Long-lost Danube gudgeon rediscovered in Inn River section
Researchers at the Technical University of Munich documented the Danube gudgeon in a new section of the Inn River near Simbach, expanding on its rediscovery a few years earlier downstream of the Ering-Frauenstein dam. The finding emerged from a long-term joint research project with hydropower operator VERBUND studying the effects of nature-like fishways on fish populations and river ecology. Systematic fish surveys in twelve nature-like fishways along the Inn recorded approximately 38,000 individuals representing 36 fish species, including rare and protected species. Researchers view the Danube gudgeon's presence as an indicator of good ecological conditions and suggest the species may be expanding its range within a larger section of the river.