Today, the IUCN SSC Freshwater Fish Specialist Group, alongside 17 other conservation organisations, has launched the new report ‘Africa’s Forgotten Fishes – and the Emergency Recovery Plan to save them’. Led by FFSG co-chair Kathy Hughes, with input from FFSG Regional Chairs for Africa – Professor Albert Chakona, Dr. Jos Snoeks, Dr. Abebe Getahun, Professor Philippe Laleye, and the late Paul Loiselle (who the report is dedicated to). The report details the amazing diversity of fishes found across the continent of Africa, from the tiny galaxiids of South Africa to the ancient bichir, from elephantfishes that communicate using electric signals, to the extraordinary radiation of cichlids in Africa’s Great Lakes. While these fishes have not been forgotten by the millions of people whose lives and livelihoods depend on them, they have mostly been forgotten by decision makers. This matters because 26% of Africa’s freshwater fishes are threatened with extinction. The report calls upon decision makers to remember freshwater fishes and safeguard the wetland ecosystems we all rely upon by:
– Letting rivers flow more naturally with adequate flows;
- Improving water quality in freshwater ecosystems;
- Protecting and restoring critical habitats and species;
- Ending unsustainable resource use;
- Preventing and controlling invasive non-native species; and
- Safeguarding free-flowing rivers and remove obsolete barriers
The report sets out how to do this, with examples from Africa and across the world. To find out more please the full report here: https://freshwaterfish.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/WWF_Africas_Forgotten-Fishes.pdf