Have you ever tried to swim up a river, against the current? How about navigate home from miles away without using GPS? These impressive feats are no problem for Atlantic salmon, who can travel thousands of miles in their lifetime, including hundreds of miles swimming upriver, to return each year to the very same place where they were born. This #WorldAquaticAnimalDay, AWI is celebrating the remarkable life cycle and incredible abilities of this fish. Unfortunately, pollution, overfishing, habitat degradation, and the construction of large dams have significantly reduced populations of Atlantic salmon. There are so few left in the wild that their population in the Gulf of Maine is protected under the Endangered Species Act—and commercial fishing for them in US waters is prohibited. However, millions of these magnificent animals are raised as food in North America, confined to overcrowded fish farms where they endure painful procedures, infectious diseases, abusive treatment, and slow, agonizing deaths. Furthermore, these featureless farms—devoid of stimuli—do not allow them to express their natural migratory behaviors. Commercially raised Atlantic salmon, like all farmed fish in the US, lack any legal or regulatory protections, and companies are not required to account for their welfare or even the number of individual fish they hold, as production statistics are reported by weight. As this industry spreads, AWI is expanding our efforts to advocate better treatment and welfare standards for farmed fish. Two ways to take action: 🔹 Learn more about the welfare concerns regarding fish farming and aquaculture in the United States: https://awionline.org/content/fish-farming-and-aquaculture 🔹 Urge Congress to oppose any effort to weaken National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), which is responsible for overseeing protections for Atlantic salmon in the wild: https://awionline.org/action-center#/508 📷: Jamie (fb)

This #WorldAquaticAnimalDay, let’s dive into the issues marine wildlife face in increasingly degraded ocean habitats. Human actions, including energy and coastal development, pollution, human-caused noise, increased vessel traffic, and industrial fisheries, have created a dire situation for many marine species. Under the current administration, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration is facing massive layoffs and budget cuts despite its vital role protecting marine wildlife and monitoring the changing climate. These actions are undermining NOAA’s ability to enforce laws such as the Marine Mammal Protection Act and the Endangered Species Act, which safeguard scores of dolphin, whale, shark, seal, turtle, and other marine species. TAKE ACTION: The marine environment and its inhabitants are not infinitely resilient. Without proper oversight of monitoring and protection programs and diligent enforcement of vital protection laws, vulnerable species could be lost forever. Use AWI’s Action Center to write your members of Congress and urge them to defend NOAA against political attacks: awionline.org/DefendNOAA 📷: Mark Sullivan, NOAA (fb)