News
LIFE Águeda recognized in the Local SDG Awards as a Good Practice
On November 22, the ODSlocal Awards were presented - an initiative of the ODSLocal Platform (https://odslocal.pt/), which honours the projects, municipalities and civil society agents that contribute most to achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
LIFE Águeda, coordinated by the University of Évora, with technical and scientific support from MARE, was recognized as a Good Practice (https://odslocal.pt/boas-praticas/life-agueda-rio-de-todos-2323), and the Municipality of Águeda, where the project's implementation area is located and which is one of the project's partners, was one of the winners of the Municipal Practices for the SDGs awards in the Individual Good Practice 2024 subcategory.
Águeda is in the top 100 best stories of Green Destinations
Green Destinations has chosen the LIFE Águeda project as one of the 100 best Green Destination stories. The announcement has just been made by the international organisation, which recognises LIFE Águeda as a good practice and a world reference in the area of environmental sustainability. The project will be voted on at the Green Destinations Global Conference, scheduled for 10 to 12 December in Chile.
The organisation considers that the Municipality of Águeda has presented an ‘innovative and effective destination project that works towards more responsible tourism development’.
Full article here.
LIFE Águeda received the URBACT Good Practice label!
The Monitoring Committee of the URBACT Programme has recognised Águeda's ‘good example’ in carrying out ecological rehabilitation and restoration work in riverside areas and on the River Águeda, through the LIFE Águeda project, coordinated by the University of Évora with technical support from MARE.
An URBACT Good Practice is an urban initiative that is impactful, participatory, integrated, relevant and easy to transfer to other European cities.
‘We are delighted to have received this award, which highlights the projects we have developed as a benchmark throughout Europe and recognises all the work we have invested in rehabilitating our rivers and streams,’ said Jorge Almeida, Mayor of Águeda, for whom LIFE Águeda is a project that “makes Águeda and the people of Águeda proud”
Full article here.
LIFE Águeda celebrates World Fish Migration Day (WFMD 2024)
LIFE ÁGUEDA joined another World Fish Migration Day in the Vouga basin, celebrated this year on May 25. The children from Instituto Duarte de Lemos - Página Oficial came to learn about the importance of the Águeda River for migratory fish and the importance of a free river while having fun with the various activities promoted by MARE - Marine and Environmental Sciences Centre and the University of Évora, together with the Municipality of Águeda.
LIFE Águeda in the news - Expresso and SIC Notícias
“Fishermen and environmentalists contest the construction of a weir-bridge in Aveiro. The work will block the river Rio Novo do Príncipe and will prevent the passage of fish to spawn in fresh waters.” - EXPRESSO / SIC Notícias
Complete piece from Expresso and SIC Notícias at https://expresso.pt/ and https://sicnoticias.pt
LIFE ÁGUEDA visited the ACUARIO DE ZARAGOZA
As part of the LIFE Águeda project, a visit to the ACUARIO DE ZARAGOZA took place from 20 to 22 November. The project was represented by a delegation from the Municipality of Águeda and the Fluviário de Mora / Municipality of Mora, who had the opportunity to get to know and follow the work carried out at the Acuario regarding conservation, environmental education, maintenance routines, cleaning and feeding, among other space management tasks. The Ebro, Nile, Mekong, Amazon and Murray-Darling rivers are represented in the exhibition, and it was possible to see various species of fish, amphibians, reptiles and mammals, from these ecosystems housed at the aquarium. It was also possible to find out about the work being carried out by the LIFE ÁGUEDA project at the various points where it is being implemented and the invitation was extended to the Acuario team to visit the exhibition spaces, as well as the improvement and conservation actions carried out.
The LIFE Águeda project would like to thank the entire Acuario de Zaragoza team for their fantastic welcome!
Free Flow 2024 - Call for Abstracts
International conference on protecting and restoring free-flowing rivers in Europe
April 15-17, 2024 | Oosterpoort, Groningen, The Netherlands
Organised by World Fish Migration Foundation and Institute for Fisheries Management
Registration now open.
Call for Abstracts: closes October 13.
