From July 7 to 11, an important transferability activity took place in the Catalan Pyrenees as part of the LIFE Streams project. The project was coordinated by Forestas in collaboration with the Department of Agriculture of the Generalitat de Catalunya (Sub-Directorate General of Hunting and Wildlife, Continental Caça i Pesca, and the Fluvials group of the Catalan Forestry Agency).
The project involved the Coma de Vaca, Riu de Núria, Segadell, and Llosa streams (Province of Girona), where an innovative trout population monitoring methodology, previously tested in Sardinia, was tested. The technique is based on visual sampling using sport fishing techniques—spinning and fly fishing—and is the result of a collaboration between Forestas and the University of Cagliari. These methods are now an integral part of the Guidelines for the Conservation of Trout and Its Habitat, adopted to assess the distribution and size of populations targeted for conservation.
One of the distinctive features of this approach is the active involvement of recreational fishermen: their field experience, combined with data collection (including tissue samples for genetic analysis), makes monitoring more participatory and comprehensive, transforming enthusiasts into allies of science.
The comparison between Sardinian river environments—often characterized by low flow and high fragmentation—and Catalan waterways, which are wider, richer in water, and have limited visibility due to turbulence, has posed a stimulating scientific challenge. Initial results show the method’s promising applicability in these new contexts, although some technical adaptations will be necessary, which are currently being evaluated by the Forestas team.
As highlighted in a recent scientific publication produced with the Department of Life and Environmental Sciences of the University of Cagliari (https://www.mdpi.com/1424-2818/16/8/442), the effectiveness of sampling methods depends heavily on local environmental characteristics. A flexible approach tailored to different river ecosystems is therefore essential.
The LIFE Streams project thus continues to bridge territories and expertise, fostering a virtuous exchange of knowledge and practices for the protection of river biodiversity.
