World Fish Migration Day Celebration

The World Fish Migration Day Celebration in Plymouth, MA, will take place on May 15-16, 2020. This series of events will include an international seminar on the future of dam removals and river restoration, along with a movie/documentary night on May 15th. Other events on May 16th include river walks, artwork, and events for children focused on environmental issues.

World Fish Migration Day (WFMD) was founded by Herman Wanningen from the Netherlands as a global celebration of rivers and fish migration events. In November 2018, David Gould, Director of Marine and Environmental Affairs, was invited to present the Town of Plymouth’s work on dam removals and the restoration of rivers and wetlands at the Dutch Embassy in Washington DC. This was followed by a screening of the WFMD documentary Love Flows about the global movement to remove dams and restore migratory fish runs. With the existing connection between the Town of Plymouth, Pilgrims and the Netherlands (Leiden) a connection was made ultimately leading to Plymouth being designated as the North American Headquarters for WFMD 2020.

In May 2019 Wanningen traveled to Plymouth to tour the various restoration sites in town and was significantly impressed by the Town and the restoration work that has been done to decide that he will be in Plymouth for 4-6 weeks in April and May of 2020 for the WFMD events.  Other World Fish Migration Day Celebration events in Plymouth include a lecture series in January through March 2020 and the Annual Herring Run Festival on April 25, 2020 (both events listed separately).

Among the partners involved in the celebration in Plymouth will be the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), The Nature Conservancy (TNC), Plimoth Plantation, the Wampanoag Tribe, American Rivers, and Wildlands Trust.