This motion notes inland fisheries are a critical source of food and nutrition security for nearly a billion people, particularly in developing parts of the world (source: McIntyre et al., 2016). It also notes the economic value of inland fisheries as US$38-44 billion (source: FAO, 2018). It is noted here inland fishery catch represents almost 40% and 30% of small and large-scale marine fisheries, respectively; and that inland fisheries employ three times and two times more people than small- and large scale marine fisheries, respectively (per 1000 tonnes of fish caught) (FAO-World Fish Center, 2008). The motion notes threats to inland fisheries and the ecosystems that support them. Also worth noting is many of the main inland fisheries are supported by transboundary migratory species vulnerable to poor watershed management, including water and land uses.

The motion calls for support of ecosystem-based management of inland fisheries, recognizing the relationship between inland fish catch and freshwater fish biodiversity. The >15,000 freshwater fish species equate to about half of all fish biodiversity and 25% of vertebrates. As sources of food and livelihoods, inland fisheries connect resident communities to their environment and underpin greater stewardship of freshwater ecosystems and fish conservation. Hence, ecosystem-based management of inland fisheries can contribute to food security and biodiversity. The motion encourages governments to recognize sustainable inland fisheries as a development opportunity of equal importance to other productive activities and development objectives related to land and water uses, such as agriculture, and urban and industrial development. Inland fisheries should be governed for ecological sustainability and resource equity to safeguard their production and value. This motion pursues inclusion of inland fisheries in the objectives of the SDGs and the post 2020 Global Biodiversity Framework to reflect their importance, and builds on an analysis and recommendations made by InFish (infish.org) an international team of inland fisheries experts (Lynch et al. in review). The motion also recommends monitoring and assessment of the state inland fisheries in different parts of the world, including indicators for the status of inland fisheries, that can be broadly applied. The Commission on Ecosystem Management’s Fisheries Expert Group should provide equal focus on both inland and marine fisheries, to recognize the differences in fish and fisheries in both systems.

Publications cited:
CBD Technical Series No. 87: Scientific Assessment of Progress towards Aichi Biodiversity Target 6 on Sustainable Fisheries.
FAO. 2015. The Rome Declaration: Ten Steps to Responsible Inland Fisheries. http://www.fao.org/3/a-i5735e.pdf.
FAO-World Fish Center. 2008. Small-scale capture fisheries: A global overview with emphasis on developing countries. World Bank Other Operational Studies 16752, The World Bank.
Funge-Smith, SJ. 2018. Review of the state of world fishery resources: inland fisheries FAO Fisheries and Aquaculture Circular No. C942 Rev.3, Rome. 397 pp.
Lynch, A. (in review). Inland fish and fisheries integral to achieving the Sustainable Development Goals. Nature Sustainability.
McIntyre, P.B. et al. 2016. Linking freshwater fishery management to global food security and biodiversity conservation. PNAS 113 (45) 12880-12885.

• Center for Biodiversity and Conservation, American Museum of Natural History - New York [United States of America]
• Conservation International [United States of America]
• European Bureau for Conservation and Development [Belgium]
• NatureServe [United States of America]
• Synchronicity Earth [United Kingdom]
• The Nature Conservancy [United States of America]
• Wetlands International [The Netherlands]
• World Wide Fund for Nature - International [Switzerland]
• Zoological Society of London [United Kingdom]