Freshwater fish make up 51% of all fish species and ¼ of all vertebrate species on Earth Nearly 1/3 of freshwater fish species are threatened with extinction; 76% decline in migratory freshwater fish since 1970; 94% decline in mega-fish (heavier than 30kg) such as Danube sturgeon since 1970; Freshwater fisheries provide food for 200 million people and livelihoods for 60 million; and Fisheries valued at over US$38 billion, while recreational fishing generates US$100 billion. There are18,075 freshwater fish species, accounting for over half of the entire world’s fish species and a quarter of all vertebrate species on Earth. This wealth of species is essential to the health of the world’s rivers, lakes and wetlands – and supports societies and economies across the globe. But freshwater fish continue to be undervalued and overlooked – and thousands of species are now heading towards extinction. Freshwater biodiversity is declining at twice the rate of that in our oceans or forests. Indeed, 80 species of freshwater fish have already been declared ‘Extinct’ by the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species, including 16 in 2020 alone. Meanwhile,