
Mapping the migration patterns of fish species is extremely important for researchers, as it allows them to offer better protection against various obstacles.
Every year in fact, millions of fish migrate to their spawning and rearing habitats, where they lay eggs and nurture their young. For some, this means swimming thousands of miles before they can reach their destination, often finding areas blocked by human-made barriers such as dams and navigation lock complexes.
When fish cannot reach their habitat, they cannot reproduce and build their population, for this reason it is important to provide effective solutions.
This is the case in the Leie and Scheldt rivers, which flow from the French border to the Netherlands. The Flemish waterway authority, De Vlaamse Waterweg, has tackled the issue by investing in the construction of fish passages to make these barriers more navigable. A study is monitoring the passage of fish through the pathways, in order to assess the impact of human barriers and the success of these mitigation measures.
Researchers from the Institute for Nature and Forest Research (INBO) have spent the last weeks deploying an extensive network of detection devices along the rivers, focusing in particular on six fish species.
Read more about this initiative on the LifeWatch Belgium website: https://www.lifewatch.be/news/new-study-monitors-fish-migration-leie-and-scheldt-rivers