The Missing Salmon Alliance is the lead partner in the proposal to bring ‘Salmon School’ to COP26 as the creation phase begins in Wiltshire this week
The Missing Salmon Alliance is today announced as the lead partner in the proposal to bring a ‘Salmon School’ art installation to the COP26 Summit in Glasgow this year. Salmon School is a piece of art and community engagement by Joseph Rossano.
The creation stage has begun, and glass salmon figures are being made as part of the Glass Arts society annual conference all around the world from Japan to Australia to Norway to Wiltshire here in the UK.
On Thursday, the first phase of the proposal (Creation) starts with a glass blowing event on 20th May at Devereux and Huskie Glassworks, Wiltshire Studio, where there will be a number of glass salmon made. Watch the video here. Get involved here.
By placing wild salmon at the forefront of the climate change debate and identifying them as a Climate Change Adaptation Species, the Missing Salmon Alliance hopes this will provide a range of measures that will reduce or eliminate the impact climate change is having. The hopes of this being displayed in a prominent position at COP26, the installation will connect delegates with specific initiatives around the world, educating young people, and energising leaders to implement practical policies for change.
“Wild Salmon thrive in Cold, Clean, Water. Climate Change threatens Salmon populations around the world. Joe Rossano’s inspirational Salmon School brings together Art, Science, Education, The Environment, and leisure in one art installation and acts as a catalyst for us all to work together to make a difference so all species can continue to thrive on planet earth.
The installation, comprising of more than 300 salmon-like forms sculpted from mirrored molten glass, is a compelling tribute to a fish that holds great importance to Glasgow and is an indicator of the health of our rivers and oceans. Wild Atlantic Salmon populations are in rapid decline; wild Atlantic salmon stocks have plummeted by 80% in 25 years, and if the current trend continues wild salmon will be extinct in many areas of the world over the next 30 years.
”
If the MSA’s application is successful, the giant salmon shoal, suspended in awe-inspiring formation, will coalesce at COP26 after collecting individual stories from a wide range of communities on how climate change has devastated this once prolific species.
The installation also presents a beacon of hope because proven management strategies - developed by the MSA and its member organisations organisations - can turn the tide for a species with iconic status in cultures across our planet. Glasgow bears a salmon on its coat of arms and the instillation will be a fitting tribute to a fish that has been instrumental in the city’s prosperity.
“For the Missing Salmon Alliance, we are looking to raise the profile of salmon at the United Nations Climate Change Summit (COP26) in Glasgow this autumn. Through working with likeminded partners from the Pacific Ocean we are working to install “Salmon School”, a piece of art and community engagement by Joseph Rossano, into a prominent location at COP26 to highlight not just the conservation value of wild salmon, but also their deep cultural connection with humanity over the ages and their socioeconomic contribution to our society.
More than that it will be the call to arms to not let salmon fade away but give them the space, time and resilience to the changing world that they live in.”
As an Alliance of five organisations, we will build on the existing work of our partners and maximise our impact by taking a coordinated approach and vital action in order to halt and reverse the decline of wild Atlantic salmon.
The goal of the Missing Salmon Alliance is to build an evidence-base to influence national and international decision-makers to regulate activities that adversely impact wild Atlantic salmon.
The Missing Salmon Alliance
The MSA is comprised of the following members:
Game & Wildlife Conservation Trust, Atlantic Salmon Trust, the Angling Trust with Fish Legal, The Rivers Trust and Fisheries Management Scotland.
https://www.missingsalmonalliance.org