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July to October | British Columbia | Steelhead and Salmon
The salmon ecosystem of the Skeena watershed is one of the few in the world that has survived intact alongside a large human population. As industrial development and other threats to annual runs encroach, stakeholders in the Skeena Watershed have successfully created many interesting partnerships between First Nations, commercial fishers, community activists, and anglers.
October to November | Bolivia | Dorado
After arriving in Santa Cruz de la Sierra, I will begin my study of the dorado at the Tsimane fly-fishing lodge in Northwestern Bolivia in the Isiboro-Secure National Park and Indigenous Territories. This area was recently opened for fly-fishing tourism in a joint agreement between an Argentinean company and the Indigenous communities of the park. The lodge utilizes a unique combination of local and non-local guides, and locals with traditional bows and arrows fish side by side with tourists using fly rods. I will stay at the Tsimane base camp for one week to interview guides, locals and clients.
December to March | Bolivia and Brazil | Dourada and Babão
The fish migration of 2012 may be the last for many of the people who dwell on the banks of the Madeira River near the border of Bolivia and Brazil. The dourada, which migrate over 3000 km from estuaries in the Amazon to the Andean foothills, are just one of many species of migratory fish that will be impacted by the construction of two large dams on the Madeira. It is anticipated that the environmental and social consequences will be significant. However, the dams will also provide jobs and generate 8% of Brazil’s energy needs. After trying to learn a bit of Portuguese, I will travel to the fishing village of Teotonio to find a boarding opportunity within the fishing community, learn traditional fishing techniques if possible, and record the stories of people affected by the dams.
March to April | Bangladesh and India | Hilsa
The Hilsa is the national fish of Bangladesh, and is sacred according to Hindu mythology. The hilsa is a symbol of Bengali identity in both Bangladesh and West Bengal and is a primary staple of Bengali cuisine. The origin of the hilsa and its method of preparation are a source of localized pride for Bengali people. I will begin my studies on the Padma river in Bangladesh where there is still a healthy hilsa fishery. I will then travel upriver to the Hooly river in West Bengal where the fisheries have been ruined because of sedimentation, pollution and overfishing. This comparison will allow me to compare two location with similar cultures where the culture associated with hilsa is still strong. However in one, the fish are now imported, and in the other, the tradition of fishing has been largely destroyed.
April to May | Mongolia | Taimen
The Eg-Uur and the Onon watersheds are home to the largest salmonid in the world, the taimen. Taimen are revered by many as the children of strong river spirits, and are significant in both the Buddhist and Nomadic Shamanistic traditions of the region. This study will be an outlier in some respects – in Mongolia, taimen are not traditionally fished for food nor are they particularly migratory, though they are in other parts of the world. However, due to the unique methods of conservation occurring in these two watersheds, this case is significant to my project as a whole.
June to July | Laos | Mekong River
The Khone Falls in Laos are one of the most ecologically and culturally important sites for migratory fish and fishers on the Mekong River. Fishing families, and in some cases whole villages, collaborate to build large bridge-like Li traps out of wood and bamboo, while other fishers use a variety of additional fishing techniques such as spear fishing. One of the most important migration channels through the Khone Falls is the proposed site of the Don Sahong hydroelectric project. If built, it is estimated that the dam could block up to seventy percent of annual catch for the area, seriously compromising the nutritional security of Laotians, as wild-caught fish compose between 28 and 78 percent of individual protein intake. This will be an interesting comparison to the Teotonio Falls project in Brazil because dam construction has yet to begin, and there still remains the potential to protect and preserve fish migrations and the cultures that depend on them.
