News archive

We took these peaceful pictures in and around Donetsk in 2014. Since then, we were determined to make a contribution to improving the ecological state of waters in this Danube riparian state during several projects. Now, we are committed to the people in this country who are experiencing unbelievable suffering. We will shift our shock and dismay into action. In addition to the private effort of our employees to help, we will also do our utmost as a company to support and to express our solidarity.

Last week we started with the phytobenthos and macrozoobenthos sampling season 2022! We look forward to more days in the field 🙂

Now the time has come: The Red list of endangered fish species and lampreys in Burgenland is finished and publicly available!

the download of our publication

We wish you peaceful celebrations and a successful and healthy New Year!  With these pictures we leave for the Christmas holidays. #staysafe
 

After completing the multi-year bilateral research project REBEN (Reed Belt Neusiedler See),
the report has now been published under the project management of Georg Wolfram (DWS Hydro-Ökologie).

to download [synthesis in EN]

With the aim of surveying the biomass, we were able to collect valuable data as well as impressive images while monitoring commercial fishing on Lake Neusiedl.

Monitoring of fish stocks in different stretches on the river Lafnitz. The unique morphology of the river makes fishing a challenge.

No reason for optimism;
no time for pessimism:
Act now! (Renate Hammer – Organisation)

From October 14th to 16th, an “interdisciplinary, independent, clear, distinct and at a high level, critically and reflected discourse about true sustainability” takes place in the Seewinkel.

Our managing director Georg Wolfram is also part of the top-class group of speakers. 

more…

Story at wien.orf.at

In the course of developing a water management concept, we were able to take these pictures of the autumnal Hohe Tauern in the national park area.

Over the last five years we supported as part of the project European Union Water Initiative Plus (EUWI+) the six Eastern Partnership countries Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Georgia, the Republic of Moldova and Ukraine to come a big step closer to implementing the European Water Framework Directive. A team of international experts – including us – helped in achieving milestones in water policy and water quality monitoring. We played a major role in the fields of biological assessment and biological monitoring. This summer the project came successfully to an end 🙂 More information regarding water management plans, monitoring expansion, stakeholder events and workshops can be found here: www.euwipluseast.eu

The publication of JDS 4 – the world’s most comprehensive study of a large river – deserves our attention, naturally!
What is not mentioned on noe.orf.at [ger]: We were also involved in the investigations!

The public report offers an entertaining overview of the results, including a picture of Ulli.

If you are into the details, we recommend the 565 pages of the scientific report.

Happy Reading 😉

More information: orf.at

Two weeks ago we succesfully started this year’s fishing season with blue sky and sunshine. We are looking forward to many more fishing days in the coming weeks and are full of motivation! 🐟

On behalf of the Stadt Wien – MA45 Wiener Gewässer we installed so-called “spawning brushes” in the Wienfluss, for fish that need aquatic plants for spawning such as rudd, roach or carp! Fish migrating from Donaukanal to the Wienfluss hardly find any aquatic vegetation to spawn from the river mouth to Stadtpark, therefore we provide remedy with the spawning brushes. We are fully confident that the fish will accept them and are looking forward to the first spawning observations 🙂

…an we are participants 🙂

Viadonau is writing a blog: viadonau bloggt

Beside RaabSTAT the Layman’s report is also finished for the Interreg project REBEN!

Link: Layman’s report

Have a nice springlike weekend and happy easter!

The Layman’s report of RaabSTAT is finished!

Link: Layman’s report

more at State Burgenland

Macrozoobenthos sampling in a completely different way… with the excavator! On behalf of via donau, we carried out examinations in the Danube last Tuesday, that deviated completely from the usual MZB sampling design. Take a look 🙂

The manual application of five tons of different salt-types with participation of DWS has attracted a lot of media interest. To read and see more:

Kurier

burgenland.orf.at

WWF

Bezirksblätter

BVZ

On Thursday, Feb 25th a press conference “healing-salt for dying pans” takes place at the Moschado Lake at Apetlon. The salt application is being carried out as a restoration attempt for the severely impaired soda pan as part of the EU project “Restoration of six soda pans in the municipality of Apetlon”.

more infos

Highly motivated we already started the first river investigations!

