Conservation Actions
A local fisheries regulation (Qanun Laut Tawar 1999 No.5 Panda Aceh Tengah) prohibits the use of gill nets with mesh sizes smaller than 1.5 cm and fishing closer than 100 m to the lakeshore, but this is not enforced.No other conservation actions are currently in place.
It is recommended to create and implement a harvest management plan and a recovery plan for this species. Awareness raising within the local community is recommended. This is both with fishers to prevent overharvesting and farmers to lower the use of pesticides and chemical fertilisers.
Location Information
Rasbora tawarensis is endemic to Lake Laut Tawar, Aceh Tengah District, Aceh Province, Sumatra, Indonesia (04°36'N 096°55'E, surface area 70 km2). The lake is an old volcanic caldera with a maximum depth of 80 m, located approximately 1,200 m above sea level (Weber and de Beaufort 1916, Nontji 1991, Kartamihardja et al. 1995).Sampling in Aceh province by Muchlisin and Siti Azizah (2009) did not reveal the species anywhere else. Another Rasbora species, but not R. tawarensis, was found in tributaries and the outflow of Lake Laut Tawar, Peusangang River (Z.A. Muchlisin pers. obs. 2009).
Geographic Range
Extant
Indonesia