Recently, operations have resumed for the third stocking of bleak eggs in the Val Gola Reserve, located on Lake Garda. This intervention is part of a repopulation project initiated in 2021, aimed at restoring the presence of the bleak, a species that had nearly disappeared from the lake between 1995 and the early 2000s.
The Val Gola Reserve is a protected area established in 2010 that covers approximately 20,000 square meters on the border with Lombardy. The main objective of the reserve is to provide an undisturbed habitat for the natural reproduction of the bleak and other fish species such as the chub. Alberto Rania, secretary of the “Friends of Tirlindana” association, explained: “We have prepared safety cages in the water and now we are waiting for the ideal conditions to deposit the boxes with the fertilized eggs.”
The exact causes of the bleak’s disappearance are unclear; it is hypothesized that it may have been caused by an epidemic. The Sarca River Park and the municipal administration of Riva del Garda have decided to intervene by supporting the project of the Friends of Tirlindana to recreate the natural conditions necessary for repopulation. This project also involves the collaboration of the Garda Sport Fishing Union and the Riva del Garda forestry section.
The eggs used for restocking always come from Lake Garda, specifically from the Peschiera area where a small population has managed to survive. The eggs are transported to the protected reserve in Riva del Garda and placed in cages that protect them from predators.
The cages are designed to protect the eggs from predation by fish and birds. After hatching, the fry can exit through small holes in the cages and hide among the pebbles before dispersing into the lake. “The hope,” Rania continues, “is that they will return to reproduce autonomously on our beaches as they did a few decades ago.”
The Municipality of Riva del Garda has issued an ordinance that prohibits access to Val Gola both by land and by the lake, in order to protect this area during the critical period of egg deposition. Information signs and buoys have been installed to notify bathers and surfers.
Lorenzo Pozzer, the environmental councilor, commented: “Another beautiful example of our community’s collaboration between public entities and citizens, all together engaged in concrete actions aimed at protecting biodiversity.” Gianfranco Pederzolli, president of the Sarca River Park, added: “It is an ambitious project with many difficulties but necessary; based on the monitoring carried out so far, there have been sightings, but we are waiting for more significant results after this third year of stocking.”
Italian Version
