Romanian conservationist Alex Găvan warns of major pollution in Vâlsan River, home to rare ‘living fossil’ fish

Romanian conservationist Alex Găvan has once again reported a major pollution incident at the Brădetu wastewater treatment plant, describing the Vâlsan River as "poisoned for years" and calling the situation a public health emergency and an ecological disaster. The river is the only refuge of the asprete, the mysterious-looking 'living fossil' fish that Găvan and his team have been working to save from near-extinction under the Asprete Lives conservationproject.

"The river is dying before our eyes," Alex Gǎvan warned in a post on social media, urging authorities to enforce environmental laws.

He said biologists accompanying him on a field mission confirmed that injuries observed on a barbel fish were caused by pollution. Moreover, he stated that the team found only two specimens of the critically endangered asprete in an area where it "was once most abundant."

"The issue is not (only) about the asprete or other fish species," Găvan said. "A poisoned river means disease and death for people too, not just for wildlife."

He compared the authorities' inaction on the Vâlsan case to previous ignored warnings that led to tragedies in Romania, including the Praid mine collapse and the recent deadly infection cases at the hospital in Iași. "Everyone knew, and no one acted," he wrote.

Furthermore, Alex Gǎvan noted that the Vâlsan River, situated in Argeș County, is part of a Natura 2000 protected site and a natural reserve. Despite repeated complaints filed over the years, he said no real improvements have been made to curb pollution from local wastewater discharge.

Unchanged for millions of years, the asprete is today the rarest freshwater fish species in Europe and one of the rarest in the world. Still rated critically endangered, it's been resisting myriad threats despite being a protected species living in a protected area.

The natural habitat of the asprete (Romanichthys valsanicola) has been shrinking since its first discovery in the late '50s due to various threats like pollution or habitat fragmentation, and for years, the million-year-old species was believed to be extinct. In 2020, Andrei Togor and Marcus Drimbea, Asprete Lives