For more information, please visit https://freeflowconference.eu
4th Stakeholder Board Meeting
On 22nd June another meeting of the Stakeholder Board of the LIFE Águeda project was held in the Noble Hall of the Municipality of Águeda. Representatives of various institutional bodies of the central, regional and local public administration, as well as representatives of the region's business sector, professional associations and NGOs, once again attended the meeting. The event provided an opportunity to present the progress made and the results achieved, with particular emphasis on the work carried out on the riverbed and in the riparian gallery, as well as the measures taken to promote the sustainable exploitation of migratory fish.
The discussion forum received a great response, and the project's Stakeholder Board expressed a high level of satisfaction with the results achieved so far and with the work still to be done as we enter the last year of the project.
LIFE Águeda concludes the works of the first nature-like fish pass in the Agueda River
The works of the first fish pass in the Agueda River were recently concluded. The nature-like fish pass is located on the left bank of the Agueda River, in the Redonda Fluvial Park and it was built to overcome the drop in height created by the existing weir. The ramp has embedded stone blocks and it is about 4 m wide and 30 m long. The blocks are made of natural stone to better fit into the surrounding landscape. With the construction of this fish pass, it is possible to reestablish river continuity, maintaining the uses associated with the weir.
Watch the video here.
LIFE Águeda featured on Dam Removal Europe
LIFE Águeda's interventions for the re-establishment of river connectivity in the Vouga basin were published in the Dam Removal Europe website, and were also included in the last edition of the DRE newsletter.
Case study available here
Barrier Tracker Summer Campaign 2022
A summer campaign promoted by Dam Removal Europe and the Fish Migration Foundation has started to encourage citizens to use the AMBER Barrier Tracker app during their summer vacations along any river or stream. The participation of the public in this citizen science program will help not only to collect and locate non-inventoried barriers, but also, all the data collected will be used to create a report showing possible abandoned or unsafe barriers which could be potentially removed in Europe.
Download the Barrier Tracker app for Android here and for IOS here.
Start of river continuity reestablishment works
On the 3 of March, following various unforeseen delays related with lciensing, public contracting, and also the pandemic confinements, reestablishment of river continuity works started on the ground, along some stretches that were blocked for fish pass due to abandoned dams and weirs. This will be a memory day for LIFE ÁGUEDA's team, and we believe will also be remembered in future, in honour of the fish populations that use the river and also for the community that benefits from them, including professional and recretaional fishermen.
Works started with demolitions of two dams/weirs, easier to undertake, following the Workplan devised by the project team earlier in project stages, with agreement and discussion with owners, users and other stakeholders. On the attached photo, we observe demoltion of the larger dam, with almost 3 m height, which is located about 2 km ahead of river Alfsuqueiro. On the same week, other demolition was held, with follow-up works planned for 2022 including the construction of fixed and mobile nature-like fish passes on other river stretches. The mobile fish-pass, of a pilot character in EU, will be rebuilt every year with the support of users from an existing river beach.
Demolition and construction works are being held under subcontracting by LIFE 'AGUEDA's team from University of Évora and MARE. Soon, we will make available more images on our photo gallery. Keep following us to have a look on them once available.
Restart of "River Goes to School" Activities
Technichal teams of LIFE ÁGUEDA started recently new edition of the program “O Rio vai à Escola” (“The river goes to school”). Promoted jointly by Fluviário de Mora and the Municipality of Águeda, this educational program for environment, sustainability and science awareness, is directed at schools of all education cycles, belonging to councils of the Intermunicipal Community of the Aveiro Region (CIRA).
These first two sessions took place at the Basic and Secondary School of Sever do Vouga, with two classes (of 20 students each) from the 8th and 9th grades. With this initiative, which will continue until the 18th of May, young people and children will have the opportunity to discover the actions that are being implemented within the scope of the LIFE ÁGUEDA project, as well as initiatives developed by the Fluviário de Mora, a partner in the project, through of various recreational and educational activities.
ESAC's Technical Visit to Águeda
Today, LIFE ÁGUEDA's team from the Municipality of Águeda led a visit with the Escola Superior Agrária de Coimbra. The group of six students from the Curso Técnico Superior Profissional em Defesa da Floresta (Higher Professional Technical Course in Defense of the Forest), along with the Professor Joaquim Sande Silva, came to Águeda to lern about the good practices applied within the scope of the project.
