Business trip report, Austria, Drozd, LIFE Living Rivers a LIFE Boat4Sturgeons

On 5^th February 2025 a joint meeting of the LIFE Living Rivers (101069837/LIFE21-IPE-SK-Living Rivers) and LIFE Boat4Sturgeon projects took place at the Bodenkultur Universität (Vienna, Austria) at the invitation of Dr. Thomas Friedrich. The meeting was also attended by staff of the Slovak Angling Union (Ing. M. Farský and Ing. F. Miklánek) and Dr. Maroš Kubala from the Water Research Institute in Bratislava as a representative of the Living Rivers project coordinator. Dr. Bořek Drozd, Dr. Filip Ložek and Dr. Martin Šindler spoke on behalf of FROV JU. The objectives of the MonStur project (project leader at BOKU: Dr. Jakob Neuburg) and the results and progress of both LIFE projects were presented at the meeting. An important part of the meeting was the discussion and coordination of the work procedures for the duration of both LIFE projects in order to avoid mutual interference reducing the results of both projects. Furthermore, the principle of sharing data resulting from both projects in the European context was discussed. Finally, a tour of the unique floating fish farming facility for the production of the stocking material of the Danubian sturgeons, newly built within the Boat4Sturgeon project on a disused river barge on the Danube right in the centre of Vienna, was organised.

Written by: RNDr. Bořek Drozd, Ph.D.