mudminnow, part of the Great Hungarian Plain, in village Szada)