As fish stocks drop and some species go extinct because of climate change and overfishing, fishermen's jobs are in danger.

Al-Nimeiry Musa Mohammad has been fishing on the Nile River for 25 years, and he has never been so worried about the future. Fewer fish are being caught, so more fishermen are looking for other ways to make money.

"I know a lot of people who quit fishing because there weren't enough fish. Some of them went elsewhere to find work," said the 45-year-old man, who was standing on the banks of the Nile just north of a fish market in Omdurman, the twin city of the capital Khartoum, where the Blue Nile and White Nile meet.

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I catch about a quarter as many fish as I used to. Mohammad said at al-Mawrada, Omdurman's biggest fish market, "The last time I went out on the river, I caught about 60kg [132lb] of fish, but sometimes I only catch 10kg [22lb]."

Studies have shown that the number of fish in the Nile is going down. Researchers say that rising temperatures caused by climate change, overfishing, and a lack of state regulation are all to blame.

Studies by the United Nations show that Sudan's fisheries make up a small part of the country's gross domestic product (GDP). However, the industry provides jobs and is a major source of food and nutrition for the country's 46 million people.

Mohammad and other Sudanese fishermen, as well as scientists, worry that the number of fish in the Nile is going down and that some species are going extinct.

This is a worry because climate change and more extreme weather are threatening the world's ability to grow and catch food.

Sudan's fish production has gone down since South Sudan broke away in 2011. After South Sudan broke away, Sudan lost access to many fishing spots and large inland water bodies.

SOURCE: NEWS AGENCIES