InFish is a professional network to raise the profile of inland fish to inform policy, advance conservation, and promote sustainable fisheries.
Please join us!
Recent relevant news/ publications
- The Mekong’s Forgotten Fishes (WWF 2024) + associated blog posts (Lee and Opperman)
- Check out the IUCN Freshwater Fish Specialist Group website!
- Center for Indigenous Studies Spring Equinox Newsletter
- The Stream: February 2024 (Shoal)
- The Delta #63 (Global Water Forum newsletter)
- Stocking fish in inland waters: Opportunities and risks for sustainable food systems (Cowx et al. 2023)
- Sustainable Fishery Systems (Charles 2023)
- Future-proofing the emergency recovery plan for freshwater biodiversity (Lynch et al. 2023)
- Illuminating Hidden Harvests (FAO, Duke University, WorldFish 2023)
- Freshwater Systems Produce Or Influence More Than Half Of Fish Consumed Globally (Part 1) and (Part 2) (Opperman 2023)
- Protecting and restoring habitats to benefit freshwater biodiversity (Piczak et al. 2023)
- OUT OF SIGHT, OUT OF MIND AND UNDERWATER: The race to discover and save our planet’s forgotten fish (WWF-Asia Pacific)
- World Heritage, Hydropower, and Earth’s Largest Freshwater Fish (Lee et al. 2023)
- Chasing Giants: In Search of the World's Largest Freshwater Fish (Hogan and Lovgren 2023)
- People need freshwater biodiversity (Lynch et al. 2023)
- Putting the fish into inland fisheries – A global allocation of historic inland fish catch (Ainsworth et al. 2023)
Job / funding / award opportunities
- FAO Consultancy - Defining the methodology for calculating GBF T2 indicator globally. Contact Ashley Steel (ashley.steel-at-fao.org) with questions.
- Cary Institute – Postdoctoral Research in Fisheries Management and Research. Questions about the position may be directed to Chris Solomon (solomonc-at-caryinstitute.org). Review of applications will begin 15 April 2024 and will continue until the position is filled.
- Oregon State University:
- Assistant Professor, Ichthyologist (Curator of the OSU fish collection). For full consideration, apply by 14 April 2024. Contact Jonathan Armstrong (jonathan.armstrong-at-oregonstate.edu) and Ivan Arismendi (Ivan.arismendi-at-oregonstate.edu) for more information.
- PhD position on Communicating Climate Adaptation. Contact Megan Jones (megan.jones-at-oregonstate.edu). Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis, with priority to those received by 20 March 2024.
- North Carolina State University – tenure-track freshwater fisheries and ecology position. Posting will close when filled but applicants are encouraged to submit materials as soon as possible.
- Charles Sturt University Next Generation Water Engineering and River Management Hub Scholarships for PhD students. Expressions of interest will remain open until candidates for the three projects have been selected. See here for more information.
Inland Fisheries
Freshwater fish provide food, livelihoods, and ecosystem services to millions of people, especially in low-income countries, yet their value is generally not adequately considered in water use, energy, and development decisions. Freshwater fisheries around the world may appear to be very different, but their value to local communities and the threats to their sustainability are often similar.
The challenges to inland fisheries are also critical to the 60 million people who rely on freshwater fish for livelihoods – over half of whom are women. Fish is also an essential source of protein and other nutrients that cannot easily be replaced with other food sources.
InFish & SDG 1
The contribution of inland fisheries to resilient livelihoods, those which are buffered against difficult situations, is multifaceted and difficult to evaluate. Inland fisheries in Low-Income Food-Deficit countries are often part of a diversified livelihood strategy, exacerbating the tendency for them to be overlooked and undervalued. The challenge is in available data to highlight this role.
Grand Challenges
Even with long-standing management and extensive science support, North American inland fish and fisheries still face many conservation and management challenges. Addressing these grand challenges will promote open forums for engagement of diverse stakeholders in fisheries management, and better integrate the inland fish sector into the greater water and land use policy process.
Importance of InFish
Though reported capture fisheries are dominated by marine production, inland fish and fisheries make substantial contributions to meeting the challenges faced by individuals, society, and the environment in a changing global landscape. Inland capture fisheries and aquaculture contribute over 40% to the world’s reported finfish production from less than 0.01% of the total volume of water on earth.