If you were a fish, where would you migrate to? Or would you just stay on your bed?
Thousands of people around the world won’t be staying in bed on May 21st. Instead, they will be conducting hundreds of events around the globe to raise awareness of the importance of allowing fish to migrate freely and safely up and down native waters.
That’s not as easy as it sounds. Humans have been using and modifying rivers for millennia. Rivers provide water, irrigation, navigation, hydropower, fishing and more.
But the environmental cost is high — river degradation, fragmentation, quality deterioration, and habitat modification and destruction that have driven some fish to extinction, and damaged many more.
You can’t repair that damage overnight. Still, World Fish Migration Day (WFMD) is a one-day global initiative, with local events worldwide, designed to create awareness of the importance of open rivers and migratory fish. Over 1000 organizations around the globe are involved.
Interested? Check here to see events nearest you, and find out how you can get involved.
What is World Fish Migration Day?
The concept is that organizations around the world volunteer to organize their own events around the common theme of “connecting fish, rivers and people.” The goal is to “create a greater driving force, which will allow for easier management, conservation and rehabilitation of migratory fish stocks.”
Many migratory fish species are severely threatened. The main causes are man-made obstacles like dams, weirs and sluices, which disrupt the natural flow of rivers and prevent fish migration. Many fish need to migrate to reproduce, feed and complete their life cycles. Migratory species make up a crucial link in the food chain and play an important ecological role in productive river systems. Furthermore they provide an important food supply and livelihood for millions of people around the world.
Want to know more? Download Guidance from Sea to Source for more information about fish migration and restoration efforts.There are opportunities for you to get involved. The goals are to raise awareness, create opportunities for collaboration, raise money, and recruit volunteers.
Maybe you are one of those volunteers.
© Feng Cheng | Dreamstime.com – Rainbow on river
