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Nearly 40 percent of America’s freshwater fish in danger Jeremy Hance, mongabay.com September 10, 2008
The study, conducted by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), found that 700 species in America’s lakes and rivers are in danger. Classifying the fish by level of threat, the USGS listed 230 as vulnerable, 190 as threatened, and 280 as endangered. The study, published in Fisheries, also stated that 61 species have already gone extinct. The last comprehensive study of America’s freshwater fish was conducted in 1989; at that time 364 species were threatened. With 700 currently in trouble, American freshwater fish have seen a 92 percent increase in imperiled species in less than twenty years. From 1989 to 2008, only 11 percent of species have shown any improvement: some moved up in status, while others have been delisted. "Freshwater fish have continued to decline since the late 1970s, with the primary causes being habitat loss, dwindling range and introduction of non-native species," Mark Myers said, director of the USGS. "In addition, climate change may further affect these fish."
To save these species, the writers encourage more proactive management and increasing public awareness. They hope that the study contributes to the effort. "We believe this report will provide national and international resource managers, scientists and the conservation community with reliable information to establish conservation, management and recovery priorities," said Stephen Walsh, another lead author and USGS researcher. The news comes on the heels of a wave of reports showing that threatened species are increasing exponentially around the world: 31 percent of amphibians are considered in jeopardy; one-third of coral species are threatened due; and just last month it was announced that 48 percent of primates are at risk of extinction, making it the world’s most threatened group.
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