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-Andreas-Cosma.JPEG/jcr:content/Titelbild%20EFI9897%20(c)%20Andreas%20Cosma.JPEG "The course participants are standing in the stream wearing waders and equipped with electrofishing gear.")
© BAW/Cosma zoom gallery -
-Andreas-Cosma.JPEG/jcr:content/EFI9919%20(c)%20Andreas%20Cosma.JPEG "The course participants are standing in the stream wearing waders and equipped with electrofishing gear.")
© BAW/Cosma zoom gallery -
-Andreas-Cosma.JPEG/jcr:content/EFI9920%20(c)%20Andreas%20Cosma.JPEG "The course participants are standing in the stream wearing waders and equipped with electrofishing gear.")
© BAW/Cosma zoom gallery
This summer has once again shown how quickly conditions in our waters can change. High temperatures and low water levels affected the water balance of many Austrian rivers and streams for weeks during summer 2026. Electrofishing is not only used to assess fish populations, but also plays an important role in fisheries management, for example when fish have to be rescued from sections of rivers or streams that are at risk of drying out.
From 16 to 18 September, our Electrofishing Course was once again held at the Institute of Aquatic Ecology and Fisheries Management in Scharfling, with 22 participants. In addition to theoretical principles, equipment and safety, the main focus was on practical application.
For the field exercise, we visited an epirhithral stream close to the Institute. Under supervision, participants carried out a guideline-compliant electrofishing survey themselves – from preparing and conducting the survey to identifying, measuring and recording the fish caught. Afterwards, they also learned how data collected using such standardised methods can be evaluated from a fisheries management perspective.
Standardised fish stock assessments are among the central tasks of Institute of Aquatic Ecology and Fisheries Management, for example in connection with the guideline for the biological quality element fish, data analysis in Fish Database Austria, and their practical application in various research projects at the Institute.
In the current KliMoFisch research project, for example, Institute of Aquatic Ecology and Fisheries Management and BAW Research are investigating how climate-related changes in fish populations and their habitats can be better assessed.
The course therefore provides a direct link between the work carried out at our Institute and its practical application in aquatic ecology and fisheries management.
The next Electrofishing Courses are expected to take place in May and September 2027. Further information will be available on our website towards the end of the year.