Around the world, truly remarkable journey’s take place among migratory fish species. These fish can swim far and fast along seemingly impossible routes, often returning to the exact stream in which they were born. Millions of people around the world rely on these extraordinary species for food, livelihoods, and cultural identity.
Despite their importance, significant population declines are being observed worldwide, with the largest threat being loss of habitat. Barriers like dams fragment a river and block migrations pathways, water withdrawal and diversions shrink or change available habitat, and climate change is altering the timing, quantity, and temperature of available water. On top of these pressures, add in overfishing, pollution, mining, and invasive species and the future for migratory fish species is bleak.
The new Living Planet Index on Migratory Freshwater Fishes Report provides an update on the global trends and underscores the urgent need for conservation efforts. Even with the grim findings, the report provides a roadmap for reversing negative trends and conserving migratory fish species and their habitats.
These include:
Strengthening data collection and monitoring
Protect existing free-flowing rivers
Support the The Global Swimways Initiative (https://globalswimways.com/)
Join international cooperative efforts (Convention on Migratory Species: https://www.cms.int/)
Promote public and political engagement
As an affiliate of the new report, the Fisheries Conservation Foundation works to provide science-based evidence on migration patterns and educate stakeholders on the ecosystem services that migratory fish provide. We encourage you to download the report and executive summary and share widely among your own networks.
Executive Summary:
Index of abundance of 1,864 monitored populations of 284 species of migratory freshwater fishes, showing an −81% decline in abundance between 1970 and 2020.