Atlantic Salmon Summit

1 - 3 October 2015

International symposium

Huningue, Francenear «Petite Camargue Alsacienne» 5 min from Basel (CH)30 min from Mulhouse (FR)1 hour from Freiburg im Breisgau (DE)

First Call

Rhine Salmon : Bottlenecks & Solutions in fresh and seawater

Organised by...

.... in cooperation with many partners from different countries

The Atlantic salmon is in dire straits. This migratory species, prepared to swim thousands of miles from Greenland then in the Rhine, Loire, Garonne or other large rivers, has virtually disappeared. In the large river basins, where thousands of salmon congregated every year, there are only a few hundred fish remaining or, in the case of the Loire, a thousand at best. The Rhine which used to be THE salmon river (home to as many as a million fish) has suffered the loss of its original strain. People have woken up to the general decline in numbers which started more than 50 years ago and, in the past 25 years, numerous

conservation actions have been undertaken. For exemple, Salmon was reintroduced in the Rhine in 1991 from wild salmon strain from the Loire. The improved habitats and water quality make it possible for small populations to survive but for this umbrella species which indicates the quality of rivers and streams, the battle is not over. Major conservation campaigns in both river and marine environments must be launched to safeguard this precious natural heritage which also sustained local livelihoods.

Salmon is still not saved

We are pleased to invite you to take part in this symposium, open to all those concerned by the future of salmon in Europe, including scientists, managers and civil society, and wich will be attended by key experts and VIPs from various countries as well as by representatives of the highest echelons of the Rhin basin governments. The participant forms will be send soon.

A decade after the symposium organized in Bonn by the ICPR, WWF Switzerland and the European Rivers Network France are organizing a new international symposium: between October 1 – 3, 2015 at Huningue in France (in the vicinity of the Swiss city of Basel.

The objective of this three-day event (two-day conference plus one day of visits) is to provide an overview of the obstacles to be overcome, in both fresh and sea water environments, as well as the challenges to address (international cooperation, integrated river management, climate change, energy production),

unveil the latest research findings and share innovative and exemplary experiences. A further aim is to lay down the exact timeframe of the reopening of the Rhine for salmon as far as Basel by 2020 as well as to define the additional measures required to keep stable and sustainable fresh and seawater salmon populations.

This exchange of know-how between various stakeholders - scientists, industrialists, local authorities and citizens - will help us forge stronger links and boost future cooperation to give the Atlantic salmon back its rightful place in our rivers.

The symposium programme has not yet been finalised. Proposals for participation such as speeches, posters or topics for discussion can be submitted to the European Rivers Network France Scientific Committee. The deadline is May 10, 2015.Contact : ern@ern.org

In order to stimulate discussions with civil society and young people, we intend to organise an evening screening of the film DAMNATION on the dismantling of dams in the US followed by a debate, and youth actions.

Create conditions to sustain its return You’re invited Call for contribution Civil society events

10 years after the salmon symposium in

Bonn

Assessing the situation in sea

and river

Providing solutions for the Rhine salmon

comeback

Presence of international VIPs

and expertsStrengthen

crossborder, inter-basin and inter-actors

cooperation

Define the next steps to implement

Set up priorities

© WWF Switzerland, Media actions in Basel, 2013

Contacts

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European Rivers Network (ERN) France8 rue Crozatier - 43000 Le Puy en Velay+33(0) 4 71 05 57 88ern@ern.orgwww.ern.org , www.salmoncomeback.org

WWF SchweizHohlstrasse 110 - 8010 Zürich +41 44 297 21 21www.wwf.ch, www.salmoncomeback.org