<
https://www.sciencealert.com/shocking-wake-up-call-first-marine-fish-declared-extinct-due-to-humans>
'Java Stingarees are the first marine fish to be declared extinct as a result
of human activity.
This troubling news was released with the International Union for Conservation
of Nature's (IUCN) latest update of its
Red List of Threatened Species last
week, along with reports of escalating climate impacts on freshwater fishes
presented at COP28.
A shocking quarter of all known freshwater fish species are currently at risk
of extinction, with 20 percent impacted directly by climate change.
"Freshwater fishes make up more than half of the world's known fish species, an
incomprehensible diversity given that freshwater ecosystems comprise only 1
percent of aquatic habitat," says Kathy Hughes, Co-Chair of the IUCN SSC
Freshwater Fish Specialist Group.
"These diverse species are integral to the ecosystem, and vital to its
resilience. This is essential to the billions of people who rely upon
freshwater ecosystems, and the millions of people who rely on their fisheries."
This decimation of aquatic species is tracking just as scientists predicted.
From the banks of Australia's outback rivers, to the shores of US lakes and
the beaches of Thailand, mass fish die offs are on the increase around the
globe. While these do happen naturally in the wake of extreme weather events,
we've taken too much of their water, added too many pollutants, and dialed up
those weather extremes.
The numbers of individual animals impacted in just 2023 are hard to fathom.'
Via Rixty Dixet.
Cheers,
*** Xanni ***
--
mailto:xanni@xanadu.net Andrew Pam
http://xanadu.com.au/ Chief Scientist, Xanadu
https://glasswings.com.au/ Partner, Glass Wings
https://sericyb.com.au/ Manager, Serious Cybernetics
