A third of freshwater fish species are facing extinction in a crisis engulfing Britain and the world, conservationists are warning. Eighty freshwater fish species have become extinct since 1970, according to a report by 16 nature organisations. There are 18,075 freshwater fish species on Earth, around half of all the world’s fish species; yet lakes and wetlands comprise less than 1 per cent of the Earth’s surface. In South America alone, more than 104 new species of freshwater fish have been identified every year for the past decade - an average of two new species a week. But the report warns freshwater fish are often in ‘forgotten’ in discussions of risks to species.

Source: Daily Mail February 23, 2021 00:07 UTC