In order to strengthen biodiversity in the Rhine and its tributaries, around 660,000 larvae of allis shad have been released into the Rhine. Because this is a transnational nature and species conservation project, three ministers gathered on Wednesday on the banks of the Rhine in Biebrich to jointly release 40,000 larvae at this location: Hesse's Environment Minister Priska Hinz (The Greens), North Rhine-Westphalia's Agriculture Minister Silke Gorißen (CDU) and Rhineland-Palatinate's Environment Minister Katrin Eder (The Greens). "Our common goal is to reintroduce the allis shad, which became extinct in the Rhine in the sixties. In this way, we are strengthening biodiversity in the water," the three politicians said in a joint statement.

Oliver Bock

Correspondent of the Rhein-Main-Zeitung for the Rheingau-Taunus-Kreis and for Wiesbaden.

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The allis shad was originally widespread in Western Europe and was of great importance for fisheries. Due to decreasing water quality, the construction of weirs as obstacles to migration and occasionally also due to overfishing, the allis shad stocks declined sharply. In the meantime, according to the Wiesbaden Ministry of the Environment, the population of the migratory fish is growing again, and natural reproduction has already been confirmed. However, before a fully self-reproducing allis shad population can be detected in the Rhine, allis shad larvae will have to be released for a few more years. As juveniles, they migrate from the rivers into the sea and return to their waters of origin at the age of three to eight years to spawn. Then the reproductive cycle begins anew.

Fish from the herring family

Project partners in the reintroduction of allis shad, which began in 2007, are not only the three federal states, but also various fishing associations and the Jackdaw Foundation. The Rhenish Fishing Association of 1880 is coordinating the project, in which partners from Switzerland and France are also involved. "The reintroduction of an extinct migratory fish species is an ambitious project," confirms Frank Kleinwächter, chairman of the Rhenish Fishing Association.

The allis shad belongs to the herring family and reaches a length of up to 70 centimeters and a weight of up to four kilograms. Its natural range extends from Scandinavia to Morocco, which includes the Rhine with its tributaries Moselle, Main, Nahe and Neckar. Its occurrence is also considered evidence of water quality and intact habitats.