The group visited and took notes regarding the intervention that the municipality is promoting to naturalize and rehabilitate riparian habitats, namely the control of invasive flora species, afforestation using native species of trees and shrubs, as well as the stabilization of margins using natural engineering techniques, which are being implemented in the intervention area.
DOCPESCA's Sustainability Report Presented
DOCAPESCA, one of LIFE ÁGUEDA's beneficiaries, has recently presented it's annual Sustainability Report.
Among other contents, we highlight references to LIFE ÁGUEDA's actions and outputs towards a more sustainable management of migrating fish and their populations, like the sea lamprey and the allis shad, which are described in page 30 of the report. Contributes for that are related to DOCAPESCA's works with the Mobile Registry Unit and the Origin Seal developped with the project works.
Interview to WILDER about the Rio Novo do Príncipe dam
LIFE ÁGUEDA's coordinator Pedro raposo de Almeida has been recently interviewed by WILDER, the online environmental magazine, on the issue and impacts of the project for a future dam in River Vouga (the Rio Novo do Príncipe dam, in Cacia).
The interview comes up on the sequence of various others on the same problem for which LIFE ÁGUEDA's team has been calling attention, which have led more recently the national NGO ZERO to call for the need of a fish pass on the project, to ensure that risks to conservation of migrating fish are not observed.
You can access/read the full interview here.
User's Opinion
Among its communication and dissemination works, LIFE ÁGUEDA has installed, in Águeda, an inclusive trail for observation of project works. Together with it, the Municipality of Águeda has purchased a specific equipment to allow for people with reduced mobility to visit the area.
One of its users has recently surprised the team of Municipality of Águeda with the deployment of specific video where he presents, on its own view, what he feels about it. Do you wan't to watch? https://youtu.be/I5X5gt6H_lw
Participation in BIOSFERA
The team from the Municipality of Águeda has been interviewed for the specific episode on "How to control Invasive Alien Species" of the BIOSFERA series of programs, that was broadcasted on October 2.
You can warch the full episode online at https://www.rtp.pt/play/p8304/e571037/biosfera.
As part of the interview, Marina Ascensão has provided additional information on how LIFE ÁGUEDA is ensuring control of various flora species that threaten riparian ecosystems, including especially Acacia dealbata, Robinia pseudoacacia, Ailanthus altissima, Arundo donax and Phytolacca americana.
Eureopean Researchers Night
The team of University of Évora / MARE has once again participated on the yearly edition of the European Researcher Night.
A stand has been placed in Évora's main square on the 24 September, deploying various activities to the main public, and allowing to present the various projects on which our team participates. LIFE ÁGUEDA, and the overwelming problem of conservation of migratort fich and ensuring river continuity where of course part of the program, which gathered a lot of visitors, all of which very interested and curious about the porject works.
Public presentation of LIFE ÁGUEDA's app on fisheries monitoring
As formerly announced, a webinar for public presentation of the app "Fisheries in Portugal", developped by LIFE ÁGUEDA's team, took place yesterday, where its main aims and functionalities were presented.
In case you have missed this, we inform the webinar has been recorded and is now available in the video gallery from this website (Multimedia menu), as well as directly through the youtube channel of MARE / University of Évora.
Holyday occupations in 2021
The ´Águeda river recently became, again, the stage for a set of awareness raising activities related to LIFE Águeda's works, as part of the hollyday occupation programs set by the Municipality of Águeda.
On a first day full of action, over 100 young participantes were able to recognize and identify native fish captured under an electric fishing session promoted by the team of University of Évora, learning more about river conservation and the importance of river continuity for migrating fish.
Other activities will continue, along this year's edition of the hollyday occupational program.
Monitoring Team Visit
Following identical works, a visit from the LIFE monitoring team was today concluded. Within this, the team from University of Évora and associated beneficiaries had the opportunity to present the current status of the project as well as its latest development.
