NEWS

World Migratory Fish Day: Watch and share our videos

To mark World Migratory Fish Day on Saturday 25 May, ERN-SOS Loire Vivante is launching three videos about Atlantic salmon and ecological continuity. These videos are previews of remixed extracts from the documentary entitled “Pour une fois qu’il faut laisser couler”, which will be released shortly. The 2-minute modules presented here, in French and English, […]

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Visit to the fish passes on the Rhine

From Thursday 30 November to Friday 1 December, the ERN team travelled down the Rhine to see the progress of the fish passes under construction at the Marckholsheim and Rhinau sites. These projects, managed by EDF, represent an investment of several tens of millions of euros to protect the Rhine’s large migratory species. The two […]

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Meeting with the new ICRP President on 23 May 2023

At this annual meeting, the members of the coalition will present their proposal for additional solutions for the crossing of the Vogelgrun dam including the restoration of the ecological continuity of the Grand Canal d’Alsace.

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Visit of the Biodiversity Sate Secretary to Gambsheim

On October 8, Bérangère Abba, Secretary of State for Biodiversity, visited the fish pass at the Gambsheim hydroelectric dam. On this occasion, she announced the construction of two new fish ladders on the Rhine, financed through the mobilization of France Relance credits. They will be installed on the Rhinau and Marckolsheim dams in the Lower […]

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80 Millions € for the Rhinau and Marckolsheim dams

President Macron announces the financing of the upgrading of the Rhinau and Marckolsheim dams (fishways). More than 80 million € are allocated as part of an exceptional programme to boost the French economy. This will enable the timetable announced at the ministerial conference in Amsterdam to be respected.

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Rhinminister Conference in Amsterdam : NGO-Presserelease

Please read the pressrelease by the Salmoncomeback NGO Coalition  in german  or french  The main decisions concerning Fish passability :  ->  Complete fish passability: Migratory fish shall be able to migrate from the North Sea up to the Rhine Falls at Schaffhausen and to colonise their habitats. For this purpose, on the Upper Rhine, fish […]

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German Fisheries Federation and 23 other German, French and Swiss organisations are calling for a reconsideration of net fishing before the Rhine estuary

On 19.11.2019, a delegation from the German Fisheries  – The Deutscher Angelfischerverband e.V,  submitted a petition to the Dutch Parliament in The Hague. The petition calls for a rethink of commercial net fishing at the Haringvliet dam at the mouth of the Rhine. After their confluence, the Rhine, the Meuse and the Merwede de Nieuwe […]

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Ecological continuity on the Rhine : France singled out at the ICPR !

Despite some interesting proposals made by France at the plenary meeting of the ICPR (International Commission for the Protection of the Rhine), held on 4-5 July 2019, the long series of promises not kept by France (and by EDF) continues … The great novelty is the proposal to restore ecological continuity by favoring the “loops” […]

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European Rivers Network & the SalmonComeback Coalition files EU complaint against France

European Rivers Network files EU complaint against France in the name of the Salmoncomeback-Coalition. extract : The French River Basin Management Plan and the Programme of Measures for the Rhine-Meuse River Basin District is breaching the WFD (Directive 2000/60/EC) in following cases: 1. The reasons for postponing the achievement of the environmental objectives, the Good Ecological Potential (GEP) […]

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Gateway to the Rhine open for salmon

Haringvliet Dam  –  Photo Guy Warzée Today the Netherlands is celebrating the opening of the storm surge barrier on the Haringvliet. That is where one of the three branches of the Rhine flows out into the North Sea. Until now, the storm surge barrier was a major obstacle to the passage of salmon into the […]

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3900 young salmons set free

Media release of WWF Switzerland from 7.6.17 (in german): Schülerinnen und Schüler haben letzten Mittwoch am Magdenerbach (AG) in der Nordwestschweiz junge Lachse ausgesetzt. Mit der Wiederansiedlung soll der Wanderfisch in die ursprünglichen Laichgewässer im Schweizer Einzugsgebiet des Rheins zurückkommen. Vier Kraftwerke müssen für die Rückkehr der erwachsenen Lachse noch saniert werden. 3900 Junglachse wurden […]

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Dear Mr. President

To the new president of France: Dear Mr. president Macron: salmons know how to swim! “En marche!” – that’s what the salmon also wants to.. by itself and on it’s own. EDF and the France were involved in the ICPR*, guaranteing the return of the salmon up to Basel until 2020. But instead of quickly […]

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125 salmons returnees in 2016 already !

