Because it has not rained for more than a month, fish in Brabant streams are in danger. The water level drops quickly and therefore the oxygen content in the water also decreases. “If you see a fish sticking its mouth above the water and gasping for breath, then you have to go,” says Jos Kruit, drought coordinator of the Aa en de Maas Water Board. The water board has closed fish passages to prevent the water from sinking even further and calls on everyone to keep an eye on the fish.
You can recognize a fish in distress in two ways. “If a fish is gasping for breath, it means it’s not getting enough oxygen and wants to replenish it above water. If you see a fish thrashing on the bottom, the water level is too low and they can’t swim any further.”
If anyone sees this happening, the water board asks them to let them know. “We can then help the fish. Unfortunately, we cannot constantly monitor all streams, so hopefully everyone will pay attention.” The employees of Aa and de Maas regularly check the oxygen content in the water.
“It can also just happen with fishing nets and walking through the stream”
If necessary, the water board can help the fish. “We work together with Sportvisserij Nederland to remove the fish from the water. They then walk through the water with nets and the caught fish are taken to another stream.”
The water board has also taken measures to prevent streams from running dry. “We have now closed the fish passages. They are intended to allow fish to swim past closed weirs.” These passages are therefore a good solution for the fish, but not for the water level. “Upstream the water then drops even faster and that must be prevented by closing those fish passages.”
“Unfortunately, we can’t control the weather.”
The water board hopes that the fish can simply stay in their own stream. “Unfortunately, we cannot control the weather. The thunderstorms expected after the weekend are probably not enough to raise the water level,” says the coordinator.
It is nice that the drought comes relatively late this year. “The fish migration has just ended. From February to the beginning of June they swim from stream to stream,” explains Kruit. “The fish are now actually already in place.” Due to the closure of the fish passages, they only have a smaller habitat. “But that’s better than them running out of oxygen.”
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