Soapbox Ecosystems

Like flyways for birds, we need to map swimways for fish

Knowing the largely unseen migration routes of freshwater fish is key to protecting species

Four men are in the water with a Mekong giant catfish, a rare giant migratory fish that they are tagging before releasing it. You can see the legs of a crowd of people standing on the docks.

Fishers and officials carefully tag a Mekong giant catfish before it is released back into Cambodia's Mekong River in December 2024. The critically endangered species is among many fishes that migrate through one of the world's most threatened river systems.

Zeb Hogan/USAID Wonders of the Mekong

By Stefan Lovgren

For almost a century, migratory flyways have been a cornerstone of bird conservation.