Global and European regional assessment: Near Threatened (NT)
EU 27 regional assessment: Vulnerable (VU°)

The Albanian Roach does not approach the range thresholds for Vulnerable under Criterion B1 (extent of occurrence (EOO) < 20,000 km²) or D2, and Criterion B2 is precluded by its uncertain area of occupancy (AOO). The population size is believed to exceed 10,000 individuals and does not meet the thresholds for Criteria C or D, while there exists no quantitative analysis which would permit application of Criterion E.

Although no explicit population trend data exists, significant site-scale declines have occurred within the last 20-30 years, and it is plausible that a suspected ongoing reduction based on field observations, declining habitat quality and the effects of introduced taxa approaches or meets the threshold for Vulnerable under Criterion A (≥ 30% over the longer of 10 years). As a result of this data uncertainty, Least Concern and Vulnerable are equally plausible Red List categories for the present assessment, therefore this species is assessed as Near Threatened at the global and European regional scales.

In the EU 27 member states, this species is present at 1-3 locations where habitat quality is estimated to be declining, and the EOO is c. 2,813 km² which meets the threshold for Endangered under Criterion B1 (< 5,000 km²). However, the single identified subpopulation comprises part of a larger subpopulation occupying a transboundary river system, hence its assessment is downlisted by one category from Endangered to Vulnerable under Criterion B (B1ab(iii)).

This species is endemic to the Western Balkans region, where its range extends from the Bojana (sq. Bunë) River in Montenegro and northern Albania to the Vjosa (el. Αώος/Aoös) River in southern Albania and Greece, including the Skadar (sq. Liqeni i Shkodrës; cnr. Skadarsko jezero) and Ohrid (sq. Liqeni i Ohrit; mk. Охридско Езеро) lake basins. It is absent from the upper reaches of rivers draining to Lake Skadar, including the isolated Nikšić polje in the upper Zeta River catchment.

Since the 1980s, introduced subpopulations have become established in the Adour, Dordogne, Garonne and Aude river systems in southern France, plus the Serchio River system and Lake Massaciuccoli in Tuscany, northwestern Italy.

This species' population size is unknown, but is understood 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.

It has declined in Lake Skadar since the late 20^th century, and it is suspected that this pattern is ongoing both in the lake and elsewhere, e.g., some Albanian rivers, based on field observations, declining habitat quality and the effects of introduced taxa (see 'Threats').

In the EU 27 member states, a single subpopulation is present in the Vjosa River, but it is part of a significantly larger subpopulation that includes downstream reaches in Albania.

This gregarious species inhabits slow-moving river stretches, backwaters, side channels and large oligotrophic lakes. It is often associated with aquatic vegetation, and is considered to be tolerant of moderate eutrophication. It also occurs in modified environments such as fluvial accumulation lakes and canalised river stretches.

In particular, the Drin River system is a major biodiversity hotspot, within which the oligotrophic and oligomictic lakes Ohrid and Skadar hold the largest individual 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 age of c. 2-3 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 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.

During the winter, Albanian Roach subpopulations inhabiting these lakes tend to aggregate in areas influenced by sub-lacustrine springs, where the water temperature remains relatively constant throughout the year.

It is a largely benthic omnivore, and feeds on a range of aquatic invertebrates and periphyton.

Its life history is not well-studied, but the annual reproductive period is believed to extend from March to June, with spawning behaviour triggered when water temperatures reach c. 12°C. The adhesive eggs are typically attached to submerged woody structures, pebbles or vegetation such as the base of reed stems.

It is relatively sedentary and does not undertake extensive spawning migrations.

This species is plausibly threatened by water abstraction, pollution from agricultural, domestic and industrial sources, altered hydrological regimes and reduced connectivity driven by barrier construction, and introduction of non-native fish species.

For example, 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 discharge 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 proven 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, which which it shares a subterranean hydraulic karstic connection, is believed to be partially responsible for increasing nutrient levels. In addition, the 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 fed into the lake.

In Lake Skadar, native fish declines have been ongoing since the mid-20th century. Construction of hydropower dams on the Drin River have interfered with natural fluctuations in the water level, and proposals to construct a series of additional dams on the Morača River, which provides more than 60% of the lake's water, remain in the pipeline. The lower portion of the Morača River system is polluted due to long-term discharge of agricultural and industrial contaminants, plus untreated or partially-treated municipal wastewater from the city of Podgorica and other urban centres. As a result, the formerly oligotrophic lake has slowly become increasingly eutrophic since the 1970s, leading to structural changes in the resident planktonic and zoobenthic communities. Additional threats include shoreline modification in Lake Skadar and gravel extraction in the lower Morača River.

Outside of these lake systems, hydroelectric dams constructed on river channels create regular fluctuations in discharge and water temperature (hydropeaking and thermopeaking) which cause dewatering of foraging sites and loss of nursery habitat for juveniles. Water abstraction and river regulation has caused some floodplain habitats to dry out. In the EU 27 member states (Greece), the majority of this species' range is located in a stretch of the upper Vjosa River which flows through an extensively-cultivated upland plateau, where it receives diffuse and point-source pollution from surrounding agriculture and a nearby town, respectively.

Non-native fish species established within the Dalmatian Roach's range include Goldfish (Carassius auratus), Common Carp (Cyprinus domestic strain), Eurasian Perch (Perca fluviatilis), Eurasian Pikeperch (Sander lucioperca), 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 they can exert detrimental pressures on native freshwater fauna through increased competition, predation, habitat degradation or transmission of pathogens.

This species is is of little commercial significance, but is harvested as bycatch in lakes Ohrid and Skadar.

This species is included in Appendix III of the Bern Convention.

It occurs within the boundaries of numerous protected areas of which some are included in the Ramsar Convention on Wetlands of International Importance (e.g., Lake Skadar and the Buna River, Lake Ohrid, Lake Butrint).

The Montenegrin part of Lake Skadar was declared a National Park in 1983 while the Albanian portion has been officially protected since 2005. 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 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 level 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 Galicica National Park in North Macedonia. Lake Butrint is also a UNESCO World Heritage site.

In 2023, the entire Vjosa River catchment was designated as Europe's first Wild River National Park. A number of sites in the upper Vjosa, Greece, are additionally included in the European Union's Natura 2000 network.

There is an annual closed fishing season for this species in the North Macedonian portion of Lake Ohrid which runs from May 20 to June 19.

A deeper understanding of its present distribution, abundance, population dynamics, life history and response to the ongoing threats would likely prove beneficial in the design of any structured management plan.