The taxonomy of Alburnoides species from the western Balkan region remains unresolved. The results of morphological analyses suggest that the Lake Skadar subpopulation might represent a distinct taxon, although this has not been verified by molecular data (Bogutskaya et al. 2010, Stierandová et al. 2016).

Global and European regional assessment: Near Threatened (NT)
EU 27 regional assessment: Not Recorded

The Ohrid Spirlin has a relatively restricted range (extent of occurrence (EOO) c. 18,000-30,047 km²), based on expert consensus and the maximum extent of the river catchments where the species is present. The lower value meets the threshold for Vulnerable under Criterion B1 (< 20,000 km²) and is considered to be the more plausible estimate.  The extent and quality of habitat are estimated to be declining, but the number of locations is unknown and it is unclear whether the extant subpopulations are severely fragmented, or if the number of mature individuals demonstrates extreme fluctuations.

Therefore, this species is assessed as Near Threatened, because it is close to qualifying for Vulnerable under Criterion B.

This species is native to the Drin (sq. Drini; mk. Дрим) River system in the Republic of North Macedonia, Albania, Montenegro and the Republic of Kosovo, including the transboundary Lake Ohrid (sq. Liqeni i Ohrit; mk. Охридско Езеро) and Lake Skadar (sq. Liqeni i Shkodrës; cnr. Skadarsko jezero) basins. It also occurs throughout the Mati, Erzeni and Ishëm river systems in northern Albania. The number of occupied locations is currently unclear.

It is absent from the upper reaches of rivers draining to Lake Skadar, including the isolated Nikšić polje in the upper Zeta River catchment.

This species' population size is unknown, but is considered likely to exceed the minimum threshold for Red List criteria (< 10,000 mature individuals). The current population trend has not been quantified, and the number of subpopulations is unclear.

Recent field surveys suggest that it remains locally abundant in the White Drin, Erzeni and Ishëm river systems, but is relatively uncommon in the Black Drin River and may be declining in Lake Skadar.

The Drin River system is a major biodiversity hotspot, within which the oligotrophic and oligomictic lakes Ohrid and Skadar hold the largest individual Ohrid Spirlin stocks and are particularly significant in terms of endemic aquatic fauna.

Lake Ohrid is of tectonic origin and is considered to be the oldest extant lake in Europe with an estimated minimum age of c. four million years. Its surface area is c. 358 km² and it has a maximum depth of c. 289 metres (average depth c. 164 metres). The lake receives almost 50% of its water from two main surface springs located at its southern end and numerous sub-lacustrine (underwater) springs along its eastern shoreline, all of which are fed by subterranean karstic conduits draining the adjacent Lake Prespa (sq. Liqeni i Prespës; mk. Преспанско Езеро; el. λίμνη Πρέσπα) basin. There are a number of additional sub-lacustrine springs along the western side. There are also four perennial tributary rivers which drive small fluctuations of the lake’s surface level in late spring or following heavy rainfall. The lake drains towards the Adriatic Sea via the Black Drin (sq. Drini i Zi; mk. Црн Дрим) River, which originates at its northern tip, and it loses significant volumes of water (c. 40%) via evaporation. Ohrid is considered to be among the most diverse ancient lakes in the world in terms of endemic species richness.

Lake Skadar is the most extensive freshwater wetland in the Balkan region, with a surface area that seasonally fluctuates between c. 370 km² and c. 530 km². It is situated in a tectonic karstic cryptodepression and is rather shallow, with an average depth of c. five metres and maximum depth of c. 60 metres. The lake is fed by numerous sub-lacustrine karstic springs which are distributed around its periphery, and a series of affluent rivers of which the largest is the Morača. It drains to the Adriatic Sea via the short Bojana (sq. Bunë) River, which also receives water from the Drin River and thus connects the system to Lake Ohrid. The precise origin of the lake remains unclear to an extent, but it is understood to have comprised a much larger wetland until c. 1,200 years ago. It is considerably more productive than Lake Ohrid in terms of fish biomass.

Ohrid Spirlin subpopulations inhabiting these lakes are most commonly encountered in littoral zones to depths of c. 7.5 metres, which may extend several hundred metres offshore in Lake Ohrid and comprise much of Lake Skadar. They often occur in areas where macrophytes proliferate, and spawning tends to occur over stony substrata in late spring and early summer.

The habitat preferences of fluvial subpopulations have not been widely reported, but they are expected to occur primarily in slower-moving stream and river stretches with clean, well-oxygenated water and rocky or stony substrata.

This species' life history has not been studied.

