-Keil.jpg/jcr:content/Sil%20Austria%20(c)%20Keil.jpg "Brücken bauen für ein besseres Verständnis aquatischer Ökosysteme, Bundesamt für Wasserwirtschaft.")
On 11 and 12 September 2025, the annual conference of SIL Austria – the association of limnologists in Austria – took place at the Federal Office for Water Management, Institute for Water Ecology and Fisheries in Scharfling. Under the motto “Building bridges for a better understanding of aquatic ecosystems – for the future”, current research findings were presented and perspectives for future cooperation were discussed.
The Federal Office for Water Management presented its ongoing work in aquatic ecology and fisheries. In addition, the Department of Surface Waters of the Province of Upper Austria and representatives of the Carinthian regional government reported on their activities in water monitoring and regulatory practice. Young limnologists used the conference to share their ideas on the future of limnology in Austria and to present posters on their research. During the General Assembly, the future orientation of SIL Austria was discussed and a new board was elected.
Martin Kainz (Danube University Krems) was thanked for his 15 years as chair of the association, and Katrin Attermeyer (WasserCluster Lunz) was elected as his successor.
SIL (originally Societas Internationalis Limnologiae, today International Society of Limnology) is the world’s leading scientific network dedicated to the study of inland waters. SIL Austria represents this network at the national level, connecting researchers, authorities and practitioners across Austria.
Limnology in Austria has a history of more than 100 years. A concise overview can be found here: History of Limnology in Austria (PDF). The Federal Office for Water Management has been part of this tradition since the 1920s, when a fisheries biology station was established in Weissenbach at Lake Attersee and later moved to Scharfling. From this developed today’s Institute for Water Ecology and Fisheries, which continues to play a key role in applied limnology and in linking research with practice. Other institutes of the Federal Office – including the former Institute for Water Quality in Vienna – are also integral parts of this long-standing tradition.
The connections between SIL Austria and the Federal Office for Water Management have always been close: both are dedicated to understanding and protecting Austria’s inland waters, and to fostering exchange between science and practice. The 2025 conference in Scharfling once again demonstrated the importance of this cooperation for sustainable water management in Austria.