Target: The Honorable Jonathan Wilkinson, Minister of Environment and Climate Change
Goal: Protect vulnerable freshwater fish from decline and destroyed environments.
Of all freshwater fish species in the world, nearly a third are threatened by extinction. The extraordinary variety of over 18,000 freshwater fish species is essential to the health of the world’s rivers, lakes and wetlands, but continues to be undervalued and overlooked.
Freshwater fish are a crucial part of their ecosystems. They regulate food web dynamics, nutrient balances and sediment processes, are an active link between ecosystems, and function as bioindicators.
The biodiversity in freshwater is declining twice as fast as it is in forests and oceans. In 2020 alone 16 species have been declared extinct. The forgotten freshwater fish face extermination because they are not considered into development decisions about hydropower dams or water use or building on floodplains. Additionally, freshwater fish are also at risk from invasive non-native species, overfishing, the devastating effects of climate change, unsustainable sand mining, and wildlife crime. Freshwater ecosystems and their inhabitants are further threatened by habitat destruction, water use for irrigation, and domestic, agricultural and industrial pollution.
Fortunately, the WWF designed an emergency recovery plan to bend the curve of the declining fish population. Sign this petition to urge Canada to implement the WWF-led Emergency Recovery Plan for freshwater biodiversity.
PETITION LETTER:
Dear Honorable Jonathan Wilkinson,
The biodiversity in freshwater is threatened by humans’ careless behavior. We continue to disregard fish and their importance to the environment with devastating consequences for our rivers, lakes, and wetlands.
Already a third of all freshwater fish are threatened with extinction, and the year 2020 alone saw 16 species vanish from the planet.
There is a long list of threats endangering fish including overfishing, wildlife crime, and domestic, agricultural and industrial pollution. To save our precious ecosystems in our freshwater the WWF presented an emergency recovery plan.
You must seize the opportunity of the global biodiversity agreement to protect and restore the life in our freshwater.
Sincerely,
[Your Name Here]
Photo Credit: Engbretson, Eric
You would think fresh water fish have meaning. I guess they don’t. If humans had one scrap of brain in our heads we would wake up to see a food source for animals and ourselves is being threatened. Extinct is forever. I would hope we would clean up our oceans and rivers. We need to take stock (punny) of our demands on nature. Nature is getting weary of humans taking and never giving. We need to return the favor and be responsible for our rivers, our lakes, and out eco system. Instead humans eat too much, have killing contests, cock fights, and throw hens off roofs. Can we find nothing of import to do with our time? I suggest we become aware of climate change before it kicks our butts even more than it has already!
Poor fish. They Suffer so much. Humans are awful. Can you imagine the attention extinction would receive if this many people were being run over the extinction cliff? There would be breaking news, tasks forces,study groups, money, scientists, activists groups, town halls all to reinforce the speciests, selfish, self centered narrative that human beings lives are all that matter. God help the fish. God help the animals.