Valuing Freshwater Fish is critical for people and nature

Posted on March, 12 2024

The World's Forgotten Fishes report is a celebration of freshwater fishes – and it’s a call to action too.

Rivers, lakes and wetlands are among the most biodiverse places on earth. They cover less than 1% of the planet’s total surface, yet they’re home to almost a quarter of all vertebrate species – including over half of all the world’s fish species.

It’s an extraordinary fact: 51% of all known species of fish live in freshwater - 18,075 species. And more are being discovered all the time.

But few people have any idea of the unimaginable diversity that swims below the surface of the world’s freshwater ecosystems or how critical these undervalued and overlooked freshwater fishes are to the health of people and nature around the world.

Freshwater fishes account for almost 1/4 of all the world’s vertebrate species;
Freshwater fishes provide food for 200 million people;
And livelihoods for 60 million;
Recreational fishing is valued at over US$100 billion per year;
But 1/3rd of freshwater fishes are threatened with extinction;
And 80 species are already extinct.

Promoting thriving populations of freshwater fishes and the ecosystems within which they thrive is a priority for WWF and the 15 organisations and alliances that produced this report.