Saving Germany’s Rivers: A Fly Fisher’s Fight for Conservation

With: franksteinmann

As a freshwater ecologist and hardcore fly angler, Frank sees the good, the bad, and the downright ugly when it comes to Germany’s rivers. He spends his days studying fish, fighting for conservation, and sneaking in a cast whenever he can. But it’s not all smooth sailing—between habitat loss, tricky fishing laws, and limited access, fly fishing in Germany is a whole different ballgame.

As a freshwater ecologist and an avid fly fisherman, how do these two passions complement each other in your life and work?

Of course, working in and around the water and the constant contact with fish satisfies part of my craving for fly fishing. I see and handle fish, catch them for scientific research or snorkel with them in my free time. This gives me a different perspective to the one I experience with trembling hands at dawn when I tie on a small dry fly to entice a permanently rising trout. Of course, I also learn a lot about fish locations, activity phases and migratory behavior during my work. Knowledge that also proves very useful when fly fishing.

You’re dedicated to saving aquatic biodiversity. How has your time spent on the water shaped your understanding of the challenges aquatic ecosystems face?

When people ask me the typical question about what I do for a living and I briefly reply that I work as a fish and aquatic ecologist, I often get the same reaction: that's great, you're out in nature a lot and doing something good. 

Unfortunately, in reality, it's regularly the case that I lie in bed at night with my mind spinning and have trouble falling asleep.

The condition of the watercourses in my working environment has changed significantly over the last few decades. And not for the better. Land use, wastewater problems, transverse structures and hydropower and, last but not least, climate change have had a strong influence on the deterioration of the ecological status of almost all German watercourses. Fish and aquatic organisms do not have a broad lobby, as is the case with birds, for example.

Let's stick with the example: for almost three decades, my team and I have been trying to reintroduce the Atlantic salmon, which became extinct in the Rhine. This project is a political issue and is networked throughout the EU. However, the successes are devastatingly low, as too many interests are piled up around the water. We all know about the concerns regarding migratory fish worldwide. Salmon as a lobby species is only the tip of the iceberg here in Germany.

Nevertheless, I am of course grateful for my activities in the field of nature and water. We have achieved a number of successes in the conservation of aquatic biodiversity and are always in direct contact with like-minded people. This gives me the courage and strength to carry on. Science makes mistakes, corrects them, learns and fills us with understanding, but also with humility and devotion. Water is the most important resource on our planet, not oil, not silicon. We need to convey this to industrialized mankind anew.

What’s the fly fishing experience like in Germany, and how does it differ from other regions you’ve explored?

Germany is a relatively small and densely populated country. For example, 50% of the country's surface area consists of agricultural land. Added to this are cities and industry, so that only 6.5% of Germany's surface area is available for protected areas, for example. And these areas do not necessarily include bodies of water.

Statistical studies by independent nature conservation organizations attest to the poor ecological status of more than 80% of German watercourses. Sounds depressing, doesn't it? Nevertheless, there are of course many beautiful, if not breathtaking, streams, rivers, and lakes in Germany.  The diversity of geomorphology from the coast to the high mountains contributes to the fact that we can track an interesting number of freshwater and saltwater fish in Germany.  Nevertheless, the best waters, egocentrically speaking for fly fishermen, are often privately owned or only open to the public to a very limited extent. In general, the club system in Germany is very pronounced, and you frequently have to become a member of a club to be able to fish a body of water.

Guest permits do not exist everywhere. Federalism also plays a major role, if only in terms of species composition, which is regulated by fishing law. While in Bavaria, for example, stocking rainbow trout is common and the species is a popular sport fish there, in other federal states it is considered an invasive species and may not be stocked.  Personally, I often miss the vastness of the landscape when fishing in Germany, which allows me to completely ignore civilization. Nature right up to the horizon, no noise from traffic or industry. Unobstructed views, no traces of garbage in the water - that's what I miss. 

For anglers who want to contribute to the health of freshwater ecosystems, what are some small but impactful actions they can take?

There is one fundamental thing that every angler who really wants to work for the preservation of nature and waters should do. Act locally!

And by that I don't just mean picking up litter or carrying toads across the road. That certainly makes a lot of sense, but the process of nature conservation suffers from a lack of attention at a political level in many places. The economy is now more important than ecology or education. So start getting politically involved. Get together, get legal advice. Inform citizens who have not yet had access to nature conservation, who do not know what happens underwater. Create multipliers and if there is no other way, get loud. Demonstrate, sue, inform the public.  At least that's what I do, it doesn't make my life easier or more carefree, but I achieve local successes, small steps that leave a deep mark. I'm being nasty when I say fishing is self-centered, but let's face it, the fish aren't necessarily better off when we fight them on our rods. But the lobby that we anglers have, because we can see beneath the surface, must be used to fight for water conservation. For all the creatures that benefit from it, not just the fish we want to catch. Finally, a special rant that I'd like to give out to some of the so called influencers in the flyfishing scene:

Isn’t it ironic? Fly fishing influencers jet-setting across the globe in search of the next "pristine" river, casting lines in waters that are literally drying up due to climate change — a crisis their constant flights directly contribute to. They flaunt their catches from regions where the local population struggles with poverty, political instability, or a complete lack of access to education, all while basking in their privilege.

And let’s not forget the pièce de résistance: gleaming selfies with endangered or vulnerable fish species. Snap, tag, and release — only to plaster it all over social media with hashtags like #ProtectOurWaters and #ConservationMatters. The hypocrisy is staggering.

How about instead of burning jet fuel and posting performative captions, these influencers actually invest in supporting local conservation efforts or amplify the voices of those communities? Maybe then their "passion" for nature would actually align with protecting it. Until then, it’s just ego fishing — and the world’s waters are paying the price.