Fish Migration Day is celebrated every year, and consists of various activities, of a cultural and scientific-informative nature, to make the population aware of the problem of connectivity of river ecosystems and its consequences on fish species, and therefore on human communities as well. Since all fish species need to migrate to a greater or lesser extent, during one or several phases of their lives, the alteration of habitats and their possibility of migration significantly depletes populations, and therefore harms human communities in riverbanks, since they lose a certain amount of the ecosystem services that rivers and fish provide to man: cultural goods, fishing for food, recreational value, scientific value, for example.
Contents:
- The activity is carried out on the banks of a river, generally in the Valencian Community; First, there is a presentation of the associations CIREF, AEMS-Ríos con Vida, and Wetlands International, NGOs organizing the day;
- Explanation with specific informative panels on the ecology of rivers and the importance of fish migrations throughout the world;
- Visit to a dam or barrier that makes it difficult for fish to pass, upstream and/or downstream in a river;
- Explanation on how a fish passage should work in a barrier;
- In situ measurement of water quality variables by the students; conductivity, dissolved oxygen, pH, temperature.
- Sampling of aquatic macroinvertebrates, which will be observed with a binocular lens, before being returned to the same aquatic habitat;
- Demonstration by AEMS-Valencia, of how insect imitations are made, for the type of fishing known as catch and release, or ecological fishing, which returns the live specimens to the river;
- Lunch (by the Iberian River Restoration Center and Wetlands International) in the form of a picnic (sandwiches and soft drinks)
- Explanation of other possible measures or actions to improve the ecological state of the river, depending on the specific place of the visit; debate with the attendees on the most appropriate measures, taking into account the possible short-term effects of climate change.
All this will have the express permission of the Júcar Hydrographic Confederation.
Programming: Each year the most convenient date will be decided, be it in spring, summer or autumn. Both students from the Gandia Campus and from Valencia can participate. The bus usually leaves from Gandia and stops in Valencia, or vice versa, before going to the meeting place. The maximum number of students will be the one that can travel on a large bus, as was done in previous years and according to our funding.
Evaluation: The attendees will carry out the in situ water quality measurements themselves, and will participate in the sampling of macroinvertebrates in the channel, debate on measures to improve the ecosystem and connectivity, and adaptation to climate change in the coming decades. During their own participation, efforts will be made to ensure that all attendees participate and contribute ideas. These are activities in which all attendees will participate.
