With its inclusion on Annex II of the EC Habitats and Species Directive, Spined Loach Cobitis taenia, a small bottom-dwelling fish, has leapt from obscurity to be a focus of conservation attention alongside more familiar species such as Otter Lutra lutra, Marsh Fritillary butterfly Eurodryas aurinia and Fen Orchid Liparis loeselii. Under the Directive, EU Member States have a duty to ensure the favourable conservation status of listed species.