Redaccion
The Community of Madrid has rescued 391 specimens of common barbel that were stranded in the pools of Valdezate Stream, in the municipality of Navas del Rey.
Their presence in these sections is not usual, but the heavy rainfall in 2025 has increased the flow rates and led them to higher levels of the Alberche River for spawning, as stated by the Community of Madrid in a press release.
This species is relatively large compared to others in the cyprinid family, which inhabit the Iberian Peninsula and can grow up to a meter in length.
Regarding their habitat, these fish usually inhabit slow-moving rivers, although they prefer those with more flow during their spawning season, the statement adds.
This year, the barbels living in the Alberche River had completed a pre-reproductive upstream migration in large numbers. This area only holds water seasonally, and its flow rates are typically much lower.
El Atazar Reservoir, at 100% capacity, will have to release water in the coming days
With the arrival of the summer season, the stream significantly reduces its water flow into the Alberche, resulting in the population being isolated in the deeper pools.
For this reason, the Fauna Patrol of the Department of Environment, Agriculture, and Interior has carried out a massive rescue operation and returned the specimens to the areas with higher flow rates.
This action, although new to the area, is «not an isolated incident,» as these environmental experts conduct numerous fish rescues every year, as noted by the Community. They also perform extractions of invasive aquatic exotic species in wetlands selected for their environmental value or in rivers.
