World Fish Migration Day 2026
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Advocacy
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Biodiversity - Swimways
On 23 May, we celebrate World Fish Migration Day, which reminds us that the fate of migratory fish depends on our stewardship of rivers. The recently published European Red List of Freshwater Fishes shows again that we have failed this task: more than one in every three migratory fish species is declining.
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They are especially at risk because of dams, altered flows, degraded floodplains, and water pollution that degrade their swimways, their migratory habitats between their spawning grounds and their feeding grounds. All is caused by us and our decisions.
On World Fish Migration Day, the European Red List of Freshwater Fishes should be read as a clear warning against any attempt to weaken the Water Framework Directive or the Habitats Directive, which remain the backbone of the protection of our rivers and migratory fish. Instead, their ecological objectives and connectivity requirements must be fully implemented and reinforced, in close synergy with the new Nature Restoration Law.
Today, we call for a coordinated European effort for the conservation and restoration of swimways, so that every EU policy and investment – from energy and transport to fisheries and nature conservation – strengthens the connectivity and the quality of their habitats rather than eroding them piece by piece.
