On 7 October 2025 a sucessful international workshop was held in Budapest to discuss the topic of migratory fishes in the Danube. The event was organized by EUSDR PA4 together with EUSDR PA6 Danube Sturgeon Task Force.

This event highlighted how cooperation can restore ecological corridors and support migratory fish populations across the Danube River Basin. Collaboration is the key to connectivity — and the EUSDR is making it happen. 

To set the scene Mr Benjamin Jeannot from the EC provided an overview of the European EU aspects of migratory fishes.

His presentation was followed by 

Session 1: Ecological Corridor – the wider picture and included presentatons on
 ICPDR activities towards fish migration conservation (Ádám Kovács, ICPDR)
 Danube4All project – which aims to develop a comprehensive, scientifically-based and practically-orientated Restoration Action Plan (Helmut Habersack, BOKU)
 DANUBElifelines Project: aims to develop a pioneering, transdisciplinary blueprint for the recovery of migratory fish and their habitats in the Danube River Basin. (Tibor Erős, HUNREN)
 SWIM: Sustainable Water and Integrated Management of Fish Migration and their Habitats
in the Danube River Basin and NW Black Sea (Tibor Bešenić, University of Zagreb)

Afterwards in Session 2 the aspects of Migration barriers – maintaining and reestablishing connectivity was discussed, including:
 Iron Gates – WePass2 project (Marq Redeker, CDM Smith)
 Gabčíkovo area – Activities and plans within LIFE Living Rivers project (Katerina Mravcova,
VUVH)
 Dunakiliti Fish pass (Miklós Pannonhalmi, North-Transdanubian Water Directorate in Győr,
Hungary)
 Trap and Transport as option? (Peter Gammeltoft, DSTF)

The final, 3rd Session presented: Other recovery actions for migratory fish – focus on transboundary actions
for sturgeons, including:
 A European perspective on sturgeon conservation (SCUTE, Pan-European Action Plan) (Beate
Striebel, WWF CEE)
 MonStur Project –Activities and plans in Hungary (Gábor Guti)
 LIFE Boat4Sturgeon – shared genetic living gene bank and release program (Beate Striebel). 

 

Please see the presentations: 

1. DGENV_presentation_Connecting_dots_for_migratory_fishes_2025

3. Introducing_DANUBElifelinesTE

4. SWIM_UNIZAG-FSB

5. WePass2_EUSDR Workshop

6. Gabcikovo final7. Dunakiliti8. Trap and Transport

9. PANEUAP and Sturgeons in Europe_Striebel

10. MonStur HU11 LIFE Boat4Sturgeon

11 LIFE Boat4Sturgeon