Celebrating World Fish Migration Day on the Upper Wye

Back in May, people around the world came together to celebrate World Fish Migration Day — an international event highlighting the importance of healthy, connected rivers for migratory fish species.

To mark the occasion locally, the Upper Wye Catchment Restoration Project joined forces with Radnorshire Wildlife Trust and the Wye & Usk Foundation to host a family-friendly event at Gilfach Nature Reserve near Rhayader on 28 May.

Visitors enjoyed river dipping sessions in the Marteg and informal talks exploring the remarkable journeys made by migratory fish such as Atlantic salmon.

 

One of the highlights of the day was learning about the dramatic upstream migration that takes place each year in the upper Wye catchment, where salmon travel hundreds of miles from the sea to return to the rivers where they were born to spawn.

The event also provided an opportunity to showcase the work being carried out across the Upper Wye to improve river habitats and support fish populations. Working together with farmers, landowners and local organisations, Natural Resources Wales restoration project is delivering measures including riverbank restoration, tree planting, invasive species control and ‘slow the flow’ work. The work is funded by Welsh Government.

These actions help improve water quality, reduce sediment entering rivers and create healthier habitats for fish and other wildlife.

The event formed part of a wider programme of World Fish Migration Day activities across Wales, with NRW’s LIFE River projects on the Dee, Teifi, Tywi, Cleddau and Usk catchments.

Healthy rivers depend on everyone working together, and events like this provide a valuable opportunity to connect people with the wildlife and landscapes on their doorstep while highlighting the collective action needed to protect them.

A big thank you to everyone who attended, and to Radnorshire Wildlife Trust and the Wye & Usk Foundation for helping make the day such a success.

To keep up to date with our work you can follow us on as Facebook, X (formerly Twitter) and Instagram, or view our project newsletters here.

If you’d like to find out more about the project, email us at adfergwyuchaf@cyfoethnaturiol.cymru