Global and European regional assessment: Vulnerable (VU)
EU 27 regional assessment: Not Recorded

The Ohrid Minnow has a restricted range (extent of occurrence (EOO) c. 14,373 km²), which meets the threshold for the Vulnerable category under Criterion B1 (EOO < 20,000 km²). It occurs at eight locations where the extent and quality of habitat are estimated to be declining.

Therefore, this species is assessed as Vulnerable under Criterion B (B1ab(iii)).

This species is native to the Western Balkans region, where it is present in the Ohrid (sq. Liqeni i Ohrit; mk. Охридско Езеро) and Skadar (sq. Liqeni i Shkodrës; cnr. Skadarsko jezero) lake catchments, the Black Drin (sq. Drini i Zi; mk. Црн Дрим) River system, and two coastal streams draining to the Bay of Kotor and Adriatic Sea between the cities of Tivat and Budva, Montenegro.

The precise limits of its current distribution and number of locations within this range are unclear, and it is plausible that some subpopulations have been overlooked or remain unrecorded (see 'Habitat and Ecology').

This species' current population size and trend have not been quantified, and the number of subpopulations is unknown.

Field observations indicate that it is likely to be declining at some known locations, and there are very few recent records from the Lake Skadar basin (see 'Threats').

This species mostly inhabits lentic water bodies with slow-moving to near-stagnant water and abundant aquatic vegetation. Such habitats mostly comprise small streams, spring-fed wetlands and oligotrophic lakes located at various altitudes, from coastal floodplains to upland plateaus.

There are a few records from the main stem of the middle Black Drin River catchment, and it is present in some modified spring-fed channels that drain to Lake Ohrid. It also inhabits the spring-fed Belčišta wetland (mk. Белчишко блато) in the Sateska River catchment, which is the largest such habitat in the Republic of North Macedonia. The wetland is located at 760 m AMSL and its surface area fluctuates between c. 1.4-2 km² over the course of each year.

In addition to the typical habitats described above, the Ohrid Minnow also inhabits the littoral zone of oligotrophic and oligomictic Lake Ohrid itself, which may hold the largest extant stock. Ohrid 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 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.

It may also be present in Lake Skadar, which 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. 5 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.

This species' life history is not well-studied, but the annual reproductive period is understood to extend from late spring to early summer.

Its diet probably comprises small aquatic invertebrates, detritus and algae.

This species is threatened by habitat modification, pollution, water abstraction and introduction of non-native fish species.

In particular, the construction of dams and weirs combined with canalisation of small streams and rivers to retain water for irrigated agriculture has significantly reduced the extent and quality of habitat for all life stages. In some areas wetlands have been drained to reclaim land for agricultural, touristic or urban development.

Sources of diffuse and point source pollution include treated and untreated domestic wastewater, industrial effluents, agrochemicals and livestock farms.

Much of its range is intensively exploited for irrigated agriculture. In these areas, pumping of surface and groundwater may result in reduced spring discharge and place pressure on summer refugia in temporal river systems. For example, the surface area of the wetlands at Belčišta in North Macedonia has been significantly reduced due to water abstraction since the late 20^th century. The site is further impacted by discharge of untreated domestic wastewater, and non-native salmonids have been introduced into the nearby Sateska River, into which the wetland drains.

The effects of pollution and intensive water exploitation are likely to be exacerbated by the increasing frequency and longevity of droughts driven by climate change.

A number of non-native fish species have been introduced within the Ohrid Minnow's range, including 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. In particular, the Eastern Mosquitofish has been linked with the decline of small-bodied native fish species due to resource competition, agonistic interactions and/or possible predation on early developmental stages.

Additional threats include shoreline modification in lakes Ohrid and Skadar, and tourism development around the Bay of Kotor and Budva Riviera in Montenegro.

In Lake Skadar, native fish declines have been ongoing for several decades. The lower portion of the affluent 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 documented structural changes in the resident planktonic and zoobenthic communities with negative outcomes for higher organisms.

The coastal streams inhabited by this species in Montenegro are heavily impacted by fly tipping in addition to urban and industrial effluents (D. Jelić, pers. comm.).

This species is not used or traded.

This species is considered to be Endangered in Montenegro, but no specific conservation actions are in place.

Some subpopulations occur within the boundaries of protected areas. In particular, part of Lake Ohrid was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1979 (extended in 1980 and 2019), and since 2014 the entire lake lies within the Ohrid-Prespa Transboundary UNESCO Biosphere Reserve. Much of the lake's eastern shoreline is included in the Republic of North Macedonia's Galičica National Park. The portion of Lake Skadar that lies within Montenegro is also a national park, while the Albanian part is both a nature reserve and a Ramsar Wetland of International Importance. International management plans exist for both lakes.

It is recommended that future research should focus on identifying the precise extent of its range in Lake Skadar and the Black Drin River system, and establishing locations that may require priority conservation actions (e.g., coastal streams in Montenegro, Belčišta wetland in North Macedonia). A deeper understanding of its population trend, life history, and response to the identified threats would likely prove useful in the development of future management efforts.