Petition pushes to save Swiss fish from turbines

Turbines at hydroelectric power stations can be "death traps" for fish. Keystone

Switzerland’s Fishing FederationExternal link has filed a petition in Bern calling on the Swiss government to better protect local fish against the deadly trap of turbines at hydroelectric power stations.

Protective measures for the fish should be considered during the revamping of about 1,000 plants in Switzerland by 2030, according to the petition, which gathered some 34,000 signatures.

Environmental protection groups Aqua VivaExternal link and WWF SwitzerlandExternal link also gave their support to the call to action.

The Swiss Fishing Federation says there is currently a lack of knowledge, financial and personnel resources to modernise hydroelectric power stations in line with the Federal Law on Water Protection, which came into force in 2011.

For Aqua Viva and WWF Switzerland, the biggest problem for the migration of fish downstream is represented by large plants with a flow rate of more than 100 cubic meters per second.

Migratory fish such as the common grayling, eel and lake trout are particularly at risk.