Q. Which organisations are involved in bringing Salmon School to COP26
MSA
Wild Salmon Center
Atlantic Salmon Federation
Salmon Nation
Smithsonian Institution, Washington DC
Joseph Rossano’s Salmon School
Q. Why is Salmon School at COP26?
If all is well with salmon, all is well with the world. Saving salmon, restoring their
habitats and ensuring they have cold, clean water, will take action across all four
objectives of COP26. And so salmon embody all the issues faced in the climate and
biodiversity crises. We need firm action from government, businesses and society
and major investment from both government and the private sector to help save
wild salmon, their freshwater and ocean habitats and the benefits they bring to us
all.
Salmon hold great importance to Glasgow. The city was formed by settlers
attracted to the salmon stocks and has three salmon on its coat of arms. The salmon
population was decimated in the Industrial Revolution and has been restored by
local Glaswegian communities including the Clyde River Foundation – a story of
hope.
An international collaboration has come together to bring Salmon School to COP26.
It highlights stories from a wide range of global communities on how climate change
is decimating this once prolific species.
Salmon School highlights both the crises of climate change and biodiversity loss.
To provoke policy changes for cold, clean water.
Q. What is the significance of the art?
350 hand-blown mirrored glass salmon forms
The act of coordinating making the sculpture has brought together NGOs from
around the world concerned with community science, art, education, conservation
and Indigenous Peoples
The artwork will return to the Tacoma Museum of Glass in autumn 2022, mirroring a
salmon’s life cycle
The work of art is not just an impressive spectacle, it also has a strong conceptual
significance
The metaphor of the mirror runs through the piece.
Q. What are we asking governments and policy makers to do?
Protect freshwater habitats, such as addressing barriers to migration and providing
cooling shade from native trees;
Improve water quantity and quality, such as stopping pollution from agricultural runoff and sewage, and tackling over-abstraction and better management of river flows.
Reduce losses of salmon in our rivers, coastal waters, and the open ocean, such as
addressing the impacts of aquaculture, predation, and by-catch.
Provide the right level of funding, both directly and via private investment, to secure
the future of wild salmon.
Q. What is the sustainability message around the glass?
We have engaged with BEZERO https://bezerocarbon.com/ and they are currently
carrying out a carbon audit and we will then be offsetting using a salmon river and
are looking to enter a longer term relationship with BEZERO.
In addition, 2022 is the UN Year of Glass as a sustainable material and is being
celebrated. Salmon School is likely to be part of this celebration. Glass has been
around for 1,000s of years and is viewed as sustainable.
Q. How does Salmon School directly address the four goals of COP26?
Carbon Net Zero – Cold, clean water is critical for wild salmon survival and is
vanishing due to rising global temperatures, pollution, deforestation and damming –
all caused by humans.
Adapt to protect communities and natural habitat. Salmon communities have
identified that large scale adaption measures are needed to help the survival of the
species and themselves.
Finance – Significant investment is needed and the financial model needs to change
to ensure funding and investment is not destroying the very environments salmon
and humans need to survive.
Working together – The international organisations are collaborating for the first
time to save our wild salmon.
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