Despite of a “virtual” model, which was commonly agreed as the most adequate given the pandemics and the fact that major river works are still to start, major developments have been duly outlined – e.g. on what concerns riparian works by the Municipality of Águeda -, together with projects works for which a nearby conclusion is expected – e.g. those of the new aquarium in the Mora Fluviarium and the fish monitoring app – and those which are foreseen to start of the forthcoming month – the major fish pass works.
In line with former discussions and the currently foreseen scheduling of the major river works, a discussion was also held on the timing and planning for presentation of a project amendment request that deals with its prorogation for some additional. This is identified crucial to allow for adequate monitoring and assessment of the project’s ecological outputs on river continuity, as well as to promote additional dissemination and leverage communication and awareness raising, that foster replication. On the 28th June, the financial part of this monitoring visit will be concluded.
LIFE ÁGUEDA on national TV - "Biosfera" episode
LIFE ÁGUEDA is one of the projects being presented on episode 24 of the "Biosfera" documentary series, which was today broadcasted on national TV under the focus on "Fish of Portugal: a remarkable Heritage".
On a specific moment on "The value of miggrating fish in Portugal", members of the project team from University of Évora / MARE explain for the general public the relevance of the project works and its ecological, economic and social benefits.
Watch here the full episode (from minute 14:49, the specific information about LIFE ÁGUEDA).
Awareness and capacity building on control of invasive species
The team of LIFE ÁGUEDA from the Municipality of Águeda was yesterday engaged with an awareness raising and capacity building action that was deployed within the ongoing 1st Iberian Week on Invasive Species.
In addition to additional knowledge, participants had the chance to set their hands on the job, by promoting control of a set of Acacia specimens with use of best practices that are being used on the project works.
Applications opened for the 2021 edition of Hollyday Programs for the Young
Applications for the 2021 editions of the yearly Hollyday Program for the Young, targetting yourn residents aged between 6 and 14 years old, are now opened by the Municipality of Águeda. As in former editions, this year the activities planned will also include a set of awareness raising and environmental education works that deliver information on LIFE ÁGUEDA's aims and works, as foresseen in the project.
Those interested must request an acess code before the 21 May and proceed with the applications on the 27 and 28 May. For more information please contact the Municipality services through the email aguedaferiasemmovimento@cm-agueda.pt.
DOCAPESCA presents Good Practices Guide
DOCAPESCA has presented on the past 11th of May the new Good Practices Code for Fishery Boats, a a document that has for aims raising awareness on shipowners and crews to ensure compliance with existing regulations and use of best practices on operation of fishing boats.
This Good Practices Code comes thus as an auxiliary and valuable tool towards the sustainablity, traceability and legal enforcement aims that DOCAPESCA also foresees with its works within the LIFE ÁGUEDA project.
The session (in PT) is available on DOCAPESCA's YouTube channel: https://bit.ly/3fepy9a
Riparian rehabilitation of Águeda river woods is ongoing
In the sequence to other works with similar aims in other river stretches, the Municipality of Águeda is since last December undertaking a set of renaturalization works on the margins of rivers Águeda and Alfusqueiro.
In addition to control of existing Invasive Alien Species of flora - undertaken with widely recognized best practices for each target species, including bark removal for Acacia sp. - the works include planting of trees and shrubs that are common to riparian woods. In all, they aim at improving ecological status and continuity of terrestrian habitats of the project's intervention areas.
To support interpretation, communication outdoors have been placed on field.
Mobile Auction/Registry returns to activity
The prototype vehicle for mobile registry and sales of migrating fish caught on the Vouga river basin is back on operation along this year's fishning season. The vehicle has been designed and is operated by the project partner DOCAPESCA as part of a specific action of LIFE ÁGUEDA that has for aims differentiation and economic value adding to sustainable fisheries, having for main duties/functions:
• registry of the number fish and their weight in the project area, where dedicated DOCAPESCA auction facilities are not available;
• placing an "Origin Seal" with the brand "Fish from Vouga", also created with the porject works, which allows for market differentiation of the fish caught by local fishermen that have adhered to the action works.
In case you travel around, maybe you find it in operation! Buy there if you want to be sure on sustainable fishing.
