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Dubai: Diminished water tables, the introduction of non-native fish and pollution is affecting the survival of an indigenous fish species.
Colloquially known as wadi fish after their habitat, the first study of this species is currently under way and results so far have spread light on the threats mountain ecosystems and endemic species are facing here.
The main study site for this fish is in the catchment of Wadi Wurayah near Fujairah, which covers an area of 129 square kilometres.
Sixty-eight freshwater wadi pool habitats have been mapped in the last 18 months which range from small, isolated pools to extensive, flowing streams. The largest habitat is a water fall which at 8 metres high is the highest perennial waterfall in the UAE.
At risk
Emma Smart, researcher and founder of the Wadi Fish Conservation project, says the Garra barreimiae is the most common freshwater fish in the UAE and can be found throughout the Hajar mountain range in the east of the country.
"Freshwater in arid zones is increasingly at risk. This is accelerated by development, water pumping and introduction of non-native species," said Smart, a PhD student from Plymouth University in the UK.
"Throughout the Arabian Peninsula, freshwater fish populations have been lost and reduced in numbers in their natural wadi habitats. We need to act now to safeguard these unique wadi habitats and their fauna and flora," said Smart.
"It is not so much the fish but their ecosystem which depends on water levels and quality that is getting wiped out," says Damien Egan, Head of the Department of Herpetology and Freshwater Fish at the Breeding Centre for Endangered Arabian Wildlife in Sharjah.
"Wadi fish are vulnerable to possible extinction if the level of the water table continues to drop. Some fish are quite widespread and others are particular to only certain wadis," said Egan.
"Human interference, pollution in wadis, or building dams are major issues for these fish. With the onset of seasonal flooding they swim upstream to the highest pools to lay eggs and many of the small fish find their way downstream to restart the cycle," he said.
Vulnerable
On the IUCN Red List for Endangered Species, G. Barreimiae is listed as 'vulnerable' which means it is not critically endangered or endangered but is facing a high risk of extinction.
The introduction of alien species in wadis also poses a huge threat, specifically fish such as Tilapia.
"These are efficient predators that will consume the Garra," said Egan.
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