Freshwater fish among our most ‘at risk’ species
Freshwater fish are under threat. Emily Beament reports on measures to re-build stocks
NEARLY a third of fish which live in rivers and lakes around the world are threatened with extinction, a new report from conservation groups warns.
The UK is “no exception” when it comes to the threats facing freshwater fish species, wildlife charity WWF said, pointing to the extinction of burbot and sturgeon and declines in salmon and European eels.
WWF has urged the UK Government to back an emergency recovery plan for freshwater wildlife as part of new global nature targets set to be negotiated this year.
The “world’s forgotten fishes” report from 16 organisations including WWF, the Zoological Society of London (ZSL) and the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) highlights the diversity of freshwater species – and the risks they face.
The latest new discoveries mean there are now 18,075 known freshwater species, making up more than half of all the world’s fish species and ranging from river sharks to 8mm long minnows in Indonesian peat swamps.
They provide the main source of protein for 200 million people across Asia, Africa and South America, jobs and livelihoods for 60 million, and sustain the multibillion-pound recreational fishing and aquarium pet industries.
But 30% of the 10,336 freshwater fish whose conservation status has been assessed by the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species are at risk of extinction.
Populations of migratory freshwater fish have fallen by more than three quarters (76%) since 1970, with declines of 94% for “mega fish” weighing more than 30kg (66lb), while 80 species have been declared extinct, the report said.
In the UK, burbot and sturgeon are already extinct, while salmon has suffered significant declines since the 1960s and the European eel is critically endangered.
Much of the decline in the UK is driven by the poor state of habitats, with just 14.6% of rivers in England achieving good ecological status last year, mostly as a result of agricultural pollution, dams and sewage, WWF said.
None of England’s rivers met
‘Freshwater habitats are the most vibrant – but are in catastrophic decline’ DAVE TICKNER, WWF
“chemical standards” for water quality in 2020.
Worldwide, river, lake and wetland habitats are facing threats including habitat destruction, dams on freeflowing rivers, too much water being taken for agriculture, and household, agricultural and industrial pollution.
Fish also face overfishing, destructive fishing practices, the introduction of invasive non-native species, the impacts of climate change, mining for sand in their habitats and wildlife crime.
A six-point plan drawn up by a global team of scientists aims to tackle the threats that have led to an 83% collapse in freshwater species populations and the loss of 30% of their ecosystem homes since 1970.
It calls for: allowing rivers to flow more naturally; reducing pollution; protecting critical wetland habitats; ending overfishing and unsustainable sand mining in rivers and lakes; controlling invasive species; and safeguarding and restoring river connectivity through better planning of dams and other infrastructure.
Dave Tickner, chief adviser on freshwater at WWF, said: “Freshwater habitats are some of the most vibrant on earth, but – as this report shows – they are in catastrophic decline around the world. Nature is in freefall and the UK is no exception: wildlife struggles to survive, let alone thrive, in our polluted waters. If we are to take this Government’s environmental promises seriously, it must get its act together, clean up our rivers and restore our freshwater habitats to good health.
“That means proper enforcement of existing laws, strengthening protections in the Environment Bill to put UK nature on the path to recovery, and championing a strong set of global targets for recovery of nature, including rivers.”