Fisheries groups sue Strobl over fish losses

Fisheries associations have sued the municipality of Strobl in Salzburg’s Flachgau district, claiming that work on sediment barriers caused fish stocks in the Weißenbach stream to decline sharply, ORF reported on Wednesday. They are seeking 360,000 euros in damages. The municipality rejects the allegations.

The authorities in Strobl are now dealing with questions over who is responsible for the environmental impact and who must pay. The Wildbach and Avalanche Control Service had planned to clean the sediment barriers on the Weißenbach in cooperation with the University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences, Vienna.

The consequences were severe, said Heimo Huber, head of the local fishery district. “At a time when the water level was very low, rocks, sediment and debris were transported. That is naturally a deadly mixture for fish when their gills are flushed with sand,” Huber said.

The work also affected the Ischl and Traun rivers in Upper Austria, according to the fisheries associations.

Because Strobl is responsible for water rights, the associations filed the damages claim against the municipality, Mayor Harald Humer of the Social Democratic Party said. “We were really surprised because at first you do not believe that it is meant seriously. But it quickly became clear that the letter from the lawyer was indeed serious,” Humer said.

A legal dispute is now expected. The fishermen argue that the federal government should pay for the work carried out by the Wildbach and Avalanche Control Service. The government has not yet agreed to do so.