The rudd is celebrating a comeback: Emscher is waking up after 100 years!

The rudd is celebrating a comeback: Emscher is waking up after 100 years!

A remarkable regression in the animal world of North Rhine-Westphalia is causing a stir: the rudd, a typical schooling fish, has found its way back into the state's waters after over 100 years. This return takes place in a river that was once considered an insurmountable barrier for fish - the Emscher. In earlier times the Emscher was anything but inviting; it was more of a sewage stream than a healthy river. But thanks to extensive restoration measures, the river now shows that it has the potential to be alive. As Ruhr24 reports, the rudd was last spotted in the Emscher, and experts see this as a signal of the river's recovery.

In recent years, the Emschergenossenschaft has worked successfully to redesign the Emscher in a natural way. The result is that wastewater no longer flows into the Emscher and instead clean, natural sections have been created. The renaturation began more than 30 years ago, and since the end of 2021 the conditions for the native fauna and flora have been significantly better. The Emscher now resembles a former “Köttelbecke”, which offers the fish true freedom of travel, as WDR has found. There are now over 30 species of fish in this revitalized body of water.

A successful change

For decades, the Emscher was a biologically dead canal and represented an insurmountable barrier for fish, especially due to the five-meter-high concrete drop at its mouth into the Rhine. But this barrier was a thing of the past, and the rudd has now settled and multiplied across the mouth of the Rhine in the Emscher. There are many ways in which the fish could have gotten there: Possibly via natural tributaries, parks or ponds. But despite the positive developments, Dr. Frank Obenaus, that illegally stocked fish can disrupt local ecosystems.

The return of the rudd is not only a sign of the river's revival, but also an indication that restored waters are capable of recovering entire ecosystems. Intact flowing waters make a decisive contribution to the quality of life in urban areas by improving air quality, reducing the risk of flooding and, last but not least, serving as recreational areas. Studies by the Federal Environment Agency show that nature conservation measures can comprehensively restore the functionality of rivers through various environmentally friendly practices and this is very beneficial for the local population.

A step in the right direction

The Emscher is an example of the successes of renaturation, which not only improves biodiversity but also brings back urgently needed services for the environment. Rivers and streams are key resources for water management, cooling in industry and irrigation in agriculture. At the same time, they act as habitats for a wide variety of animal and plant species. The positive development in the Emscher clearly shows that the path of renaturation is the right one - not only for the fish species, but also for the habitats and the people who benefit from the local waters.

The return of the rudd is not only a successful piece of nature, but also a sign of a new awareness in environmental and nature conservation policy. The Emscher and its residents are now on the threshold of a new era.