Poissons migrateurs : objectif Meuse

In Belgian Meuse River basin, all the migrating fish were disappeared at the beginning of the last century. The most fabulous salmonid fish: the atlantic salmon (Salmo salar) was completely disappeared in 1935. In 1983, sea trouts were discovered in the Meuse basin, allowing to consider salmon restoration as possible. This was realized and in 2002 first breeders were caught in a fish pass on the River Meuse. This film overviews the different steps of the restoration of the salmon in the Belgian Meuse River basin. Fertilized eggs from Scotland were reared in an experimental fishfarm for restocking purposes. Scientific studies were undertaken to assess the adaptation of stocked salmon parrs in the wild (habitat studies by means of electrofishing or diving, behaviour studies, capture of migrating smolts, radio-tracking). Fish ways were also studied and improved in order to allow migrating movements. The case study of other migrating fish as eels was also discussed.