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)
- Illuminating the multidimensional contributions of small-scale fisheries (Basurto et al. 2025)
- 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)
- Asymmetric impacts of climate change on thermal habitat suitability for inland lake fishes (Xu et al. 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)
- Designing and managing protected and conserved areas to support inland water ecosystems and biodiversity (Moberg et al. 2024)
- The State of World Fisheries and Aquaculture 2024 (FAO 2024)
- The Delta: #77, #78 (Global Water Forum newsletter)
- WorldFish Monthly: December 2024
- The Stream: November 2024, December 2024 (Shoal)
Job / funding / award opportunities
- Great Lakes Indian Fish and Wildlife Commission: Inland Fisheries Biologist (Odanah, WI). Apply by 31 January 2025. Contact Mark Luehring (mluehring-at-glifwc.org) for more information.
- The Nature Conservancy: Lead Freshwater Scientist Latin America. Apply by 29 January 2025 and contact Sui Phang (sui.phang-at-TNC.ORG) for more details.
- Cornell University: Director of the Cornell Biological Field Station, Assistant/Associate Professor, Department of Natural Resources and the Environment. Contact Pete McIntyre (pbm3-at-cornell.edu) using subject “Aquatic ecology and fisheries science search” with inquires. Apply by 20 January 2025 for full consideration.
- Simon Fraser University: Postdoctoral researcher, social-ecological traps in salmon enhancement. Apply by 31 January 2025. Contact arc_lead-at-sfu.ca for more information.
- Iowa State University: Assistant Professor of Biodiversity Conservation. Apply by 31 January 2025. Contact Search Chair Julie Blanchong (julieb-at-iastate.edu) for more information.
- University of Nevada – Reno
- Postdoctoral researcher in desert fish ecology and conservation. Hiring decision anticipated in late January 2025. Contact Jeff Falke (jfalke-at-unr.edu) for more information.
- PhD opportunity (spring 2025). Contact Jeff Falke (jfalke-at-unr.edu) for more information.
- ROSES24 A.60 Earth Action: Ecological Conservation solicitation. Notices of intent due 14 February 2025; Proposals due 14 March 2025.
- Virginia Tech: MS in Great Lakes Fisheries. Apply by March 30 2025. Contact Beth Nyboer (enyboer-at-vt.edu) for more information.
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.