Rarest freshwater fish thriving at Loch Skene

Britain’s rarest freshwater fish, the vendace, is thriving at Loch Skene in Dumfries and Galloway, under the management of the National Trust for Scotland.

A recent report by the Centre for Ecology and Hydrology (CEH), commissioned by Scottish Natural Heritage, found almost ten times as many vendace per hectare in the loch compared to Derwent Water, Cumbria - their only remaining native UK site.

The fish were introduced to Loch Skene in the nineties following concerns about habitat deterioration at Bassenthwaite Lake, Cumbria. No vendace have been recorded at Bassenthwaite since 2001.

Dan Watson, Property Manager at Grey Mare’s Tail said:

“It is good to know that this rare fish is doing so well here. This fish has been badly hit by pollution and predation from inappropriate fish introductions in other lakes in the country and can only be found in a couple of locations these days. The Trust is pleased to manage one of its last strongholds in Britain and to be working in partnership on this important conservation project.”

Ian J Winfield of CEH said:

"Although our overall aim is the conservation of rare fish species such as the vendace in their native habitats, the use of refuge sites such as Loch Skene is an invaluable approach to avoid the complete loss of a population and its genetic diversity. My hope is that one day we will be able to use the vendace population of Loch Skene as a source for fish to be reintroduced to a restored Bassenthwaite Lake."