Clanwilliam Sandfish

Habitat Distribution

• Endemic to the Olifants-Doring river system in the Western Cape and Northern Cape provinces — found nowhere else on Earth.
• Adults hold in the main Doring River channel; during spawning they push upstream into smaller, shallower tributaries such as the Biedouw River.
• Young fish over-summer in permanent deep pools within tributary streams, using these as nursery habitat before moving into the larger river.
• The broader catchment sits within the Cape Floristic Region, a global biodiversity hotspot with exceptionally high freshwater endemism.

Key Locations

• Doring River, Western Cape — the primary adult habitat and the river into which all known spawning tributaries drain.
• Biedouw River — the last confirmed tributary where spawning migrations still occur, and the focus of the Saving Sandfish Project rescue operations.
• Olifants-Doring catchment broadly, spanning the Cederberg Mountains region between the Western Cape and Northern Cape.

Specific Spots

• Deep permanent pools in tributaries like the Biedouw serve as critical nursery refuges for juvenile fish — these pools are the last safe habitat for young-of-year.
• Spawning adults concentrate in the shallower, gentler reaches of tributary streams as winter flows subside and water temperatures begin to rise in late winter and early spring.
• The main Doring River channel holds the bulk of the adult population outside the spawning season.