Odra

The Government wants to revitalise the River Oder. The idea is to better protect its aquatic environment, in the event of an ecological disaster. The new regulations provide for support for investments on the Odra River at the level of approx. PLN 1.2 billion.

A meeting between representatives of the five Oder River voivodeships and the Ministers of Climate and Environment, Infrastructure, State Assets and Agriculture and Rural Development was held at the Dolnośląskie Voivodeship Office in Wrocław on 19 April 2023. During the meeting, measures implemented over the past nine months to reduce the so-called 'golden algae' blooms in the Oder and other Polish rivers were discussed. The position of the Ministry of Climate and Environment was presented by Deputy Ministers Małgorzata Golińska and Jacek Ozdoba, as well as by the Chief Inspector of Environmental Protection, Krzysztof Gołębiewski, and the General Director of Environmental Protection, Andrzej Szweda - Lewandowski.

As agreed with the Ministry of Climate and Environment, the Inland Fisheries Institute - National Research Institute, the Institute of Environmental Protection, and the Chief Inspectorate of Environmental Protection have introduced continuous pilot monitoring of the Oder River.

The final report of the Team for the Situation Arising on the Oder River has been published. The publication of the document is a summary of the Team's activities.

Minister Krzysztof Gołębiewski, the Chief Inspector of Environmental Protection, has announced that an Alert Procedure for detecting mass blooms and the threat of contamination by 'golden algae' toxins is in force.

An international workshop on Prymnesium parvum or golden alga has taken place. The 13 April 2023 online event is the result of an arrangement between the Environment Ministers of Poland and Germany.

Polish environmental services conduct continuous and precise monitoring of the Oder River. Water samples are taken twice a week. Biological and chemical monitoring is correlated with testing for the presence of 'golden algae'. The adopted testing scheme allows for constant monitoring the river's condition before the growing season. Intervention monitoring results from the recommendations of the Team for the Situation Arising on the Oder River set up by the Minister of Climate and Environment in 2022.

'If we create the right conditions, aquatic ecosystems quickly recover. Even so, it must be assumed that this process takes years,' says Prof. Piotr Parasiewicz from the Stanisław Sakowicz Inland Fisheries Institute in Olsztyn. The Institute is involved in ichthyological research. A control catch was carried out in autumn 2022 as part of the nationwide monitoring. Nearly 5,500 fish were caught in the Oder River. Almost 30 species were identified. Dominant among them were perch and roach as well as gudgeon and bleak. The researchers also recorded the presence of the protected bitterlings and spined loaches. 'Ichthyological monitoring is only one of the activities,' Professor Parasiewicz emphasises at the beginning of the interview. 'Our Institute continues to study the Oder River ichthyofauna status and is also developing an ecosystem remediation plan. Only through thorough research analysis can rational solutions be created,' the expert adds.

As part of state environmental monitoring, the Stanisław Sakowicz Inland Fisheries Institute in Olsztyn conducted a study of the fish populations in rivers in Poland. Specialised control fisheries conducted in autumn 2022 also covered the Oder River. A summary of the monitoring is included in the report: Assessment of surface water bodies surface water bodies for ichthyofauna for the year 2022.

According to a report by the Team for the Situation Arising on the Oder River, the cause of the massive fish die-off in the river was a toxin produced by 'golden algae'. These rare occurring microscopic algae may have found their way into the waters carried by, for example, birds. 'Golden algae' are not only found in marine waters but also inland reservoirs and rivers, generally in industrialised areas with higher salinity of the waters, fish ponds, and others. So far, they have appeared on all continents except for Antarctica.