India, March 24 -- Migratory freshwater fish populations across the world have declined by nearly 81 per cent since the 1970s and roughly 97 per cent of the 58 listed migratory fish species under the Convention of Migratory Species (CMS) are threatened with extinction.

These fish species, comprising of fresh and salt-water species, are rapidly collapsing, putting ecosystems at risks and threatening fisheries and livelihoods of millions of people worldwide.

These findings were revealed in a report launched on March 24 at the Convention on the Conservation of Migratory Species' COP15 in Brazil and is a comprehensive update to a 2011 review.

The Global Assessment of Migratory Freshwater Fishes identifies 325 species requiring coordinated ...