MARE researcher advocates strategic partnerships to protect native fish
MARE|ARNET researcher Carla Sousa Santos and Sara Duarte, Communication and Development Director at Águas do Tejo Atlântico, S.A., have recently co-authored an article published by the Portuguese Association for Water Distribution and Drainage on the future challenges facing native freshwater fish in Portugal and the importance of strategic partnerships for their conservation.
The authors point out that the Water Framework Directive set 2015 as the target date for achieving good ecological and chemical status in all water bodies. Currently, only 47% of water bodies have met that target, with fish populations among the most affected. The authors therefore advocate minimising the risk of extinction of native fish through the conservation of river habitats, investment in effectively improving water quality, planting native vegetation to restore riparian galleries, and re-establishing river connectivity to allow fish to move freely. 
At the same time, they consider it important to restock genetically and demographically depleted populations, citing as an example the “Ex-situ Conservation Project for River Organisms”, which in 2006 brought togetherISPA|MARE, the Vasco da Gama Aquarium and Quercus, under the supervision of ICNF, enabling fish to be caught in rivers earmarked for restoration and later restocking. According to the authors, these efforts only make sense when combined with a third pillar: promoting environmental literacy.
The Native Fish Project, coordinated by Carla Sousa Santos, rests on two pillars: scientific research into native fish populations and the river ecosystems they inhabit, and outreach to school audiences through hands-on literacy activities and the adoption of good practices for preserving these ecosystems.
Portugal is home to around fifty native river fish species, 13 of which are endemic to the country and 19 to the Iberian Peninsula. According to the authors, several of these species are currently at risk of extinction due to water pollution, the destruction of riparian galleries, the straightening and artificialisation of watercourses, the spread of exotic and invasive species, dam construction, and water scarcity caused by excessive abstraction, flow regulation and climate change. Although wastewater treatment plants have improved water quality, "cleaning up rivers and streams remains an ongoing challenge," the authors note.
According to Carla Sousa Santos and Sara Duarte, the Native Fish Project and Águas do Tejo Atlântico SA have complementary goals: on one hand, protecting native freshwater fish fauna in the Oeste region; on the other, managing the water sanitation system for Greater Lisbon and the Oeste region, ensuring the protection and improved quality of its rivers and streams. This partnership, launched in 2017, had two main objectives: establishing a scientific monitoring network for native fish fauna and their habitats during the most critical period of summer drought, and raising awareness among the school community about preserving these ecosystems through an environmental education programme for fourth-grade primary school pupils.
According to Carla Sousa Santos, the educational mission allowed pupils to take part in the typical stages of a scientific project: classroom sessions to learn about the project's details and underlying science, followed by observing biologists' fieldwork on a river near the school and, finally, taking on the role of "river guardians," responsible for analysing field data and presenting the project to other classes, families and the local community.
Over its six years, the project effectively monitored 13 rivers and ran more than a hundred awareness-raising and environmental education activities, involving 1,552 primary school pupils across eight participating municipalities. It received excellent evaluations, and the concept was exported to other countries, as seen with researcher Sónia Buck of the Federal University of São Carlos, Brazil. The project also received two honourable mentions: the Guarda-Rios Award (Good Practices), presented by GEOTA, and the Recognition Award for Social Responsibility and Sustainability Practices, presented by APEE (the Portuguese Business Ethics Association).
Among the project's main outputs are the travelling exhibition "Ictiofauna Nativa da Região Oeste" ("Native Fish Fauna of the Oeste Region"), which, with support from the Fundo Ambiental (Environmental Fund), continues to play an important role in promoting environmental literacy, as well as the illustrated children's book "Os Meninos do Rio" ("The River Children") and various educational materials developed as part of the project.
Carla Sousa Santos shares that, since 2023, the project has continued its activities, particularly capacity-building efforts, aiming to strengthen environmental literacy and raise awareness among riverside communities about preserving aquatic ecosystems and their biodiversity. The first edition of a monitor training course is currently underway, designed to train facilitators for the Native Fish Project's scientific missions in the Oeste region, an initiative that demonstrates the importance of the strategic partnership between Águas do Tejo Atlântico and academia.
Finally, the authors emphasise the importance of synergies that enable a productive collaboration for detecting, characterising and resolving the problems affecting rivers, monitoring the species that inhabit them, and fostering engagement and connection between aquatic ecosystems and the people who benefit from them.
Texto: Patrícia Chaves
Fotografias: Projeto Peixes Nativos