Rare fish 'back from the brink'

Rare fish 'back from the brink'

Source: bbc

7/7/2008

A rare fish dating back to the Ice Age has been declared extinct at one of its few historic homes in Britain.

However, the vendace is now thriving at a new site in Loch Skene in Dumfries and Galloway after its spawn was introduced there in the 1990s.

Extensive surveys have confirmed the vendace has died out at Bassenthwaite Lake in the Lake District.

The situation means nearby Derwent Water is its only remaining native site in the UK.

The vendace is a herring-like fish which can be traced back to the Ice Age.

Historically, it has only been known at four sites - Bassenthwaite Lake and Derwent Water in the Lake District and the Castle and Mill Lochs in Lochmaben, Dumfries and Galloway.