Awarded for conservation and protection activities of endangered freshwater fish (Professor Onikura)

Prof. Onikura, who has dedicated himself to the conservation of the endangered freshwater fish, Acheilognathus tabira nakamurae, receives the Minister of the Environment Award for the Contributor to the Natural Environment in 2026.
This fish is a subspecies endemic to Kyushu, and due to human impact, its habitat and population have decreased, so conservation and protection are being carried out under the Act on Conservation of Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora in Japan. Following heavy rains in northern Kyushu in July 2017, river improvement work on a tributary of the Chikugo River brought this fish to the brink of extinction, and they were evacuated to the Fishery Research Laboratory, Kyushu University. Prof. Onikura rears these fish in aquariums to increase their population, and then releases them into that river after the improvement is completed. Development of new methods for population monitoring and estimating appropriate release numbers is also underway.

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For Research-related inquiries

• Norio Onikura, Professor
• Aquatic Field Science (Fishery Research Laboratory)