This species is plausibly threatened by river regulation and other forms of anthropogenic habitat degradation throughout its range. In particular, the ongoing construction of large dams plus smaller weirs and other barriers has severely altered natural flow and sedimentation regimes, blocked migration routes, fragmented subpopulations, and reduced the extent of suitable habitat for all life stages. Hydroelectric schemes have created unnatural fluctuations in discharge and water temperature (hydropeaking and thermopeaking) which bring about artificial dewatering of downstream river stretches and loss of stable nursery habitat for juveniles. Furthermore, the combined effect of hydropeaking, dam flushing operations, changes in land use, and the removal of riparian vegetation has increased accumulation of fine sediments at some spawning sites, plausibly impairing the hatching and survival rates of eggs and larvae.

The quality of available habitat has been further diminished by bank stabilisation, channelisation and other efforts to enhance flood protection or exploit water resources for irrigated agriculture. Some habitats may also have been damaged by the industrial extraction of riverine gravel or other sediments for urban development.

This species is also threatened by diffuse and point source agricultural, domestic and industrial pollution, which has at some locations reduced the extent and quality of habitat due to eutrophication, siltation or discharge of toxic substances. Pollution can be particularly impactful when river discharge is reduced during the summer.

Most rivers entering lakes Ohrid and Skadar flow through areas undergoing rapid human population growth and urbanisation with insufficient water treatment systems. The lake ecosystems are thus threatened by accumulation of anthropogenic nutrients, chemicals and sediment loads from a variety of sources, including untreated domestic sewage, industry and agriculture, which are driving increased rates of eutrophication and sedimentation with an array of negative impacts on the composition of plant and animal communities.

The development of tourist facilities, increased boat traffic, and ongoing capture and pollution of karstic springs in the two basins are also of concern. Plastics and other solid wastes are regularly washed into the lakes because effective landfill sites are limited or do not meet modern standards.

In Lake Ohrid, excessive water abstraction and eutrophication in neighbouring Lake Prespa, with which it shares a subterranean hydraulic karstic connection, is believed to be partially responsible for increasing nutrient levels. In addition, the nearby Sateska River was in 1962 diverted from its former confluence with the Drin River into Lake Ohrid in order to improve the water balance of the lake and enhance its potential for hydropower generation. However, the Sateska has since become a major source of biochemical oxygen demand and sediments transported into the lake.

An observed decline in the abundance of native fishes in Lake Skadar since the mid-20^th century has been attributed to a series of factors. In particular, the construction of large hydropower dams on the Drin River has interfered with seasonal fluctuations in the lake's water level and reduced the extent of spawning and nursery habitat. Future plans include the installation of several dams on the inflowing Morača River, which supplies c. 62% of the lake's water. Furthermore, the Morača is polluted due to discharge of agricultural, domestic and industrial contaminants, the majority of which originate from Nikšić Polje, the Bjelopavlići Valley and city of Podgorica. The lake has thus become increasingly eutrophic since the 1970s, and this process has driven structural changes in the resident planktonic and zoobenthic communities. A number of non-native fish species have been introduced, including Goldfish (Carassius auratus), Common Carp (Cyprinus domestic strain), Grass Carp (Ctenopharyngodon idella), Eurasian Tench (Tinca tinca), Eurasian Perch (Perca fluviatilis), Eurasian Pikeperch (Sander lucioperca), Northern Pike (Esox lucius), Pumpkinseed (Lepomis gibbosus), Topmouth Gudgeon (Pseudorasbora parva), Eastern Mosquitofish (Gambusia holbrooki), Brown Bullhead (Ameiurus nebulosus) and Rainbow Trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss). All of these taxa are considered to be invasive throughout the Mediterranean region, and can exert detrimental pressures on native freshwater fauna through increased competition, predation or habitat degradation.

This species is harvested commercially in Lake Skadar, but few details are available.

This species is included in Appendix III of the Bern Convention (as Alburnoides bipunctatus).

No specific conservation management plan exists, but it is present within the boundaries of several protected areas in the Drin River system.

In addition, the North Macedonian portion of Lake Ohrid has been included in UNESCO's list of World Heritage sites since 1979, while a bilateral agreement between Albania and the Republic of North Macedonia resulted in establishment of the Ohrid Watershed Management Committee in 2004 and the Ohrid-Prespa Transboundary Biosphere Reserve in 2014. At the national scale a number of additional protected sites have been created around the lake, including the Pogradec Aquatic and Terrestrial Protected Landscape and Drilon National Monument in Albania, and the Lake Ohrid Monument of Nature and Galičica National Park in the Republic of North Macedonia. In April 2021 Lake Ohrid was added to the Ramsar List of Wetlands of International Importance (site no. 2449).

The Montenegrin part of Lake Skadar was declared a National Park in 1983 and designated a Ramsar Wetland of International Importance in 1995 (site no. 784), while the Albanian portion was nationally-protected and added to the Ramsar Convention in 2005 (site no. 1598). The lower Zeta River in Montenegro has been a protected area since 2019.

A deeper understanding of this species' present distribution, population status (size and trend), life history and response to the ongoing threats would likely prove beneficial in the design of any structured management plan.