The vendace, a rare Ice Age fish, thrives in Scotland’s Loch Skeen after successful reintroduction and conservation efforts.

A rare Ice Age fish called the vendace, once extinct in Scotland, is thriving in Loch Skeen within the National Trust for Scotland’s Grey Mare’s Tail Nature Reserve, according to a recent survey. The species, one of the UK’s rarest native freshwater fish, was reintroduced in the late 1990s and now shows a highly abundant, healthy population. It survives only at four UK sites, with one natural population remaining at Derwentwater. Conservation efforts, including habitat restoration and monitoring, are credited with the success. Experts warn that climate change and rising water temperatures pose a significant future threat to the fish’s cold-water habitat.