| Summary: | Abstract: For the benefit of the Rhine and of all waters running into the Rhine, the members of the International Commission for the Protection of the Rhine (ICPR) – Switzerland, France, Germany, Luxemburg, the Netherlands and the European Commission successfully cooperate with Austria, Liechtenstein and the Belgian region of Wallonia as well as Italy. Nine states and regions in the Rhine watershed closely co-operate in order to harmonize the many interests of use and protection in the Rhine area. One of the issues in the ICPR is the ecological river restoration, for which the Atlantic salmon has become the symbol. The Atlantic salmon used to be a widely spread species in the Rhine system. Historical figures on the supply to fish auctions count up to almost 250.000 in 1885. After that peak, the amounts diminished, until the complete extinction of the Salmon in the Rhine system in 1958. In 1986, the Sandoz disaster practically wiped out the life in the main stream of the Rhine, when a storage of chemical pesticides burned down. Already one year later, the ministers of the Rhine bordering countries brought the Rhine Action Plan into life. The ministers took the Salmon as symbol of a healthy Rhine, which was a rather brave thing to do given the fact that it was an extinct species at that time. In the years that followed, the water quality improved significantly. Nowadays we work with the ‘Master Plan Migratory Fish Rhine’, which aims at the restoration of a healthy aquatic ecosystem, which allows the existence of a population of Atlantic salmon. This objective is to be achieved by restoring river continuity – not only for Salmon but for all species – by restoring habitats, and reintroducing young Salmons.
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