This has been a terrible year for the world's freshwater fish and a lot of work needs to be done to stop thousands of species from hurtling toward extinction in 2024, researchers say. The International Union for Conservation of Nature says that about 21% of freshwater fish—3,086 out of 14,898 assessed species—are at risk of extinction because of factors including pollution, overfishing, and climate change, the latter of which affected at least 17% of threatened species. The IUCN says climate change puts pressure on fish species in several ways, including by shifting the seasons and forcing seawater up rivers as sea levels rise, the Guardian reports.
One species highlighted by the IUCN was the Atlantic salmon, which lives in both freshwater and seawater, reports Reuters. The species, which inhabits only a small fraction of rivers it was found in a century ago, moved to the "near threatened" category because new evidence shows that its population shrank 23% between 2006 and 2020. "Freshwater fishes make up more than half the world's known fish species, an incomprehensible diversity given that freshwater ecosystems comprise only 1% of aquatic habitat," says Kathy Hughes, co-chair of the IUCN species survival commission freshwater fish specialist group. "These diverse species are integral to the ecosystem, and vital to its resilience."
"Ensuring freshwater ecosystems are well managed, remain free-flowing with sufficient water, and good water quality, is essential to stop species declines and maintain food security, livelihoods, and economies in a climate resilient world," Hughes says. (More fish stories.)
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