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Saving a Dinosaur‑Age Fish: Cuba's Race to Rescue the Manjuari

The mosquito‑filled lagoons of Ciénaga de Zapata are the focus of a small but determined conservation effort to save the manjuari (Cuban gar), a fish species that has existed for about 140–150 million years. A local hatchery run by park biologist Andres Hurtado has learned to breed juveniles and produce their specialized food before releasing them into mangroves. The species was listed as critically endangered in 2020, with declines driven by overfishing, habitat loss and the invasive African walking catfish. Early sightings by fishermen suggest the program may be helping, though long‑term recovery will demand more work.

09:08 PM, 11/24/2025Environment

Buzz, buzz, slap. In the mosquito-thick lagoons of Ciénaga de Zapata — the Caribbean's largest intact wetland — scientists are quietly racing to prevent the manjuari, or Cuban gar, from disappearing.

Park biologist Andres Hurtado, wading through mangroves and swatting off swarms of insects, described the stakes: the gar is a living relic that has survived for roughly 140–150 million years but is now teetering on the brink of extinction.

The threat

The long, narrow gar, with a toothed snout and prehistoric appearance, was listed as critically endangered on the IUCN Red List in 2020. Centuries of overfishing, loss of mangrove habitat and — since 1999 — the arrival of the invasive African walking catfish have all driven dramatic declines in this once‑thriving swamp species.

Hatchery intervention

To counter these pressures, Hurtado and his team established a modest hatchery near the wetland. There they have developed methods to breed the notoriously difficult manjuari and to cultivate the specialized food juveniles require before being released back into mangrove channels.

Practical challenges

The work is logistically demanding. Isolation, persistent mosquitoes, limited supplies and the gar's secretive, root-hiding behavior make monitoring and measuring success hard. Juvenile gar are roughly the size of a small pencil, darkly camouflaged and quick to disappear into tangled mangrove roots once freed.

Early signs of hope

Despite uncertainty, there are encouraging reports. Local fishermen and park staff have observed gar in areas where releases have occurred, and park administrator Eduardo Abreu says there are indications of an established, if reduced, population.

'Perhaps they are not as abundant as in the past, but they are here, and there is an established population,' Abreu said.

Hurtado and his colleagues caution that recovery will take sustained effort: continued habitat protection, control of invasive species where possible, and ongoing hatchery work to bolster wild numbers. For now, the project offers a rare conservation lifeline for a species that links Cuba's wetlands to deep evolutionary history.

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