Freshwater Fish in Catastrophic Decline

Freshwater fish are in catastrophic decline, according to a report by 16 conservation groups. The report states that a third of freshwater fish are threatened by extinction, according to the BBC.

80 species have gone extinct, including 16 in the last year alone. The reasons include pollution, unsustainable fishing, and the damming and draining of rivers and wetlands.

Populations of larger species (‘megafish’) have declined by 94%.

In the UK, sturgeon and burbot have disappeared, and salmon and European eel are at risk. This is mostly due to pollution, sewage and dams.

Climate Emergency Hitting Worst Case Scenario

Meanwhile, the Chief Executive of the Environment Agency says the climate emergency is hitting worst case scenario levels. Unless action is taken, it will lead to the collapse of ecosystems.

‘Much higher sea levels will take out most of the world’s cities, displace millions, and make much of the rest of our land surface uninhabitable or unusable. Much more extreme weather will kill more people through drought, flooding, wildfires and heatwaves than most wars have.’

‘The net effects will collapse ecosystems, slash crop yields, take out the infrastructure that our civilisation depends on, and destroy the basis of the modern economy and modern society.’

‘If this sounds like science fiction let me tell you…that over the last few years the reasonable worst case for several of the flood incidents the EA has responded to has actually happened, and it’s getting larger. That is why our thinking needs to change faster than the climate. And why our response needs to match the scale of the challenge.’