This project aims to deliver the most comprehensive inventory to date of migration barriers within the Bistrița Aurie basin, in Romania.
Bucovina, the region where the project is located, is one of Romania’s most pristine areas, where people and nature still maintain a close bond. This project focuses on the upper Bistrița Aurie catchment, a river of local legend where watersports are now popular and where timber logging once played a central role. Its main tributary, the Neagra, is known as the last river in Romania where traditional timber floating took place.
The Bistrița Aurie was once home to the Danube salmon (Hucho hucho), an emblematic species that formerly sustained a self-reproducing population in the river. Although the Danube salmon populations in Romanian fish farms once originated from this catchment, no indigenous fish are currently being reared in the country, and the species appears to have disappeared from the Bistrița Aurie, as no recent sightings have been reported.
| Project status | Live |
|---|---|
| Project type | Barrier identification and prioritisation |
| Country | Romania |
| River | Bistrița Aurie |
| Focal species | Danube salmon, Alpine bullhead, Grayling, Romanian barbel, Eurasian otter |
| Organisation | Asociația Pescarilor Sportivi Aqua Crisius |
| Website | Open Rivers Programme: Bucovina |
Although timber floating now survives only as a memory of local heritage, having ceased more than sixty years ago, the Bistrița Aurie catchment still contains numerous rivers obstructed by the remnants of old timber dams.
Several of these abandoned structures are owned by the Romanian state (Siret Water Administration) and could be removed with relative ease. The Water Administration is supportive of the project, providing a significant advantage.
The project will inventory all migration barriers across the Bistrița Aurie basin and develop an online database featuring photographs and key technical details for each structure.
It will also evaluate ecological impacts through an ichthyological study and establish a prioritisation system to identify at least three barriers for removal, based on their size, condition, usage, impact on fish communities, and ownership.
An additional important component is the delivery of two engagement events with local communities and relevant stakeholders, one at the start of the project and one at its conclusion.
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