News

On 13 April, for the ninth year employees of Latvenergo AS and the Society “We for Fish” made 474 artificial fish spawning nests from spruce branches in the Lielvarde Municipality. In May, the spawning nests will be placed in the Daugava near Kaibala and Ikskile – about 200 in each location. This year, as a pilot project for the first time they will also be placed in one of the coastal bays of the Plavinas HPP water reservoir and, once spawning has occurred, the egg samples will be transferred to the BIOR Scientific Institute for research.

With more than 100 interested persons involved, the largest number of spawning fish nests (474) has been produced this year. The initiated environmental project is evolving: last year, representatives of the “We for Fish” Society conducted an investigation into the possibility of placing spawning nests in the coastal bays of Plavinas HPP. This year, for the first time, 40 nests will be placed in Daugava upstream the hydropower plant.

Another news of this year, which is planned to be implemented by Latvenergo AS, is to analyse egg samples from artificial fish spawning nests to determine the quality of eggs, fish species and other parameters in cooperation with the BIOR Scientific Institute.

Nearly 3,000 artificial fish spawning nests have been prepared and placed in the Daugava in nine years since the beginning of the project.

In spring, as the spawning season of fish approaches, the production of artificial spawning nests is the first phase. The next step is placement of the spawning nests, when weather, air and water temperature are appropriate Before putting all the nests into the river, some control nests are placed to observe the spawning activity of fish. Also this year, when it becomes warmer and fish activity increases, the nests will be placed in the Daugava near Kaibala and Ikskile.

Bream and roach spawn on artificial fish spawning nests. In the course of the project, it has been observed that other species of fish, such as perch and tench, also spawn in nests made of spruce branches.

Creation and placement artificial spawning nests is a simple and efficient method that increases the effectiveness of spawning of fish in a water reservoir with a fluctuating water level. Fish are able to adapt very successfully in nature. They naturally spawn on plants on river banks, but bunches of spruce branches can also serve as good spawning nests. Artificial fish spawning nests, when placed in deeper places and away from the bank, are able to ensure more complete development of eggs, because the nests are anchored, held at the water level and adapt to its fluctuations, so that drought never exists.

Latvenergo, as an environmentally friendly electricity generating company, is continuously improving its activities to preserve biodiversity, and this activity plays an important role in the fish resources restoration programme. Preservation and protection of the environment or green lifestyle has become important and self-evident in our daily lives, and cooperation in the production of fish nests from spruce branches helps to understand and preserve biodiversity in nature.

About artificial fish spawning nests:
Artificial fish spawning nests are placed at a previously studied river section, where fish are most likely to spawn. In these places, the nests are submerged into the river water in several rows over several hundred metres and at varying depths, thus ensuring that the eggs do not remain without water and do not dry in the sun. After the eggs have developed, fish larvae stay in the vicinity of their nests for a few weeks and only later swim deeper into the river. Different up to 70 cm long spruce branches are used to prepare the nests. They are placed above each other turned in opposite directions and then lashed in the middle with a metal wire, creating loops at the top and bottom. A weight is attached to the loop under the nest on a cord to keep the nest stable in the water, and a float is attached to the loop above the nest (an empty plastic bottle, pot, etc.). The name “Fish nest” is put on the float so that anyone who sees this marking in the river clearly knows what objects have been placed there.