Profundulus oaxacae is a small killifish endemic to the upper Atoyac River, in Oaxaca, Mexico. It is locally known as "Escamudo Oaxaqueño," and exists nowhere else! In 2013, the populations in the main Atoyac River were declared extinct, and now it is restricted to just a few isolated populations in small streams. One of those is the recently rediscovered population at San Pablo Huitzo, where it was thought to have gone extinct but is still holding on in small numbers! This recent discovery in San Pablo Huitzo revealed that the small numbers of P. oaxacae were due to the presence of predatory non-native food-fish and other invasive species not local to the area that threaten the survival of the killifish. This has galvanised the local community members of San Pablo Huitzo to take action and preserve this fish so it is not lost again.

To ensure a secure future for the Escamudo Oaxaqueño of San Pablo Huitzo, the local community wants to raise funds to cover the costs required to reproduce the Escamudo Oaxaqueño, with the support of the Oaxaca Center for the Reproduction of Native and Endemic Freshwater Fish. As part of this project, the fish will be reproduced locally in captivity and released back into their local stream habitat. Simultaneously, the invasive species and predatory non-native food-fish species will be captured and relocated to other areas where they can still provide benefit to the local community and not harm the killifish population. Balancing the ratio of P. oaxacae in this way has proven highly effective in other projects undertaken by the Oaxaca Center for the Reproduction of Native and Endemic Freshwater Fish, and so it is expected to be equally successful here; inaction will result in certain extinction!

Funds Already Raised = £541.36 (Grant of £541.36 from Freshwater Life Project)

4 x breeding tubs (650 liters) @ £135.34 each = £541.36 ✔

Funds Still Required = £465.91

10 x Fish traps @ £13.53 each = £135.30

4 x scoop nets @ £27.07 each = £108.28

1 x cast net @ £38.67 = 38.67

2 x rechargeable air pumps @ £19.33 each = £38.66

1 x voluntary conservation area sign @ £19.33 = £19.33

1 x roll of cyclone mesh @ £96.67 = £96.67

4 x 20-liter buckets with lids = £29 29

Freshwater Life Project (Charity No. 1172393) is run by a small team of independent researchers working to make tangible changes for the future of threatened and endangered freshwater species and their habitats worldwide. The charity aims to conserve wetlands, lakes, rivers, and other aquatic habitats, their important resources, and the people & biodiversity that rely on them, and ensure they thrive well into the future.