How should the Danube river system contribute to the fish migration restoration ambitions? 

MEP Michal Wiezik asked a written question to the European Commission on the Danube river system’s contribution to the EU Biodiversity Strategy’s restoration targets, which foresees an objective of restoring 25,000 km into free-flowing rivers. Fish migration in the Danube is hindered by barriers notably at the Iron Gate on the Serbian/Romanian border and at Gabčíkovo in Slovakia. The Commission responded to the MEP’s question by giving some details regarding the longest European river, recognising that fish migration was made more difficult because of those obstacles on Europe’s rivers.  

Read more about the written question here 

Last October, the European Parliament Forum on Recreational Fisheries and the Aquatic Environment organised a webinar on the impact of hydropower on fish migration and the EU’s new commitments under the Biodiversity Strategy for 2030. The case of the Iron Gate was also discussed on that occasion.

 

The ‘Take 5’ campaign aims to tackle the issue of litter and plastic pollution in freshwater and marine environments, which causes irreversible damages to wildlife. Its principle is quite practical and straightforward: asking every angler either to take 5 items of litter on his or her way home, or to take 5 minutes to remove any litter after fishing. In doing so, anglers are confident that it can make a huge difference in reducing the problem of throwaway plastic. 

This campaign, launched in the UK by the Angling Trust, might and should inspire other suchlike initiatives to blossom in Europe, in order to turn the tide on the increasing amount of litter found on European riverbanks and beaches.