Good News on this international “Day of the Fish”: current counts show there have already been 125 salmon coming back up the Rhine! Source: lachsverein.de Although they can’t yet reach Basel, (there are still 3 hydropower plants left blocking their way,) the signs are good that the current, complicated connectivity measures are working. Should those 3 […]

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WFMD – photos and videos from the Basel event

To celebrate the World Fish Migration Day Saturday 21st May, and as part of the Salmon Comeback Campaign, WWF Switzerland organized a fascinating lightshow in the middle of Basel. Watch the video © WWF Switzerland © WWF Switzerland

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The World Fish Migration Day – Saturday 21 May

The World Fish Migration Day (WFMD) is a one day global-local event to create awareness on the importance of open rivers and migratory fish. To be held for the second time, over 1000 organizations around the globe will be involved. On the Rhine river, together with the artistic collective “Projektil”, WWF Switzerland plans a fascinating […]

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A letter to the French Ministry

The coalition sent an official letter to the French Ministry of Ecology to support the letter sent by the European Commission which asked France for a sustainable fishway for Rhinau, Marckolsheim and Vogelgrun, and confirmed that the mobile fishway is not enough. Read the letter (in French only)

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EDF slower than the salmon – Activists are blocking the EDF Headquater Mulhouse

Twenty representatives of NGOs from Germany, Switzerland and France symbolically blocked, with a dam, the entrance of EDF headquarters in Mulhouse. The NGOs require a precise roadmap indicating the period and the financing to make free the passage for fishes at Rhinau, Marckholsheim and Vogelgrun dams’! Link to the pressreleas : in german  or french […]

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Kembs : EDF must do more

Today EDF inaugurate the restauration of a ancien water course on the “île de Kembs”. The salmon comeback coalition congratulates EDF , but EDF must do more in order to establish the full continuity of the Rhine River up to Basel. The dams in Rhinau, Marckolsheim et Vogelgrun must be equipped with fish letters before […]

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An open letter to the French Water Director

In this letter – in the name of the Salmoncomeback Coalition – we address our concern about the attitude of EDF regarding the restoration of ecological continuity of the Rhine. We express our growing doubts about the fact that EDF uses the proposal of a mobile fishway system for 2020 as proposed at the Rhine […]

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Atlantic Salmon Summit: Patronage of the ICPR and steering committee established

We are proud to announce that we have the patronage of the ICRP for the Atlantic Salmon Summit (1-3 October, Huningue France). The steering committee, which contributes to the development of the program has been established and formed of : Gerhardt Bartl (Regierungspräsidium Freiburg), Nils Breve (Sportvisserij Nederland), Samuel Gründler (Fishing Federation Switzerland), Andreas Knutti (Ministry […]

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Restart the international cooperation to improve Old Rhine habitats

The international NGOs Salmon comeback coalition has organised on November 19 a day of information, exchanges and visits about the Old Rhine habitats revitalization. French, Swiss and German NGOs were present as well as French government services, the region Alsace and EDF. The assessment is positive. Actors expressed their will to participate in a future […]

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23 september : ICRP Seminar on Vogelgrün power station and the future fish pass

In line with the resolution passed at the 2013 Ministerial Conference in Basel, the ICRP wishes organise a seminar in september 23  2014 on the complex issue of the creation of continuity at Vogelgrün power station. A working group has already started work on this under the direction of former IKSR president André Weidenhaupt. for more […]

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NGOs are skeptical after meeting with EDF

More then 20 representatives of NGOs from the Rhine catchment area have participated in an information meeting with EDF. EDF should clarify the positive French announcement by the Basel Ministerial Meeting. All NGOs unsatisfied with the outcome of the meeting, because EDF has on the key issues (yet?) give no clear answers. In a letter […]

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How to bring the salmon up to Basel ? NGOs meet EDF

A meeting between the NGOs of the salmoncomeback coalition and EDF (Electricité de France) will be organized March 12 in Strasburg. The main goal is to understand how the EDF project of a mobil fish pass works and how the salmon can reach the old Rhine in Vogelgrün which opens the way to Basel. The NGOs […]

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NGOs overhand petition with 12 000 signatures

Ruedi Bösiger (WWF CH) with a salmon , Laurent Roy (Directeur de l’Eau français) Roberto Epple (ERN) © WWF Switzerland Operation “Salmon comeback” and the symbolic voyage of the salmon return to Basel in Switzerland, was a success. Organized by the NGO, a 4 meters salmon scrolled downtown Strasbourg (FR) , was the star on […]

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