A SPECIES of small fish has become extinct in the world - except for a handful kept in West Somerset.
Tropiquaria Zoo, near Watchet, has become the planet’s last refuge for a variety of the livebearing Mexican Goodeid fish.
The last wild population of the Goodeid strain Jewelled Splitfin, or Xenotoca variata La Valenciana, is considered extinct after a drought dried up the Mexican river in which they lived.
Now, a small breeding group which has been looked after as part of Tropiquria’s conservation work is believed to be all that is left worldwide.
Tropiquaria has the second largest breeding programme of Mexican Goodeids in the world with more than 40 species, most of which are in severe danger of becoming extinct.
Zoo director Chris Moiser said: “We have nearly 80 breeding tanks of various sizes, helping to keep these species alive.”
Mr Moiser said most populations of Jewelled Splitfin died out because the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) had not reviewed them since 2018.
He said the IUCN was the body which decided if a species was extinct, extinct in the wild, critically endangered, or endangered, and in 2018 it labeled them as ‘of least concern’.
The decision meant that although there were a few in captivity, most died out because ‘serious keepers’ then focussed instead on species ‘further up the ladder toward extinction’.
Mr Moiser said: “Luckily, Tropiquaria still has a breeding group of these, believed to be the last in the world, and will be working with other zoos and private breeders in the UK and across Europe to increase the numbers of these fish.
“Sometimes, small zoos like Tropiquaria can make a big difference in conservation.
“Unless there are a few private keepers with one or two, we seem to have the last captive population in the world.”
Mr Moiser said Tropiquaria’s Jewelled Splitfin were currently not on display because the zoo’s priority was to encourage the fish to breed and then to separate them into a number of colonies.
He said: “I suppose the moral of the story is that even small zoos can manage to take on significant conservation work, and sometimes the opportunity just creeps up on you.”
The online appeal was launched initially to raise £10,000, but has since been amended to £15,000, to help Tropiquaria meet its continuing overheads of about £1,500 per day until the 2025 visitor season opens.
The zoo was hit in 2024 with a dramatic drop in summer visitor numbers followed by the Government increasing the minimum wage rate and employer National Insurance contributions, on top of rising costs of energy.
The online appeal has so far brought in more than £9,200, and Mr Moiser said it was hard to put into words how heartening it was to receive such support from the community.