HABITAT LOSS, POLLUTION, CLIMATE CHANGE AMONG TOP THREATS TO WORLD FISHERIES, FAO WARNS

Tue 30 June 2026:

Habitat destruction, pollution and climate change are the leading threats to global fisheries, the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) has warned.

According to information compiled by Anadolu from FAO’s “The State of World Fisheries and Aquaculture 2026” report, the share of fish stocks classified as biologically sustainable fell from 64.5% in 2021 to 62.4% in 2023.

Despite the decline in sustainable stocks, global aquatic animal production reached a record 195 million tons in 2024, a 5.1% increase from 2022.

Aquaculture surpassed the symbolic milestone of 100 million tons for the first time, reaching 103 million tons and overtaking capture fisheries, which stood at 92 million tons, to become the primary source of global aquatic animal production. An estimated 21.3 kg per capita of aquatic animal foods were available for consumption globally in the same year, contributing 15% of animal protein availability worldwide.

Despite production growth, climate change, pollution and ecosystem degradation continue to threaten freshwater and marine ecosystems.

– Threats mapped based on basins

Of 529 river and lake basins important for inland fisheries, habitat destruction was identified as the dominant threat in 284, pollution in 144, and climate change in 74.

Inland fisheries cover less than 2% of the Earth’s surface yet hold roughly 40% of all known fish species and provide approximately 13% of global capture fisheries production. These systems serve as a critical food security safety net in low-income countries.

__________________________________________________________________________

https://whatsapp.com/channel/0029VaAtNxX8fewmiFmN7N22

__________________________________________________________________________

Habitat loss most widespread threat to inland fisheries

Habitat loss is the most widespread threat to freshwater fisheries globally, driven primarily by deforestation, the fragmentation of rivers by dams, draining of wetlands and excessive water extraction.

In the Mekong River Basin — home to some of the world’s most productive freshwater fisheries — dams have been found to block migration routes and trap nutrient-rich sediment, with modelling studies projecting significant losses in migratory fish biomass.

In the African Great Lakes, watershed deforestation and shoreline loss are threatening fisheries that provide more than 60% of animal protein for some communities. In Mexico, 40% of freshwater fish species face the threat of extinction, driven primarily by unsustainable water extraction and hydroelectric infrastructure.

Pollution concentrated in industrialized basins

Pollution is the dominant threat in 144 of the 529 critical basins, concentrated in industrialized and densely populated watersheds across Europe and parts of Asia.

Key drivers include agricultural runoff causing nutrient loading and eutrophication, industrial discharge and inadequate municipal wastewater treatment. In the floodplain wetlands of eastern India, nutrient enrichment is driving eutrophication and adversely affecting fish diversity and catch.

Climate change shifting fish distributions

Climate change impacts are felt most acutely in high-latitude regions and certain tropical lake systems. In Lake Tanganyika — one of the world’s most biodiverse freshwater ecosystems, yielding up to 200,000 tonnes of fish annually — paleoecological records show that climate warming has intensified water column stratification and suppressed algal production.

Under a high emissions scenario, marine fish biomass could decline by more than 10% by 2050 and by approximately 30-40% by 2100 relative to the 1950-2014 period. The steepest losses are projected in tropical waters and among Small Island Developing States (SIDS), while species are already being observed shifting poleward in pursuit of their thermal niches.

Biomass in high-latitude systems such as the Arctic and subpolar North Atlantic is projected to slightly increase as warm-water species expand northward, but this gain is offset by declines in cold-adapted species, leading to substantial ecological reorganization that will require adaptive shifts in fisheries management.

-Source: AA

__________________________________________________________________________

FOLLOW INDEPENDENT PRESS:

WhatsApp CHANNEL
https://whatsapp.com/channel/0029VaAtNxX8fewmiFmN7N22