Efforts to protect an unusual species of fish which changes according to its environment will be stepped up this week as freshwater specialists gather at a conference in Perthshire.

The International Symposium on the Conservation and Management of Arctic charr, which starts today, is organised by University of Glasgow's University Field Station in Rowerdennan, Scottish Natural Heritage (SNH), English Nature (EN) and the Fish Conservation Centre, and held at SNH's Battleby centre near Perth. It aims to promote conservation and sustainable farming of the fish.

Arctic charr is a fascinating example of natural selection in action as it comes in several shapes and sizes, adapting its head, body and colouring according to the varied environments which it lives in. One loch could contain up to four different types of Arctic charr depending on which part of the loch it lives in, or what it feeds on. Scotland hosts some of the least disturbed populations of Arctic charr in Europe, mainly because it is not yet a popular fish to catch, or eat in Britain.

Dr Colin Bean, Freshwater Advisor at SNH said:

"Scientists in the early part of the 20th Century once thought that there were actually 15 separate sub-species of Arctic charr in Britain alone, but more recently it has been shown that they were ecological variants or ''morphotypes' of a single species which have adapted to their environment. They are really a case of Darwinism in action and are an incredibly important component of freshwater ecosystems in lakes throughout their global range. An understanding of their ecology within these systems is essential if we are ensure their continued survival within Scotland and elsewhere."

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For more information contact: Sarah Roe, National Press and PR officer, SNH on 0131 446 2270.

The international three-day conference, is one of the final outputs of the CHARRNET project, a European-funded consortium to help promote conservation of the Arctic charr and runs between 2002-2005. A number of academic, private and government parties from Iceland, Sweden, Norway, Austria, France and the UK are involved.

The University Field Station at Rowardennan, on Loch Lomondside, Scotland is a biological field station that carries out fundamental and applied research and teaching to graduate and post-graduate level, in the fields of ecology and environmental science. For more information see the IBLS Website.

First published: 30 June 2004