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The beautiful, clear, emerald Neretva River in southern Bosnia-Herzegovina (BiH) is a haven for some of Europe's last remaining native trout populations, including the softmouth trout and the marble trout. However, proposed hydropower dams, out-of-basin water transfers and many other issues threaten the existence and habitat of these remnant populations.
In October 2011, the Trout Conservancy funded a team of experts in salmonid biology, wild trout conservation, TV filmmaking and flyfishing-based tourism on an initial reconnaisance trip to the Balkans to better understand the region's trout fisheries and the issues surrounding native salmonid restoration and preservation in the upper Neretva River.
The still-evident ravages of war, frequent and
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The beautiful upper Neretva River, above Konjic in southern Bosnia-Herzegovina.
random plantings of non-native trout species (some of which readily hybridize with natives while others compete for limited habitat), competing governments and complex cultural values all complicate any mission to help preserve these populations.
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A big softmouth trout, native to the Neretva River and tributaries in BiH, and barely hanging on in the Zeta River system in Montenegro. Both rivers empty into the Adriatic.
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A nice marble trout, this one caught in the Soca River of Slovenia during the high water of spring. They are native to a few Balkan rivers draining to the Adriatic sea, including the Neretva. |
