Scientists, conservationists get together to save 65-million-year-old fish

Andrei Togor could not be happier after he recently discovered Asprete, one of the rarest fish in Europe that was on the brink of extinction

Togo, the 31-year-old fish biologist, found 65-million-year-old Asprete's 12 specimens in late October in Valsan river. 

"Having an Asprete in front of our eyes was fantastic," he said, as quoted by the BBC. 

"It's one of the biggest rewards a field biologist can get."

Asprete was first found by a biology student in 1956 and the nocturnal fish faces the threat of extinction. 

Official figures say that the population of the rare fish is at around 10-15 specimens, which used to be about 200 specimens in the early 2000s.

But a small group of scientists and conservationists are campaigning to protect the fish species, also known as Romanichthys valsanicola.

The fish can be described as a living fossil, which means it has survived for millions of years without any major changes. But just in the last six decades, human activity has severely caused a decline in its habitat and population.

It finds itself on the Berne Convention of European Wildlife and Natural Habitats list of critically endangered species. 

Its habitat is getting protection by law as an EU Natura 2000 region and as part of the Valsan Valley Nature Reserve.