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 Rhine delta. Its partial opening greatly increases the chance that salmon
and other “long distance migratory fish” will gain access to the Rhine catchment area.
Following the partial opening of the Haringvliet locks and a appealby the EU, major pressure from Europeenvironmental NGOs expect increased political pressure on France on the measures long-since agreed upon, to implement free-flow of the Rhine.