Image related to website content

Freshwater Fish Survey in the Garden Route

7 Mar 2023 by Martine Jordaan, Ecologist Fauna

CapeNature Fauna Ecologist Dr. Martine Jordaan recently collaborated with the South African Institute for Aquatic Biodiversity (SAIAB) research group on a field trip to the river systems of the Garden Route. Dr. Albert Chakona and Prof Paul Skelton, freshwater fish experts at SAIAB have focused on resolving redfin taxonomy for the past decade, and their work has resulted in the description of several new redfin species.

The Western Cape Province is located in the Cape Fold Ecoregion, home to a group of fish known as the redfins or rooivlerkies. Except for one species, redfins are endemic to the Cape Fold Ecoregion. Ongoing research indicates that most redfin species have high levels of genetic and morphological diversity between populations and that this divergence may be enough to warrant the status of separate species.

The survey aimed to collect voucher specimens and DNA samples to use in the description of two new redfin species in the rivers of the Garden Route. The two candidate species belong to the redfin genus Pseudobarbus and were discovered through recent genetic studies, but to date, there are no formal species descriptions for these taxa.

The biological material collected during this survey will enable the completion of formal species descriptions. CapeNature will build on this process by collecting additional distribution data to enable an accurate conservation status assessment of these taxa once they are described.

The most recent National Biodiversity Assessment (2018) indicates that freshwater fish are the most threatened vertebrate group in the country. South Africa is diverse in terms of having several distinct aquatic ecoregions, each with its own freshwater fish fauna.

Image related to website content

Dr Albert Chakona and Dr Pedro Braganca sampling in the Homtini River in search of the elusive redfins of the Garden Route.

Image related to website content

Successful sampling makes for happy researchers and good collaborations: Drs Pedro Braganca, Albert Chakona and Martine Jordaan celebrating collecting the specimens that will be used for describing a new redfin species for the Western Cape. Photo by Prof Paul Skelton

Share:

Related News

Caucasian male fishing in a pond surrounded by tall green water reeds Med
26 Aug 2025
Catch and release helps to conserve the Western Cape’s indigenous fish

Freshwater ecosystems across the Western Cape are rich in biodiversity, supporting a variety of indigenous fish. However, these species are increasingly threatened by the spread of invasive alien fish species, that prey on indigenous species and compete with them for food, space, and breeding grounds.

Cape Nature Green Noise Blog Image with Julia Louw from Wesgro Tourism and Itumeleng Pooe
19 Aug 2025
Celebrating innovative, resilient women in tourism

Women are thriving in tourism and wielding influence from the boardroom to hiking trails, where they beat a pathway for others to follow. They occupy 70% of the tourism workforce in South Africa, and their voices are being amplified in the sector now more than ever. A powerful yet often overlooked statistic that underscores their vital role in the sector.

Klein Estuary Image 1
15 Aug 2025 by Pierre de Villiers
Rivers, Watersheds, and the Klein Estuary: A 2025 Natural Breach Event

Over millions of years, South Africa’s rivers and watersheds have evolved through the forces of erosion, rainfall, and shifting geology. A river catchment, or watershed, is an area of land where all surface water flows toward a single river, stream, or channel, eventually reaching the sea.

Seagull image by taryn elliott
14 Aug 2025
Avian Influenza detected in Western Cape: Public urged to stay alert, not alarmed

High pathogenicity avian influenza (HPAI or “bird flu”) is a viral disease of birds that can also, on rare occasions, infect humans and mammals. The virus spreads through bird faeces and droplets from the nose and mouth, and is present in other body fluids and tissues of dead birds. The disease can cause high mortality rates in domestic poultry.

Baboon icon
12 Aug 2025
Independent experts’ review of draft action plan for baboon management now available

The Cape Peninsula Baboon Management Joint Task Team (CPBMJTT) consisting of representatives from SANParks, CapeNature, and the City of Cape Town, wants to inform residents, interested parties, and stakeholders that the independent expert panel’s review of the proposed action plan on baboon management is now available to the public. 

Wilderness Nature Reserve
5 Aug 2025
Boost for freshwater biodiversity as Wilderness Nature Reserve declared

A new nature reserve has been declared in the Western Cape, marking another significant milestone for the province’s environment. The Wilderness Nature Reserve, spanning over 643 hectares, has been declared a Provincial Nature Reserve in terms of the National Environmental Management: Protected Areas Act (Act 57 of 2003).