Threatened aquatic species

Nature

Aquatic animals, such as fish and amphibians, are continuously in contact with water. They cannot avoid pollutants in the water, which are taken up through the skin, gills and food.

Background

Many older sewage facilities cannot break down certain chemicals and hormones in pharmaceuticals, perfumes and other synthetic substances entering the wastewater stream. These can cause mutations in the reproductive cells, threatening some species of frogs and fish with extinction.

Incidence

Threatened aquatic species are experiencing alarming declines across freshwater, marine, and estuarine environments worldwide. According to the IUCN Red List, over 2,000 fish species and hundreds of amphibians, molluscs, and crustaceans are currently classified as threatened, with habitat loss, pollution, overfishing, and climate change accelerating extinction risks. The global scale of this crisis is underscored by the rapid disappearance of keystone species, which destabilizes entire aquatic ecosystems and jeopardizes food security for millions.
In 2023, the Yangtze sturgeon (Acipenser dabryanus) was declared extinct in the wild in China, following decades of population decline due to dam construction, overfishing, and river pollution.