World Fish Migration Day 2020

Communities around the world will join together tomorrow to celebrate World Fish Migration Day. The event – started in 2014 – aims to raise awareness of the importance of migratory fish populations, and the threats they face. This year World Fish Migration Day will feature over 300 events across 66 countries – many of which are available to join online.

This year’s event – the fourth of its kind – takes place in the wake of the latest Living Planet Index for Migratory Freshwater Fish report, which found an average 76% global decline in monitored migratory fish populations since 1970. The picture is particularly bad in Europe, where declines of 93% were observed. These declines are attributed to a combination of habitat loss, dam and hydropower construction, climate change and over-exploitation of populations.

Despite these startling trends, the World Fish Migration Foundation say that migratory fish do not receive the public attention they deserve. The aim of their Day is to raise public awareness of the importance of migratory fish populations in our lives, and to encourage citizen action in asking NGOs and policy makers to conserve and restore ‘global swimways’.

The ‘Love Flows’ documentary profiles some of the events from 2018 World Fish Migration Day, showcasing local celebrations, community knowledge, and shared visions for global rivers.

This year’s World Fish Migration Day is centred around a series of online webinars starting this evening (European time, 23rd October), which will discuss events and issues from around the world. You can explore hundreds of other global events through an interactive map here.

The Day will culminate with the Eurofishion song contest, where ten finalists will perform their migratory fish-themed songs for judges. The shortlisted videos include children singing about salmon at a Slovakian zoo, a coordinated dance party about urban trout populations in Finland, a South African children’s choir singing a new piece written by an 11-year old choir member, and a Kenyan hip-hop track about water pollution in rivers.

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Explore the World Fish Migration Day events here.