Motion 019

This motion notes inland fisheries provide food security for nearly a billion people, particularly in low and middle income countries (source: FAO, Duke University and WorldFish Center, 2023). It also notes the economic value of inland fisheries as $38-44 billion (source: FAO, 2018) and inland fishery catch represents 12% of the global capture fisheries from 1% of available freshwater, with 90% for direct human consumption and >99% from small-scale fisheries (Source: Arthur 2024) .
The motion notes freshwater ecosystems are facing a biodiversity crisis, with 25% of freshwater fauna threatened with extinction (source: Sayer et al. 2025). Also noting that many inland fisheries are supported by transboundary migratory species vulnerable to poor watershed management.
The motion calls for support of ecosystem-based management of inland fisheries, recognizing the relationship between inland fish catch and freshwater biodiversity (source: Lynch et al. 2023) provides an opportunity for Ecosystem-based management of fisheries to support biodiversity conservation and food security (source: IPBES in press).
The motion encourages governments to recognize sustainable inland fisheries as a development opportunity of equal importance to other productive activities related to land and water uses, such as agriculture and hydropower. The motion encourages IUCN to support governments in both advancing inland fisheries management and integrated water resource management, where the latter recognises inland fisheries within water-use decisions (source: Arthur 2024).
This motion highlights the importance of including inland fisheries in the objectives of the SDGs and the Kunming-Montreal GBF, and builds on an analysis and recommendations made by InFish (infish.org) an international team of fisheries experts (source: Lynch et al. 2020). The motion also calls on improved monitoring and assessment of the state of inland fisheries (source: Arthur 2024) to address knowledge and implementation gaps (source: CBD AHTEG 2024). Recognising recent efforts by the Commission on Ecosystem Management’s Fisheries Expert Group, the motion supports a focus on inland fisheries, noting important differences with marine systems.
Publications cited:
Arthur, R., ed. 2024. Review of the state of the world fishery resources - Inland fisheries. Fourth edition. FAO Fisheries and Aquaculture Circular, No. 942 Rev. 4. Rome, FAO and Abidjan, AfDB. https://doi.org/10.4060/cd2169en
CBD AHTEG (2024) Revised Guidance on needs related to implementing the monitoring framework of the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework. CBD/COP/16/INF/4.
FAO, Duke University & WorldFish Center 2023. Illuminating Hidden Harvests - The contributions of small-scale fisheries to sustainable development. Rome, FAO.
FAO 2018. Review of the state of world fishery resources: inland fisheries FAO Fisheries and Aquaculture Circular No. C942 Rev.3, Rome. 397 pp.
IPBES (in press.) The thematic assessment report on interlinkages among biodiversity, water, food and health summary for Policymakers. Germany, Bonn.
Lynch, A.J., et al. 2020. Inland fish and fisheries integral to achieving the Sustainable Development Goals. Nature Sustainability, 3(8), pp.579-587.
Lynch, A. J., et al. 2023. People need freshwater biodiversity. Wiley Interdisciplinary Reviews: Water, 10(3), e1633.
Sayer, C.A., et al. 2025. One-quarter of freshwater fauna threatened with extinction. Nature. https://doi.org/10.1038/541586-024-08375-2