New science about the fate of freshwater ecosystems released today by the journal
Sustainability finds that only 17 percent of rivers globally are both free-flowing and within protected areas, leaving many of these highly-threatened systems¬ and the species that rely on them at risk. Populations of freshwater species have already declined by 84 percent on average since 1970, with degradation of rivers a leading cause of this decline. As a critical food source for hundreds of millions of people, we need to reverse this trend, said Ian Harrison, freshwater specialist at Conservation International, adjunct professor at Northern Arizona University and co-editor of the journal issue.
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The report, titled “The World’s Forgotten Fishes,” outlined the disastrous effects that the loss of freshwater fish could have on the planet. Freshwater fish are essential to the health of rivers, lakes and wetlands. Freshwater fish also support economies worldwide and serve as an important source of food for 200 million people.
Unfortunately, the report revealed that 16 of the 80 extinct freshwater fish species to date disappeared last year alone. According to the report, various factors contributed to this outcome and the ongoing decline of fish, including the building of dams, the siphoning of rivers for irrigation and the release of wastewater.
collaboration
Freshwater fish are under threat, with as many as a third of global populations in danger of extinction, according to an assessment.
Populations of migratory freshwater fish have plummeted by 76 per cent since 1970, and large fish those weighing more than 30 kilograms have been all but wiped out in most rivers. The global population of megafish is down by 94 per cent, and 16 freshwater fish species were declared extinct last year.
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The report by 16 global conservation organizations, called The World’s Forgotten Fishes, said that global populations of freshwater fish were in freefall. The problems are diverse and include pollution, overfishing and destructive fishing practices, the introduction of invasive non-native species, climate change and the disruption of river ecologies. Most of the world’s rivers are now d
A new report from a coalition of 16 conservation groups warns that almost a third of freshwater fish species face extinction because of human activity.