Urforelle of the Danube basin.

The Urforelle project led by the Tiroler Fischereiverband, is a project to restore the native Danubian lineage of the brown trout in the waters of Tirol. This type of brown trout has evolved over thousands of year in the Danube basin, to survive in the alpine streams and rivers, in particular the seasonal runoff and temperatures in the cold mountain streams and extreme flooding events. The Danubian lineage has a far better survival rate in these circumstances than the stocked brown trout of the Atlantic lineage. The Danubian lineage is also better of against predators since these fish are a bit more agile and they have a better flight reflex (they are easily spooked).The stocking of the Atlantic lineage was cheaper and easier and it has been the type used for stocking since the 1940’s and this made the Danubian lineage almost vanished. Currently there are 3 different populations of Danubian brown trout the Gailtal-type, the Gurktal-type and the Karawanks-type.

if you would like to see more of this project Die Rückkehr der Urforelle is a documentary film about the return of the Urforelle.   

Start of the project.

In 1998 Dr. Nikolaus Medgyesy and his colleague Dr. Steven Weiss started their research into the old Danubian strain of brown trout. He knew that there were brown trout in Gossenköllesee at an altitude of 2417 m, which probably date back to a stocking in the Middle Ages. The Danube-dwelling populations known at three locations in Austria at the time were extremely endangered and threatened with extinction. His idea was to save these endangered fish, breed them, find out more about their characteristics and reintroduce them into suitable waters in their catchment area. In agreement with the head of the Zoology Institute at the University of Innsbruck, he and his son were allowed to use the university facilities to reproduce these fish.

Tiroler Fischereiverband takes over the project.

In 2010, the chairman of the Tyrol Fishing Association (TFV), Dr. Markus Schröcksnadl, approached Dr. Nikolaus Medgyesy and asked him to work out a concept that would make it possible to produce the Danubian brown trout on a large scale in order to reintroduce them into Tyrolean waters. To implement this ambitious projects, the TFV leased the Thaur fish farm from April 2010, and Nikolaus Medgyesy Jr. was employed as the manager. Starting from scratch (catching potential Danubian parents, individual marking, taking tissue samples, targeted mating after the genetic findings arrived), only a small number of pure Danubian brown trout could be produced in the first year, Only from the third year onwards were 50,000 brown trout produced, and later 120,000 to 180,000 annually. Every year all of the managed waters of Tirol receive stockings with some of the Danubian trout.

Other Urforelle projects.

The Tiroler Fischereiverband, is not the only group promoting and reintroducing Danubian trout. the natur Schutz bund is also breeding and stocking the Danubian type in Carinthia. And also in Salzburg the Danubian type is stocked in Hohe Tauern National Park territory.

Our goal.

Every year all of the managed waters of Tirol receive stockings with some of the Danubian trout. but still also fish of the Atlantic lineage are used by some managers, since the Danubian trout are mostly stocked as small fish and in smaller numbers at a higher cost. Therefor we as European native trout challenge, hope that we can help this project in the future with donations. To make the cost equal and help spread the lineage into more of its native range. I hope that this project can also be spread to waters outside of Austria like the alpine rivers of Slovenia that are part of the Danube river basin.