2018 has come and gone, but many of the environmental issues that plague our planet’s fisheries will continue and even worsen in 2019. With this mentality, the North Pacific Anadromous Fish Commission, the North Atlantic Salmon Conservation Organization, and other partners launched a project to start the new year on the right foot: The International Year of the Salmon (IYS). The groups behind this project began this initiative several years ago, and now the project is in full swing.
IYS hopes to spread global awareness and knowledge of ways to restore the strong, abundant, and healthy salmon runs that once were, to benefit salmon and also the northern-hemisphere peoples who rely on them. Some of IYS respectable goals include but are not limited to: “encouraging scientists, decision-makers and the public to work towards solutions that overcome the challenges salmon face; supporting conservation and restoration strategies to help manage salmon in the face of climate change; inspiring and supporting a new generation of researchers and managers, and conservationists; and helping to create a greater awareness of the ecological, social, cultural and economic value of salmon”.
This project is not limited to North America either; IYS spans the entire globe with individual projects in Canada, Switzerland, the United Kingdom, Sweden, and Russia. In Canada, one IYS project is Urban Salmon, which seeks to bring attention to urban salmonids and habitats through professional photography.
Global initiatives like the IYS are important for the preservation and restoration of anadromous salmonids that utilize vast stretches of water, often through many countries. We will be following this project closely and hoping for the best–salmon all around the world need all the help they can get. For more information on the International Year of the Salmon, check out their website.
[…] 2019: International Year of the Salmon […]