InFish is a professional network to raise the profile of inland fish to inform policy, advance conservation, and promote sustainable fisheries.
Please join us!
Recent relevant news/ publications
- Special issue: Taylor-made science, from the Laurentian Great Lakes to global ecosystems: The legacy and innovation of Professor William W. Taylor (Many, many InFish members!!)
- One-quarter of freshwater fauna threatened with extinction (Sayer et al. 2025; IUCN press release; NAU press release; media coverage)
- Illuminating the multidimensional contributions of small-scale fisheries (Basurto et al. 2025)
- Recreational fishing isn’t just about fun, it also provides food - Michigan Sea Grant
- Ecosystem Services of Aquatic Biodiversity for Food Production and Livelihoods (Wanjari et al. 2025)
- Prospects for conserving freshwater fish biodiversity in the Anthropocene: A view from Southern China (Dudgeon 2024)
- Grand Challenges to Support the Freshwater Biodiversity Emergency Recovery Plan (Arthington 2024)
- Adaptive capacities of inland fisheries facing anthropogenic pressures (Stokes et al. 2024)
- For the love of suckers: scientific benefits of engaging volunteers to monitor migrations and advocate for native non-game fishes (Murchie et al. 2024 and some local press)
- Review of the state of the world fishery resources: Inland fisheries (FAO 2024)
- The State of World Fisheries and Aquaculture 2024 (FAO 2024)
- The Delta: #80 (Global Water Forum newsletter)
- WorldFish Monthly: December 2024
- The Stream: January 2025 (Shoal)
Job / funding / award opportunities
- FAO: Senior Fisheries Officer (Inland Fisheries) vacancy (P5 level). Solicitation open until 7 March 2025.
- ROSES24 A.60 Earth Action: Ecological Conservation solicitation. Proposals due 14 March 2025.
- Cornell: Assistant/associate/full professor of aquatic animal health. Apply by 20 March 2025. See attached for more information and reach out to Katie Fiorella (kfiorella-at-cornell.edu) with queries.
- International Travel Award – Sullivan Family Endowment Fund: Apply for this award by 24 March 2025 if you are an International Fisheries Section (IFS) members of the American Fisheries Society (AFS) residing outside of the USA and Canada, or who are Indigenous to North America for partial financial support to attend the upcoming AFS annual meeting in San Antonio, Texas (10-14 August 2025).
- Virginia Tech: MS in Great Lakes Fisheries. Apply by March 30 2025. See attached for more information and contact Beth Nyboer (enyboer-at-vt.edu) for more information.
- World Water at UC Davis: Advanced Studies Institute in International Approaches to Freshwater Ecosystem Sustainability & Management. Applications due 11 April 2025. Must be an MS, PhD, or law student researching water science, ecology, engineering, or management. Award will cover travel and program expenses.
- Michigan State: Assistant Professor – Tenure System – Water Quality and Impacts of Climate Change. Intended start date is Fall 2026. Apply by 15 April 2025 for full consideration.
Inland Fisheries
Freshwater fish provide food, livelihoods, and ecosystem services to millions of people, especially in low-income countries, yet their value is generally not adequately considered in water use, energy, and development decisions. Freshwater fisheries around the world may appear to be very different, but their value to local communities and the threats to their sustainability are often similar.
The challenges to inland fisheries are also critical to the 60 million people who rely on freshwater fish for livelihoods – over half of whom are women. Fish is also an essential source of protein and other nutrients that cannot easily be replaced with other food sources.
InFish & SDG 1
The contribution of inland fisheries to resilient livelihoods, those which are buffered against difficult situations, is multifaceted and difficult to evaluate. Inland fisheries in Low-Income Food-Deficit countries are often part of a diversified livelihood strategy, exacerbating the tendency for them to be overlooked and undervalued. The challenge is in available data to highlight this role.
Grand Challenges
Even with long-standing management and extensive science support, North American inland fish and fisheries still face many conservation and management challenges. Addressing these grand challenges will promote open forums for engagement of diverse stakeholders in fisheries management, and better integrate the inland fish sector into the greater water and land use policy process.
Importance of InFish
Though reported capture fisheries are dominated by marine production, inland fish and fisheries make substantial contributions to meeting the challenges faced by individuals, society, and the environment in a changing global landscape. Inland capture fisheries and aquaculture contribute over 40% to the world’s reported finfish production from less than 0.01% of the total volume of water on earth.