Fish, the Final Frontier for a Biologically Diverse and Sustainable Future

Increased ability to find, catch, and transport fish and modify their habitats, has resulted in the alteration of fish communities, including loss of species, genetic diversity and population abundance. As such, fisheries productivity and the allied ecological, cultural and economic services they provide have been dramatically impacted. The lack of precise predictable scientific knowledge of fish productivity and resilience, coupled with the failure of our governance systems to design and implement responsive management decisions, has jeopardized the sustainability of wild fishes and associated fisheries. The future status of our fisheries rests largely on our ability to promote system resilience by fostering the natural biodiversity of fish communities at the local, regional and global scale. To ensure the integrity and sustainability of the world’s fisheries resources, we must become better stewards and continue to enhance our scientific understanding of fish and their habitat needs. We must also improve our ability to communicate the high value of our fisheries resources to society as food, recreation, and generators of economic, ecological and social wealth benefiting all communities.  We use case studies from inland waters around the world to emphasize these points and consider future scenarios and options.