European Eel Foundation

Flix Dam on the River Ebro, Spain, June 2024. This dam diverts water to the Flix hydroelectric station and reduces the flow in the downstream 'Flix meander' wildlife reserve. The hydroelectric scheme was built in 1948 and does not have a fish pass. It is located 110 km upstream from the sea.

There are two large weirs (Xerta and Ascó) downstream from here, and fish passage improvements are currently underway at these weirs. A new rock ramp fishway has been installed at Ascó weir, and a new fish pass is currently being built at Xerta weir. Fish passage improvements are also planned for Flix Dam, and optimized management of the ship lock to assist fish migration is already underway. In addition to these weirs, there are two other large hydroelectric dams upstream of Flix Dam (Riba-roja and Mequinenza), making fish migration restoration on the lower 150 km of the River Ebro very challenging. Indeed, there are an estimated 190 significant dams in the River Ebro catchment.

However, eels, sea lampreys, and shad have recently been recorded as far upstream as Flix Dam, and efforts are underway to restore European sturgeon to the river and allow other migratory species to access further into this great European river catchment. European sturgeon historically accessed the Ebro as far upstream as Tudela, located over 490 km from the sea. In December 2023, juvenile sturgeon were restocked into the River Ebro downstream of Xerta weir as part of the restoration project.

In addition to fish passage problems, the River Ebro faces numerous environmental issues, most notably the historical dumping of industrial waste in Flix reservoir. Poor water quality is also evident in this video. However, water quality improvement programs are also underway, including the removal of the contaminated material from Flix reservoir.

The ridiculous 'temporary' fish pass at Termonbarry Weir on the upper River Shannon this week. This fish pass was installed here almost 25 years ago as a temporary measure, but it never worked and was never replaced. This weir continues to block salmon and eel migration in the upper River Shannon. None of the navigation weirs along this river have adequate fish passes.