Fish migration in the Eems

Last Saturday Peter Paul Schollema (Water Board District Hunze en Aa’s) and Jeroen Huisman (VHL University of Applied Sciences (VHL)) gave information to volunteers of the BVO-Ost Friesland (angling society) about fish migration, research and working with volunteers.

Participants

Many German volunteers were present, as well as German and Dutch students, who will cooperate in monitoring around the Eems. Representatives of the NLWKN, LAVES and the Landessportfishereiverband Niedersachsen also attended.

Fish passage

The reason for this meeting was the start of a research program, but also the fact that a fish passage will be placed at the Knock pumping-station (on the German side of the Eems near Delfzijl). This fish passage will soon be inspected ‘the Dutch way’. VHL and the water board district have translated our procedure and protocols, in cooperation with the NLWKN, in order to make them workable in Germany.

Fruitful day

All in all it was a very fruitful day on which the possibilities for further collaboration have been thoroughly discussed. We now hope for a good monitoring season and good results. In any case, the first glass eel was caught at Roptazijl on March 1!

Several members of the German press, a.o. the Ostfriesische Nachrichten, reported on the project.