THE CONSERVATION OF FRESH-WATER FISH - PAST AND PRESENT EXPERIENCE

The conservation of fish and fish communities has received little attention relative to other vertebrates. Yet across Eurasia and North America, numerous important stocks of various fish species have been eliminated and there are now thousands of lakes and rivers which are fishless or possess only degraded communities. The main problems are caused by engineering works, industrial and domestic pollution, acidification, fishing and fishery management, and land use practices. The major conservation objective, perhaps fortified by legislation, must be habitat restoration and management, but short-term programmes can usefully involve translocations, captive breeding and cryopreservation. Fish conservation programmes are needed in every country in order to rescue endangered species and reverse the downward trends facing important fish communities by managing the lake and river systems concerned.