Africa's freshwater fish risk extinction, says report

At least 26 per cent of Africa's freshwater fishes are threatened with extinction.

According to a report released yesterday, it is estimated that the continent is home to more than 3,200 freshwater fish.

But threats have seen some of them disappear, with many others on the edge of being wiped out, says "Africa's Forgotten Fish" report by the by the World-Wide Fund for Nature.

Of the 3,281 freshwater fish species native to the continent, 712 are classified as threatened, 170 critically endangered, 243 are endangered and 299 are listed as vulnerable by the International Union for Conservation and Nature.

"Africa is a biodiversity hotspot for freshwater fishes, but it’s also a hotspot of increasing threats and risks. Globally, a quarter of freshwater fishes are at risk of extinction – a figure that is echoed in Africa, where an estimated 26 per cent of species are threatened," warns the report.

Often overlooked in global conservation conversations, the report raises concerns about the high number of freshwater fish whose state remains unknown.

At least 536 species of the continent’s assessed fishes are classified as data deficient, meaning they are so poorly known that their threat status cannot be assessed.

While freshwater fishes play a vital role in maintaining the health of aquatic ecosystems, acting as predators, herbivores, and nutrient recyclers, they are also the backbone of inland fisheries that support millions of African households.

However, freshwater fish populations are collapsing. “When these fish disappear, we lose much more than species: we lose food & nutrition security, livelihoods, ecosystem balance, and adaptive capacities to climate change," said Eric Oyare, WWF Africa Freshwater Lead.

"These declines are a red flag for the broader health of Africa’s freshwater ecosystems, which are the very life support systems for people and nature.”

The report highlights the growing impacts of climate change, pollution, the extraction of sand in rivers, habitat loss, and agricultural expansion as pressures undermining Africa’s fisheries.

“Despite their importance to societies and economies across the basin, fisheries are at risk from a combination of loss of hydrological connectivity, land use change, and habitat degradation,” the report notes.

The report also features some freshwater bodies like Lake Victoria, which it says is "almost certainly a shadow of its former diversity" due to the deliberate introduction of non-native food fish and other threats.

The report also calls on governments to have rivers flow more naturally as well as improve water quality in freshwater ecosystems and end unsustainable resource use.