International experts at the Global Conference on Inland Fisheries say lakes, rivers and streams are key to livelihoods of several millions of people, hence the need for their better management, particularly in developing countries.

This was among the key recommendations of international experts at the just-ended Global Conference on Inland Fisheries in Rome.

A statement issued by the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations, and copied to the Ghana News Agency on Monday, said during the event, leading researchers in the field of fisheries and water management, along with indigenous peoples groups, warned that a dearth of data and sound policies means development decisions fail to take into account adverse impacts on inland fisheries.

According to them, lakes and rivers are essential sources of protein, micro-nutrients, vitamins and fats, particularly in developing countries, where more than 60 million people rely on them for their livelihood.

The statement said some 71 low-income countries currently produce nearly seven million tonnes of inland fisheries products a year, or 80 per cent of global inland captures; but these waters are often impacted by other human needs, including energy creation, tourism and competition for freshwater.

“Inland fisheries provide a valuable, but often overlooked source of nutrition and employment, around the world,” said Árni M. Mathiesen, FAO Assistant Director General in the Fisheries and Aquaculture Department. “But to date, the international effort to effectively integrate inland fisheries into the broader development agenda has fallen short of what is needed.”

The statement observed that globally, some 70 per cent of available freshwater supplies were currently used for Agriculture.

It said pollution and the building of hydro-electric dams and channels further impact the availability and quality of inland waters that are home to diverse types of fish.

“We hear a lot about the threats to coral reefs, but freshwater fish are the most threatened group of vertebrates used by humans,” said Mathiesen.

The statement said this was why water management and fisheries management ought to go hand in hand; adding that “it also means international cooperation is essential”.

“If a country upstream dams a river or drains a wetland, fisheries management downstream is fairly useless,” said FAO’s Devin Bartley, Senior Fishery Resource Officer at FAO.

According to the statement, currently less than half of international or shared inland water bodies have international agreements on their management and only 11 per cent have a mandate covering fish.

It said experts who attended the meeting encourage increasing the number of international accords to ensure freshwater resources were used sustainably and smartly– especially in light of the growing demands for food associated with feeding a world of nine billion by 2050.

They also called for stronger national and international institutions that could address inland fishery issues and help to better integrate the sector in global development agendas.

It said recognizing the value of local and traditional knowledge and respecting indigenous cultures is key to doing this sustainably.

Adding that because most inland fishing activity is small scale, much of it goes unreported and data on the sector is incomplete, meaning its contributions are undervalued in decisions on water management and development.

It said research suggests that the harvests from river fisheries that were reported only account for 30 to 50 per cent of the actual bounty that fisher-folk bring home.

It said having more and better data on inland fisheries’ contribution to local nutrition and economies, as well as for the environmental impacts they suffer from other industries would allow decision makers to make more strategic choices.

The conference was co-organized by FAO and Michigan State University in the United States; both institutions signed a memorandum of understanding that outlines a new partnership to raise the international profile of inland fisheries.

“Human nutrition, environmental sustainability, and community prosperity are closely linked to the health of freshwater fisheries around the world,” said Michigan State University President Lou Anna K. Simon.