One in four freshwater fish species in Africa threatened with extinction - report

Women drying fish at shores of lake Victoria

A new report has shown that one in four freshwater fish species in Africa is threatened with extinction. 

The report, titled ‘Africa’s Forgotten Fishes’, reveals that 26 per cent of the continent’s assessed freshwater fish species risk extinction, with the true number potentially being much higher due to significant data gaps.

World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) released the report in the lead-up to a global wetlands conference in Zimbabwe, where countries will set the course for safeguarding and restoring vital freshwater ecosystems.

“Africa is a global hotspot of freshwater fish diversity, home to over 3,200 species, but it’s also a hotspot of risk,” said Eric Oyare, WWF Africa Freshwater lead.

“When these fish disappear, we lose much more than species: we lose food and nutrition security, livelihoods, ecosystem balance and adaptive capacities to climate change. These declines are a red flag for the broader health of Africa’s freshwater ecosystems, which are the very life support systems for people and nature.”

The report shows that shrinking fish stocks are hitting the poorest hardest, driving up prices and reducing access to affordable protein.

Often overlooked in global conservation conversations, Africa’s freshwater fishes are ecologically remarkable. 

Over 3 million tonnes of freshwater fish are caught each year, representing almost 30 per cent of the reported global freshwater fish catch. This figure is an underestimate due to a lack of data, especially for small-scale fisheries.

The continent boasts 12 of the top 25 inland fish-producing countries in the world, with Uganda coming in highest, at sixth place. 

The annual catch feeds the highest per capita consumption of freshwater fish of any continent in the world and employs over 3 million people.

The new report highlights extraordinary species such as the African lungfish, which breathes air and can survive years buried in mud during droughts; the blind cichlid from the Congo Basin, adapted to life in underground aquatic caves; the ancient bichirs, often referred to as “living fossils” for their lineage that predates the dinosaurs; and the formidable African tigerfish, a fast-swimming predator renowned for its powerful jaws and hunting skills.

Freshwater fish play a vital role in maintaining the health of aquatic ecosystems, acting as predators, herbivores and nutrient recyclers. They are also the backbone of inland fisheries that support millions of African households, especially the most vulnerable.

But these lifelines are collapsing under the weight of multiple threats that include habitat destruction from dams, deforestation, mining and land conversion. 

Pollution from agriculture, urban areas and industry; invasive species and overfishing, including destructive gear like mosquito nets; and climate change, which alters rainfall patterns, dries out rivers and heats lakes, are other threats.

Across the continent, freshwater fish populations are in free fall. In the Zambezi floodplain, catches of key species have dropped by up to 90%. 

At the same time, Lake Malawi’s iconic ‘chambo’ tilapia, a staple food and national symbol featured on the Malawian Kwacha, has declined by 94%.

Machaya Chomba, Africa freshwater protection manager at The Nature Conservancy, which helped produce the report alongside other partner organisations, said the disappearance of freshwater fish is not just a biodiversity crisis; it is a direct threat to food, livelihoods and cultural identity for millions across Africa.

“These species are the backbone of local economies and daily life. To protect them, we must restore and reconnect the rivers and wetlands that sustain both nature and people.”

WWF urges African governments and stakeholders to adopt the Emergency Recovery Plan for Freshwater Biodiversity. 

This science-based, practical roadmap has been developed by leading experts to restore the health of freshwater ecosystems and the communities that rely on them.

The plan outlines six urgent actions that include letting rivers flow naturally, improving water quality in freshwater ecosystems, protecting and restoring critical habitats and species and ending unsustainable resource use. 

Other measures include preventing and controlling invasive non-native species and safeguarding free-flowing rivers and removing obsolete barriers.

Experts say the six pillars have all individually been implemented successfully in countries around the world. 

The report said community-led conservation efforts are showing success in Tanzania, Zambia, Namibia and beyond, protecting breeding zones, co-managing fisheries and restoring degraded habitats.

New global frameworks, like the Freshwater Challenge, now joined by 20 African countries, offer a path forward.

“It’s time we stopped treating freshwater fishes as an afterthought,” said Nancy Rapando, WWF Africa food futures lead. 

“They are central to Africa’s biodiversity, development and future. We must act now before the rivers dry out.”

The Ramsar COP15, formally known as the 15th Conference of the Contracting Parties to the Convention on Wetlands (COP15), which will take place from July 23 to 31 in Zimbabwe, will bring together governments, scientists and conservationists to tackle the rising threats facing freshwater ecosystems and chart a path toward more sustainable management. 

African countries have a unique opportunity to lead by example by putting freshwater ecosystems and fish at the heart of conservation and development decisions.