Discovering the underwater world of the “Mekong Forgotten Fishes”

The "Mekong’s Forgotten Fishes" Report

Mekong’s Forgotten Fishes details the extraordinary variety of fish species in the river – with at least 1,148 making the Mekong the third most biodiverse river after the Amazon and Congo. The first-of-its-kind report celebrates this wealth of species – from the world’s most massive freshwater fish to one of its most minute, from fishes that ‘talk’ and ‘walk’ to fishes that spit water to knock unsuspecting prey into the river. The Mekong is also home to one of the largest migrations on Earth in terms of numbers of animals, with an estimated 5 billion fish on the move.

The report highlights the critical role of all these fishes in maintaining the health of the Mekong River Basin and supporting societies and economies across the region. The Mekong boasts the world’s largest inland fishery, which accounts for over 15 percent of the entire global inland catch, generates over US$11 billion annually, and is central to the food security and livelihoods of over 40 million people in communities across the basin.

But the Mekong’s fishes continue to be undervalued and overlooked by decision-makers and at least 19 percent of assessed species are now estimated to be heading towards extinction, with 18 species already listed as Critically Endangered by the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. However, a staggering 38 percent of species are considered Data Deficient, meaning too little is known about them to gauge their conservation status – and that the number of threatened species is likely far higher.

“The alarming decline in fish populations in the Mekong is an urgent wake-up call for action to save these extraordinary – and extraordinarily important – species, which underpin not only the region’s societies and economies but also the health of the Mekong’s freshwater ecosystems. These fishes have swum through our civilizations and cultures for millennia and millions of people still depend on them every day. But overlooked by decision-makers, they are disappearing. We must act now to reverse this disastrous trend because the communities and countries of the Mekong cannot afford to lose them.”