Following the Raab Survey 2008/09 a new  investigation of the river Raab was carried out in 2019, ranging from the upper reaches in Styria to the lower course in Hungary. The work was part of the bilateral INTERREG AT-HU project RaabSTAT. The project aim was to assess the ecological and chemical status. Yesterday all results were summarized in a final event and a successful project completion took place!

More information: www.interreg-athu.eu/raabstat/

How do many otters and few fish fit together? How does the presence of otters affect the individual fish species? These questions need to be answered within the research project Influence of the otter on fish stocks in the river Lafnitz.

A very current article can be found on pages 34-35 in natur & land / Heft 4-2020

The Interreg project aiming on creating a cross-border management plan for Lake Neusiedl in Austrian-Hungarian cooperation was concluded in an online event.

more: https://www.interreg-athu.eu/reben/  [ge/hu]

An extraordinary year is coming to an end… We wish you Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year 2021!

We are looking forward to the new sampling season 2021!

As part of EUWI+, two training videos on the monitoring of diatoms were published in cooperation with the Environment Agency Austria. This supports the process of aligning water management standards in eastern partnership countries with those of the EU.
All that – due to the corona virus – contactless.
more…

Part 1: field work

Part 2: lab work

Although already 4 weeks ago, we don’t want to withhold this catch from you! Our fish ecologist Georg and his team caught the rare Danube salmon (Hucho hucho) by boat electro fishing in the river Leitha…

After 3 years the EUWI + project is coming to an end. Despite Corona and political turmoil, DWS Hydro-Ökologie was able to successfully support several countries in Eastern Europe and the Caucasus in implementing the EU Water Framework Directive on behalf of the Environment Agency Austria.

On behalf of the Stadt Wien – MA 45 Wiener Gewässer we carried out studies on the macrozoobenthos and phytobenthos community in the heavily modified section of the Wienfluss. Sampling in summer was very succesfull!

Also this year we are mowing macrophytes at the Old Danube

Presentation of the project in Österreichs Fischerei Februar/März 2020

Running-waters samplings and fishing in the early year requires good equipment against the cold

Their Excellencies, Cesar Ariel Oviedo Verdún (Minister of Environment of Paraguay) as well as the Paraguayan Ambassador and former Minister of Environment Dr. Juan Francisco Facetti, were received to exchange experiences in Vienna! The City of Vienna / Wiener Gewässer and DWS Hydro-Ökologie reported on the condition, development and in particular the restoration of the Old Danube. Paraguay’s capital Asunción (1.9 million inhabitants in the metropolitan area) is located directly on the Paraguay River. The framework conditions are therefore comparable. An inspiring and constructive exchange!

Decelerated and eco-friendly we went on the DWS company excursion with the Mariazellerbahn to the Gemeindealpe in Mitterbach. On the mountain carts we finally came in the speed rush 🙂

A beautiful autumnal day!

The newsletter No. 2 of the INTERREG projects REBEN is available!
ATHU53 REBEN (INTERREG V-A AT-HU 2014-2020)

Download

Interreg project RaabSTAT

Springer Link

Online first

The mouth of the river Wulka into the reed belt of Lake Neusiedl is one of the least accessible habitats in eastern Austria – and therefore largely unknown in terms of fish ecology. During an electric fishing campaign at the end of August in the framework of the EU-INTERREG project REBEN an astonishingly rich variety of species could be detected: from typical lake species such as rudd and whute bream on stagnophile specialists such as European weatherfish, crucian carp, tench and European bitterling to running water species such as chub.

The investigation of the Danube River from the source to the mouth is the greatest transboundary river research worldwide and takes place every six years. Like in the previous surveys, the DWS Hydro-Ökologie was part of the team of experts. In July sampling was carried out between Jochenstein and the Hungarian border.

The DWS Water Management GmbH specialises in the mowing aquatic plants (macrophytes) and reed as well as the pumping out of soft sediment from the bottom of standing waters. With our weed harvesters we cut and remove macrophytes (creepers, weed, swimming algae or simply aquatic plants) and reed. This is carried out for clearing surfaces for swimmers and boats, for removing nutrients from the water and for landscape maintenance. In April 2019, this year’s mowing season started on the Old Danube. The work will be carried out on behalf of the City of Vienna, MA 45.

The newsletter No. 1 of the INTERREG projects REBEN is available!
ATHU53 REBEN (INTERREG V-A AT-HU 2014-2020)

Download