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 […]

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.

Officially launched on 8 October 2021 by Mrs. Bérangère Abba, Secretary of State to the Minister of Ecological Transition, in charge of Biodiversity, the first shovels began to be dug in Rhinau and Marckolsheim this autumn 2022. A great technical challenge awaits EDF. These fish passes will be the largest ever built in France and […]

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 […]

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.

The Rhinaissance project is launched. For a renaturation of the Old Rhine in the Taubergiessen and the island of Rhinau.

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 […]

In view of the next Ministerial Conference, which will take place in Amsterdam in 2020, environmental protection NGOs from the Rhine basin (Salmoncomeback Alliance) have just published a common position, in which they make known their disappointment. Indeed, at the last plenary meeting of the ICPR in Malbun in July 2019, France communicated its global […]

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 […]

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” […]

Commission urges FRANCE to step up efforts to restore the ecological flow of the Rhine River The Commission is calling on France to comply with its obligations under EU law (the Water Framework Directive, Directive 2000/60/EC. The Commission urges the French authorities to improve the condition of the Rhine River on its territory to ensuring […]

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) […]

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 […]

more info soon

The NGO Coalition ask Nicolas Hulot to change the policy to restore the ecological continuity on the Rhine and to cancel the project of a mobil fishpass… Read the pressrelease (French only) Read the letter (French only)

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 […]

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 […]

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 […]

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

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 […]

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)

All the videos of the presentations are now available. French and German presentations are in original language, Dutch presentations are dubbed in English. See videos >>

Very good, complete article on our common Salmon Comeback! campaign and the Salmon Summit by Lawrence Talks in FISH, The Quarterly Magazine Of The Institute Of Fisheries Management. >Read it in english

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 […]

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 […]

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 […]

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 […]

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 […]

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 […]

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 […]

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 […]

During the Rhine Minister  Conference in Basel (28 October), the salmon and its comeback to Basel was a importante issue. France accepte to make the salmon comeback up to Switzerland possible by 2020 and propose  a short terme solution. This is a success for the Salmoncomeback campaign. The NGOs , members of the Salmon Comeback […]

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 […]

The international coalition of  organizations  has handed a formal letter to the French Ministry of Ecology to express support for the petition to make the Upper Rhine River accessible to salmon all the way to Switzerland, by 2020. The coalition ask for a clear message and a roadmap to attempt the 2020 objectif.

Clear the river for the salmon ! It’s time that salmon should be able to swim all the way to Switzerland again – this is the demand of a large international coalition of environmental and fishing organisations from the Rhine states. Specifically, they want the Upper Rhine between Strasbourg and Basel to be made passable by […]