LIFE ÁGUEDA's Coordinator highlights potential impacts of new dam in Vouga river
Following former informations with similar aims that have been directed to national authorities and the LIFE Programme Pedro Raposo de Almeida - LIFE ÁGUEDA's coordinator - has recently highlighted for the negative impacts that will arise with the construction of a neew dam in Cacia without a fish pass, on the river Vouga.
The message was registered today by the national press, with a broad article being published in Jornal de Notícias.where LIFE ÁGUEDA's coordinator stresses that, without such mitigation being accomplished, the ongoing works and investments on (re)establishment river continuity may be seriously compromised, as the existence of the migrating fish species to which they are directed.
The whole article, in PT, is available on the "media" page or through the link below.
Jornal de Notícias - O açude que ameaça a lampreia e o sável em Aveiro
App Fisheries in Portugal under final tests
In January, the teams of University of Évora / MARE and the Mora Fluviarium / CMM have set nearby to conclusion final revisions and contents of the app Fisheries in Portugal, developped within LIFE ÁGUEDA to support engagement of recreational fishermen with on-field monitoring of various fish species. Field test have also be undertaken, in proxy contexts to those of real use, to validate functionalities and access conditions.
Up to now, tests have provided good outputs, with minor adjustements being introduced on the app interface and menu's to improve download of information and uppload of data. The app is therefore being scheduled for full availability on Andoid and IOS online stores, along the first trimester, for free download. By the time of public availability, a launching event - probably a webinar - will be promoted to provide additional information on functions and use. Keep looking for our agenda to "save the date" when tha occurs. More information will also be published on the project's Facebook page.
University of Évora launches Public Tender for construction of fish passes
Following detailed blueprints and administrative licensing required, the University of Évora has recently launched the Open Tender for the construction works related to the pilot fish passes foreseen with the LIFE ÁGUEDA project.
The TOR and all technical and administrative documents are available for consultation - an presentation of bids - on the public contracting platform ACINGOV. Thus, if your are interested or aware of someone that may be interested, do consultate them online. The call for tenders has been launched on the 20 January and 45 days are available before the deadline.
LIFE ÁGUEDA in COOPERMINHO's webinar
LIFE ÁGUEDA's works have been presented on today's webinar of ' the ongoing project COOPERMINHO, which is lead by the Municipality of Vila Nova de Cerveira and has for main aims to contribute for sustainable management and valuation of fisheries in the river Minho, in the North of Portugal.
On its presentation, Pedro Raposo de Almeida, LIFE ÁGUEDA's coordinator, has set a major focus on the ongoing works for reestablishment of river continuity, mitigation of existing barriers and other threats faced along the river and on the management and economic valuation of migrating fish fisheries.
Águeda's environmental policies recognized by CDP
Águeda has been recently selected by the Carbon Disclosure Project (CDP), which runs the global disclosure system for investors, companies, cities, states and regions to manage their environmental impacts, as one of the 88 towns of "Class A" cities that, throughout the world, are leading environmental performance, according to that NGO.
In 2020, the "Class A" cities represent a global population of over 125 million. To attain this recognition, a city has to publicly register, at community scale, a GHG inventory, define targets for reduction of emmissions and the related risk and vulnerability analysis, and approve a climate action plan for mitigation and adaptation.
Águeda has been selected for having and undertaking a robust strategy to identify, act, limit and reduce GHG emmissions, assess and mitigate climate risks, as well as reporting such information on a transparent way on its reporting. This includes the ongoing interventions on river restoration, as well as on environmental education and public awareness works, that are being undertaken as part of the LIFE ÁGUEDA project.
For more information on the 88 "class A" cities, https://www.cdp.net/en/cities/cities-scores.
LIFE ÁGUEDA in National Week on Invasive Alien Species
As part of the overall program of SNEI (the National Week on Invasive Alien Species, organized for the first time this year), the project team from Municipality of Águeda promoted two actions at October 10th, focusing on Acacia spp., which are currently a major environmental and nature conservation threat throughout Portugal.These IAS have a very hostile life cycle regarding native flora, and constitute a serious obstacle for the conservation of riparian habitats. Wildfires promotes the presence of such species, at the extreme point of growing monospecific woods with the consequent loss of biodiversity.
