The Fish For Life project implementation team organized at the end of September 2021 a meeting with amateur fishermen from Târgu Cărbunești and Bengești Ciocadia, located along the Gilort River. The ten participants had the opportunity to closely follow the way the passage on the overflow threshold in Târgu Cărbunești works and received information from the team about the works on this passage.

Arrangement of the overflow threshold of the bridge on DN67B was necessary so that the fish can pass upstream. The existing overflow threshold has a height of almost 4 m, a barrier impossible to cross by the fish species targeted by our project. Fishermen have been able to see how fish (especially barbel) are already crossing that threshold. They said that, from their experience, they noticed that wherever the barbel appears, the common nase also appears. Aware of the problem that appeared at the threshold of Albeni, damaged by floods, they all insisted on the fact that a solution must be found to restore it, because only in this way, with both thresholds rebuilt, the common nase can reach upstream for reproduction.

Discussions between the project implementation team and fishermen continued afterwards in Bălcești. People mentioned that in recent years, large fish have disappeared, no longer having favourable habitats to develop. In their opinion, the main problem is the disappearance of the aconites, but also the relocation of the riverbed because of the exploitation of construction materials (gravel, sand, etc.) The problem identified by them was also confirmed by the members of the project team. The fishermen's proposal was to find a solution so that these exploitations would not take place at least during the period when fishing was banned. In addition, they proposed that, in the case of the common nase, during the breeding season, the large specimens be artificially moved upstream to lay their eggs, being convinced that, at maturity, the young will at their turn return to that place to reproduce. The project team noted the idea which would be discussed with ichthyologists to see how it could be applied.

The meeting with the fishermen on Gilort is part of the E6 activity. Organizing courses and seminars with stakeholders, custodians and water management authorities. The next meeting scheduled to take place targets landowners in the area and will take place on October 3, 2021.

Some images with the passage for fish on the overflow threshold from Târgu Cărbunești are available in the movie below.

https://www.facebook.com/982670065231465/videos/1092263891604251