Salmon fish are in danger... Announcing the first extinct species of fish

2023-12-27 2023-12-27T11:15:00Z

Arabia Weather - Last week, the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) announced the update of its Red List of Threatened Species, as the extinction of the Java Stingars fish was recorded as the first extinct marine fish as a result of human activity. This announcement came in light of the increase in reports confirming the effects of change. Climate change on freshwater fishes, presented at COP 28.

It appears that a quarter of known freshwater fish species are currently at risk of extinction, with climate change directly affecting 20% of these species. In this context, Cathy Hughes, co-chair of the IUCN Freshwater Fish Specialist Group, said:

“Freshwater fish make up more than half of the world's known fish species, and these diverse species are an integral part of the ecosystem, playing a vital role in its resilience. Essential for the billions of people who depend on freshwater ecosystems.”

The fish mortality crisis is accelerating globally... A call to adopt nature restoration laws

From the remote riverbanks of Australia to the lakeshores of America and Thailand, mass fish kills are on the rise around the world. While this may be a result of naturally extreme weather conditions, our impact as humans in creating these extreme weather events cannot be ignored, and threatened species are affected, including the economically valuable Atlantic salmon.

To avert an extinction crisis, experts are demanding that EU institutions take serious steps by adopting a “Nature Restoration Act” that aims to restore 25,000 km of free-flowing rivers - vital for the safety of salmon and other migratory fish.

Julia Constance, a conservation biologist at Charles Darwin University, points out:

“Intensive and unregulated fishing is likely the main threat to the depletion of Java Stingars.”

A study published in the scientific journal Science Alert confirms that transparency is lacking in industries that benefit from such practices. These situations, occurring all over the world, are exactly what has led to such perilous predictions for a large number of fish species and life on Earth.