Staff elements from the company that will carry out LIFE ÁGUEDA's interventions to control AIS on the banks of the Águeda River participated in a training workshop to build capacity and improve their skills on the adequate techniques to apply. This "hands-on" workshop had a strong practical component in which participants set into practice techniques like ring barking and hand pulling, as well as the identification of existing IAS on site.
"River Lab" presented in Águeda as part of celebrations of National Water Day
The municipality of Águeda promoted today a workshop targetting the coordinators of the "Eco-schools" and "Science Clubs" from Águeda's schools, where the "River Lab" under construction in the Aguieira stream has been presented.
This riparian ecossystem is under restoration works that use nature-based solutions, which complement those also foreseen by hte Municipality with the LIFE ÁGUEDA project on other stream/river stretches from river Águeda's watershed.
The challenge launched today, on national water day, is that schools engage on learning more about the concepts underlying the installation of these living labs, as well as on the river stretch on which it is being settled and on riparian ecossystems as a whole.
Àgueda's mayor reinforced the relevant role that teachers may play on engaging students for sustainable water management and for conservation of riparian ecossystems and their water accross the municipality.
European Strategy on Adaptation to Climate Change: public consultation
EASME, the agency that manages the LIFE Programme on behalf of the European Commission, informs that a public consultation on the new European Strategy on Adaptation to Climate Change is open. The period for public consultation started on May 4, 2020 and will continue until August 20, 2020. If you want to make your contribution, you can access it through the link:
An@dromos.PT
Researchers from MARE and the University of Évora, who are part of the LIFE ÁGUEDA team, are co-authors of a work recently published in the magazine Marine Policy, under the project An@dromos.PT. They explored, through surveying fishing communities , the results of participatory management of anadromous species fishing that has been carried out in Mondego, in works that preceded those that LIFE ÁGUEDA has underway in the Vouga basin. Similar to the ongoing process, fishermen, researchers and authorities have also collaborated for several years in the Mondego to assess the yearly state of the populations and the fishing effort, leading each year to joint decisions for the following fishing season.
The work now published, made available online on June 5, analyses perceptions of changes in environmental and socio-economic conditions, opinions on rules and usefulness of annual meetings, also allowing comparisons between fishing communities in different areas of the Mondego estuary.
More information at:
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0308597X20300427?via%3Dihub
Municipality of Águeda awarded a best practice label for Participation Practices
The ongoing works led by the Municipality of Águeda within LIFE ÁGUEDA have been recently ranked in second on a national prize for Best Practices in Participation, together with other 5 finalists outcoming from Lisbon, Azores, Funchal and Cascais.
The juri, which included elements from the Secretary of State for Inovation and Administrative Modernization, as well as academics and NGO's, will allow, from now, for the Municipality to use a Best Practice Label. Also, this will allow to pass towards the final stage of the award, which will be based on public vote.
For more information (in PT), check the site of Câmara Municipal de Águeda.
Mobile Resgistry in Action
The prototype mobile registry and sales unit that has been created with LIFE ÁGUEDA has been in action throughout this fishing season, labelling several fish with the project's label. Market sales of these fish have followed, and it may have been the case that you have contacted with any of them. Was that the case? If so let us know!
First information board placed nearby the Águeda river
Leveraging other foreseen and ongoing communication and dissemination works, the Municipality of Águeda and the University of Évora have recently concluded and placed the first project noticeboard, nearby the Águeda river.
This first pannel, to be soon followed by others to install along an interpretative trail dediacted to the project, has been placed in the urban area of Águeda, on a high visibility setting, nearby the former facilities from the Institute of Wine and Vineyards.
Second edition of hollyday programme ongoing
New editions of the activity "let´s fish like scientists" have been promoted between the 28th June and the 5th July in the Redonda River Park, as part of the school hollydays program "Hollydays on the move".
The municipality of Águeda, with the support of MARE /Universidade de Évora, have raised awareness of the young for the relevance of river continuity for migrating fish. Participants had also the opportunity to get information on the river fish biodiversity, observe technicques for field monitoring of fish and, overall, discuss solutions for sustainable river management.
