Fly-Fishing Club Wins Brandenburg Conservation Award

A fly-fishing club will receive Brandenburg’s top nature conservation award for work that has helped reshape the state’s rivers. The Faio club has spent more than 30 years protecting and restoring healthy running-water landscapes in northwestern Brandenburg.

The state environment ministry said the club’s work on the Dosse and Stepenitz rivers has created better conditions for threatened species. Environment Minister Hanka Mittelstädt praised the group for making a direct contribution to river conservation.

Faio has worked in the Prignitz region to support the return of salmon and sea trout to the Stepenitz. Its members have placed spawning gravel and deadwood in waterways to create spawning grounds and shelter areas. They have also planted trees and maintained gravel banks.

The prize carries €3,000. Faio is based in Berlin and brings together 160 anglers from Berlin and Brandenburg.

Fly-fishing uses an artificial lure, known as a fly, which anglers guide across the water with a specialized casting technique. The long line carries the lure over the surface in a motion intended to resemble a real fly.

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Whether on the Dosse or the Stepenitz, they are making a very concrete contribution to ensuring that many threatened species can once again find better living conditions.