Migratory fish species

In freshwater ecosystems, migratory fishes are often the most emblematic species with a high economic and cultural importance for commercial and recreational users. Their complex life cycle and a combination of environmental... [ view full abstract ]

In freshwater ecosystems, migratory fishes are often the most emblematic species with a high economic and cultural importance for commercial and recreational users. Their complex life cycle and a combination of environmental challenges have led to a decline of many populations and a loss of ecosystem services. In an effort of “resurrecting the wild”, large state-sponsored and small privately funded initiatives in Europe and North America try to support remaining populations and bring back lost species to their rivers. Other aquatic species and river systems have benefited from these efforts.

Conservation of migratory fish species and their surrounding ecosystems can only be successful if the actions and motivations of stakeholders and the wider public are well understood and incorporated into management decisions. However, social science lessons from other areas of conservation often do not fully apply to fish because of the unique features of aquatic environments and the emotional distance between people and underwater species. Recognizing the particular characteristics of aquatic wilderness, there have been recent research collaborations considering different fish species (e.g. http://www.impress-itn.eu/) and different geographical regions. Most prominently, the North Atlantic Salmon Conservation Organization and the North Pacific Anadromous Fish Commission have named 2019 the International Year of the Salmon to share experiences and increase public awareness.

Considering the socioeconomic and ecological importance of migratory fishes while recognizing the particularities of the conservation of aquatic species, we propose a session on the human dimension of migratory fish species. In the proposed session, we aim at reuniting recent studies on salmonids, eel and sturgeon species by showcasing a variety of qualitative and quantitative approaches from the social sciences. We consider the human dimension on the level of the general public and engaged stakeholders and address questions such as: when does the public care about migratory fish species? How can we increase the public interest for the conservation of wild fish populations? Why do angling clubs stock certain fish species? What are the social, psychological and wider ecological benefits of migratory fish conservation?

By taking stock of migratory fish conservation science, we hope to clarify research and management priorities and contribute to social fisheries research viewing freshwater ecosystems as coupled social-ecological systems. The importance of iconic migratory fish species for freshwater ecosystems and the wide range of research methods should also make this session interesting for conference participants working on conservation issues for other species.

This session has four contributed papers presenting cross-country comparisons on the role of angling clubs for migratory fish conservation and the perceptions and values of the general public. We very much welcome contributions from the general submissions to round out this important and timely session.

Hannah L. Harrison, Norwegian University of Life Sciences: “A benefits approach to voluntary salmon hatcheries”

Marie Fujitani, Leibniz Center for Tropical Marine Research: “Understanding voluntary investment into renewable natural resources”

Robert Arlinghaus, Humboldt Universität Berlin: “Economic value of river conservation in four countries”

Sophia Kochalski, Leibniz-Institute of Freshwater Ecology and Inland Fisheries: “How to change public perceptions of migratory fishes?”