50,000 allis shad larvae in the Rhine: A new glimmer of hope for Poll!

50,000 allis shad larvae in the Rhine: A new glimmer of hope for Poll!

Things are getting colorful under the Rodenkirchen motorway bridge in Poll: politicians and students have released around 50,000 allis shad larvae into the Rhine. This ceremonial act marks another step in a large-scale project to permanently reintroduce the allis shad, which once disappeared in Western Europe due to overfishing, water pollution and barriers to migration. That's what he reports Cologne City Gazette.

“The allis shad has traditionally been very important in Poll,” says Andreas Scharbert, project manager of the allis shad project. Fishermen from the region once supplied Cologne and the surrounding villages with this particularly popular fish. The May Festival, which itself grew out of the tradition of shad fishing, testifies to the city's close connection with this special migratory fish. Politicians, including NRW Agriculture Minister Silke Gorißen (CDU), wore rubber boots with formal clothing for the occasion and emphasized the importance of the project for the regional ecology.

What is the shad?

The shad, scientifically known as Alosa alosa, is a true migratory fish that migrates from the sea to the rivers to spawn. As a rule, it ranges in size from 38 cm to 73 cm, with females being the larger on average. These fish reach sexual maturity at three to eight years of age and spawn between May and July, which happens in water temperatures of 14 to 23 degrees Celsius. Until the middle of the 20th century, shad was widespread in European waters and played an important role in inland fisheries. But due to many circumstances, such as overfishing and pollution, stocks have declined dramatically. In 1931, for example, only 13 specimens were recorded in the Rhine system, which ultimately made the allis shad extinct in the Rhine in 1960, according to information from Maifischprojekt.de.

Working together for a sustainable return

The return of the shad is the result of many years of effort and cooperation across national borders. The project began in 2008 with the aim of sustainably restoring the stocks. Kyrgyzstan advance payment. Every year, around one million allis shad larvae should be obtained for stocking in the Rhine. From 2013 onwards, an increasing number of returnees who were once released as larvae were sighted, which indicates a positive development. These successes were promoted by the support of numerous partners, such as the state of Baden-Württemberg and the Rhenish Fisheries Association, as further information from lfvbw.de show.

An important part of returnees is checking natural reproduction. Scientists are constantly looking for spawning allis shad and are having initial success: sightings in fish passes show that the fish are starting to spawn again. “The species spectrum in the Rhine is becoming richer step by step,” says Scharbert optimistically. After all, it's not just about the shad, other native migratory fish such as salmon and sea trout should also regain their place in the water.

It will be exciting to see how the attempts to reintroduce the shad will develop. The main goal is not necessarily the return of shad fishing, but rather a recovery and stability of the fish stocks in our beautiful Rhine. The progression of the project will remind us how important a healthy environment is to the cultural identity of our region.