Back From The Brink, Yarqon Bleak

The Yarqon bleak was distributed throughout the coastal river system in Israel until the 1950s. "During the second half of the 20th century all coastal rivers in Israel were severely polluted and much of their water was used for irrigation and domestic consumption. The consequence was the extinction of the Yarqon bleak from most of its distribution range... By 1999 only three small isolated populations survived following severe drought. In order to save the species from extinction, a breeding facility was established in the ichthyological laboratory at Tel Aviv University and approximately 150 fish were captured prior to the complete drying of the rivers... In 2006/2007 approximately 9,000 laboratory-born fish were reintroduced into 12 sites, most of them engineered. Surveys from 2007 onwards revealed fish of all sizes and ages, including juveniles, at most release sites. The Yarqon bleak has been successfully returned to nature."