Have you found a tagged fish or tag as seen below?

Please click on the corresponding picture. If you have tagged fish and would like to add them to the project, please click here to contact us.

WHERE DO they come from and where do they swim to?

In German rivers, their tributaries, and estuaries in neighbouring countries, many fish (including lamprey) have been tagged with individual marks for scientific research. Often, these tagged individuals, or their tags are found far from the original study site and long after completion of the project. The interactive database called Fish Trek was designed to collect information on a tagged fish’s origin and fate, beyond the end of research studies using fish tagging methods. The information that Fish Trek collects allows for new insight on the dispersal and migratory behaviour of tagged fish as well as the fate of indigenous fish species. .

The research and development project, Fish Trek, is funded by the Deutsche Bundesstiftung Umwelt e. V. and is carried out in collaboration between the Institut für angewandte Ökologie GmbH and the Deutscher Angelfischereiverband e. V.

As a Citizen Science project, Fish Trek relies on the active participation of the public who are likely to encounter tagged fish. The more tagged fish recovered by the public that are reported to Fish Trek, the greater the potential knowledge gain. This is why Fish Trek partners offer a reward of 20 € for each recovered tag that is returned to Fish Trek with information specifying the location and date where the fish (or tag) was recovered.