And let’s not forget increasing recent connections being formed ever more rapidly, or indeed the separations that are now occurring.

Declines are probably due to many factors. American eel numbers have reduced greatly over the same period.

Here’s a homy video by the good folks at the Great Lakes fisheries commission. Don’t drink the yellow water!

youtu.be/xJ80mh2cYWY

These types of sites are popular history. There were still extensive freshwater fisheries and fishing communities. However,they do not consider for example the xenobiotics, the vast majority of wich (10s of thousands) are recent and haven’t ever been assessed.

Certainly in rivers in the UK, pollution has reached such high levels in the past that they have periodically been declared ‘biologically dead’. But this is a bit of exaggeration. There are also papers that summarize the effects of other events like sewage releases.

Then please don’t propagate science denial. ‘Some rivers are cleaner than they have been for hundreds of years’ is patently false.

Then please don’t propagate science denial. ‘Some rivers are cleaner than they have been for hundreds of years’ is patently false.

Great starter pack!
My background is in ecology. I work on behaviour changes towards more plant-based diets for climate, health and biodiversity. Possibly a bit tangential, but if you think it's enough of a fit I'd be delighted to be added!
theconversation.com/livestock-gr...