Project team networks with LIFE Unlocking the Severn LIFE (LIFE 15 NAT/UK/000219)
The LIFE ÁGUEDA is this week on a networking visit to LIFE Unlocking the Severn LIFE (LIFE 15 NAT/UK/000219), a project that will restore about 253 km of river habitat to allow for continuity for sage (Alosa fallax) progression.
First days of work were dedicated to know the existing weirs in Upper Lode (Gloucester) and Maisemore (Tewksbury) - where sage where being monitored on their progression along the river -, technical discussion of the fish passes being proposed for rivers Severn and overall share of experiences and knowledge about main constraints associated with this type of works.
The visit was also an opportunity for ideas exchange about the awareness raising gallery that will be included on one of the fish passes and ways to promote its public use for dissemination, works on which LIFE ÁGUEDA team has already considerable experience, gathered with the solutions used in the Mondego river.
In Severn, like in Vouga and Águeda, the main aim is to improve the river conditions for migratory fish, so that all can benefit from these improved resources!
Models of Fish Passes nearby conclusion
Under a tight cooperation between the teams of AQUALOGUS, University of Évora / MARE and the Mora Fluviarium, a set of 3D physical models representing naturalized and technical fish passes is nearby conclusion.
As foreseen in the project works, these physical models will soon integrate a new exhibition module about the LIFE ÁGUEDA's targets, developments and outputs that will be set on the Mora Fluviarium, allowing for increasing public awareness raising and environmental education works with its visitors.
Origin Seal highlighted in the 2019 edition of "Lisbon Fish & Flavours"
The project team was today on the 2019 edition of "Lisbon Fish & Flavours".
In addition to highlighting the use of fish marked with the Origin Seal created with the project works, visitors had the chance to taste delicious recipes of shad and sea lamprey provided by Chef Luís Machado, on ashowcooking promoted by project partner DOCAPESCA.
Origin seal for identification of sustainable fisheries is already on the market
With the migratory fish season for fisheries underway, the project team has recently concluded one more concrete work towards supporting sustainable fishing in the Vouga river basin, targetting especially the sea lamprey and the shad.
University of Évora and DOCAPESCA have this week started to tagg fish cuaght with following sustainable practices with a specific "origin seal" that was developped as part of the project works. The seal carries the LIFE logo, as well as the certificate of compliance on fish sale following legal procedures, as well as specific mention to its Vouga river origin.
"River goes to school" starts
On the 18th February the teams from the Mora Fluviarium and the Municipality of Águeda have promoted the first sessions of the "River goes to school" environmental education program, with which LIFE ÁGUEDA seeks to raise local awareness on river conservation and communicate the project actions towards local students. The program will account with continuous work untill the project end, targetting schools from CIRA, the Aveiro Region Intermunicipal Community.
These first sessions embraced about 84 children from the municipality of Águeda, including students from 2 local schools. The deployed activities, directed at river conservation and riverine habitats understanding, aloowed for knowledge sharing and raising curiosity among participants.
Mora Fluviarium reaches Redondo
The team from the Mora Fluviarium was today in schools of the municipality of Redondo, communicating the project's goals and raising awareness about the species targeted, problemas faced and how to overpass them.
First Stakeholder Board Meeting
On the 7th December, at the facilities of Municipality of Águeda, the first meeting of the project's Stakeholder Board took place. With a larger audience than expected, which included public, private and civil society organizations, this first meeting allowed to present the project's developments and expected results, with an emphasis on the works to occur along 2019.
The discussion period included an interested and participated question and answer process, which allowed to confirm a global consensus on the project aims, and to identify new perspectives for cooperation with the project works.
WFMD 2018
Among the activities that marked this year, a little around the world, the World Migratory Fishery Day, a visit was organized to the fish pass of Açude da Formoselha on April 21, under the project "LIFE Águeda - Actions of conservation and management of migratory fish in the Vouga watershed "(LIFE16 ENV / PT / 000411), which was followed up by researchers from the University of Évora / MARE. The fish pass of Açude da Formoselha was built in 2015 on the Mondego river, under the project "Rehabilitation of diadromous fish habitats in the Mondego watershed", one of four passages for naturalized fish built in this basin to restore river connectivity and allow the migratory movements of the fish that occur in it.