Business trip report, Slovakia Drozd

Business trip report, Slovakia – winter mobile telemetric monitoring of fish in the Old Danube as part of the LIFE Living Rivers project 

From January 30 to February 1, 2026, Bořek Drozd (FROV JU) undertook a business trip as part of the LIFE Living Rivers project (101069837/LIFE21-IPE-SK-Living Rivers), focused on fulfilling task T.6.4. aimed at the current migration passability of the Gabčíkovo barrage system (Slovakia). Winter mobile telemetric monitoring of tagged fish (sterlet, barbel, asp) was carried out from a boat along the entire section of the former Danube riverbed between Čunovo and Sáp, including the end sections of both the Slovak and Hungarian side river branch systems and further in the Outflow Channel of the Gabčíkovo hydroelectric power plant. 

In the Old Danube, the most valuable parts of the river in terms of the occurrence of wintering grounds for rheophilic fish species were repeatedly identified. The data from the telemetric research will then be used to propose measures to make both the Čunovo and Gabčíkovo waterworks passable.

RNDr. Bořek Drozd, Ph.D.