Swimway launches Fish Without Borders Webinar Series

The first webinar in the Swimway Fish Without Borders webinar series on 12 May 2026 brought together scientists, conservation practitioners, policy experts, and authorities to discuss fish tracking and telemetry across the Wadden Sea region and connected river systems. The webinar series is organised by the Swimway Expert Group, the Swimway Initiative, and the Common Wadden Sea Secretariat (CWSS). The session was held by Monika Radominska, Coordinator of the Swimway Initiative at CWSS, and Paddy Walker, Chair of the Expert Group Swimway.

The webinar focused on fish tracking and telemetry techniques used across the Wadden Sea, and its connecting rivers. Presentations from Dr. Jena Edwards from Dalhousie University in Canada, who worked in the Dutch part Wadden Sea, Dr. Timo Rittweg from Thünen Institute of Fisheries Ecology in Germany, and Dr. Niels Thorvald Jepsen from DTU Aqua in Denmark highlighted how telemetry can improve our understanding of fish migration routes, habitat use, and the barriers fish encounter between freshwater and marine ecosystems.

A central aim of the webinar was to showcase the importance of ecological connectivity for migratory fish species. Healthy fish populations depend on connected rivers, estuaries, and marine habitats, yet many species still face human-induced bottlenecks that disrupt migration pathways and access to spawning and feeding grounds. By bringing together experts working across borders and ecosystems, the webinar highlighted the importance of collaborative approaches to restoring and maintaining connectivity throughout the watershed and Wadden Sea region.

The event attracted a strong and diverse audience, including participants from universities, research institutes, fisheries authorities, ministries, NGOs, and national park administrations. Representatives joined from organizations such as WWF, the Waddenacademie, NIOZ, the Scottish Environment Protection Agency, DTU Aqua, Van Hall Larenstein University of Applied Sciences, the National Parks of Lower Saxony and Schleswig-Holstein, National Park Wadden Sea Denmark, and the University of Kiel, as well as professionals working within ministries.

This successful first session marks the beginning of the Swimway Fish Without Borders webinar series, with additional webinars planned later this year to continue strengthening collaboration and knowledge exchange on migratory fish conservation and ecological connectivity. 

Interested speakers may contact Monika Radominska.