The water quality of Willwerather reservoir water samples The water quality is crucial for the well-being of our fish. To sum it up in a few words: Good water - healthy fish. In order to ensure the water quality, we started taking water samples at different points in our body of water in 2022 in order to regularly check the quality of our body of water. We bring these values together in a comparison table in order to be able to identify deviations at an early stage and counteract them as quickly as possible. Water pollution or water pollution is man-made pollution of surface waters (rivers, lakes, seas) and groundwater with sometimes toxic substances, through the discharge of sewage, the washing out of pollutants introduced into the soil (fertilizers, etc.) or illegal dumping. Even in low concentrations, residues of pesticides, biocides and other chemicals can have an impact on the environment and human health our wildlife have. Therefore, we are all dependent on keeping our waters clean and free from contamination. Information on unusual water discharges or substances around the Willwerath reservoir or other waters, we are happy to accept, also anonymously.

The brook trout Salvelinus fontinalis Mitchill 1814 This colorful representative of the salmonids was imported to Europe from North America as early as 1884. It is therefore classified as a neozoa, alien animals that have entered a faunal area that was originally inaccessible to them through the involvement of humans. It is a very popular fish among anglers and is also valued as a food fish. However, natural reproduction is rare in Europe, so the species can only be preserved by stocking. Because even if it hardly reproduces naturally, the animals form sex products and the artificial reproduction largely corresponds to the methodology used with our brown trout. The incentive to produce these fish yourself is due to the fact that it was not possible to obtain animals in the colorful appearance so typical of the brook trout, as it is often portrayed. Why is that? The brook trout is usually used for edible fish production and not as stocking fish - which is a good thing. It simply has no place in open waters, since it hunts its prey in direct competition with the brown trout and occupies similar water structures, potentially displacing them as well. Further advantages compared to the brook trout are that brook trout hardly need shelter - as is unfortunately often the case with our straightened and therefore fast-flowing streams, as well as the better tolerance of acidic water - due to spruce monocultures. So these fish don't belong in open water and are intended as food fish or for angling - most of them end up straight from the farm directly onto your plate. It is only to be expected that fish farmers have looked for a way to increase their yield, a way that does not necessarily serve the preservation of the natural species, its appearance and it has been found. The solution to being able to produce larger quantities faster is the "Alsässer-Saibling" or "Salvelinus alpinus x fontinalis", a hybrid that was probably first grown in Alsace. In this crossing, Arctic char (alpinus) is used on the female side and brook trout (fontinalis) on the male side. In the case of hybridization, animals are usually optically closer to the mother species - here the arctic char - hence the weaker markings and marbling. It is also often claimed that "Alsatians" are sterile and incapable of reproduction - that is simply wrong. Hybrids are not necessarily sterile, but natural reproduction is as unlikely as that of the parent animals. Finding parents with the desired appearance, from a reputable source, turned out to be as difficult as it was tedious. The breeding stock was built up from young fish so that they could get used to the conditions in the breeding facility. We obtained animals from private breeders and even transported them from Bavaria to the Eifel. It should take 4 years until the first eggs could be stripped. In the spring of 2021, the first brook trout eggs arrived in the hatchery. These were picked up from a breeder friend of ours when they were in the eye point stage and we were able to gain initial experience in rearing the larvae up to the seedling. At this point let's go into a little more detail. Breeding the local brook trout naturally has absolute priority - brook trout spawn earlier, however, so we only lay small numbers of eggs, because there must always be enough space for the farios. Therefore, the eggs were placed in the incubator, which has a high capacity and is just as well suited for the rather small char eggs. An incubator offers various advantages over incubation in channels. The space requirement is very small with, in this case, 0.8 m² with a minimum water requirement of 2L/s and a capacity of up to 120,000 eggs. Another advantage is the possibility of separating the scrims according to trunks, each slot can be divided into up to 8 compartments. So can eggs in the eye point or too. Larval fish can be returned to their original waters. The average quantity of eggs in a brook trout rogner is 2,000 - 3,000 per kg of body weight. The eggs of our 4-year-old animals are approx. 3mm in diameter, they can be up to 5mm, so they are more than half smaller than those of the brown trout. So here on the right in the picture the fertilized eggs in the ocular stage. At this stage, the eggs are largely insensitive to transport. You have to know that we handle the eggs won as little as possible during incubation. A transport is only unfertilized (roe and milk separated), here the fertilization takes place immediately after arrival in the incubator, shortly after the fertilization in a small time window and just after reaching the eye point. This is quite easy to recognize - the eyes of the larva are now so far developed that they can be seen through the membrane of the egg. For transport, the laid eggs are removed from the water, divided into compartments in an insulating container, which, similar to the incubator, are divided into shelves and then stacked. It may sound wrong at first that the eggs are transported dry, but that is exactly what prevents the eggs from moving too much, they are "fixed" so to speak, because they are not insensitive to shocks and vibrations, which inevitably take place in the sloshing water. The bottom floor is left free and the top one is filled with ice. This defrosts during transport, and the water then drips through the individual floors, thus ensuring sufficient moisture and cooling before it collects again on the lowest level. Arriving at the incubator, unfertilized eggs are then selected before they are placed in a slot in the incubator. This would have been possible in advance, but it would have been much more convenient to do it in the incubator. Since Salmonids usually multiply during the cold season, transport in this way does not pose a problem in terms of temperature. Depending on what reading you take, brook trout are given with 450 - 470 daily degrees. So let's assume an average of 460 TG at an average water temperature of 6°C, which results in a hatch around the 76th day. Our clutches had at 35-.40. Day reached the eye point, leaving almost 4 weeks time for a transport or 168 day degrees. You should always take this into account beforehand, because the temperature increases during the procedure and, depending on the duration, hatching can then possibly begin. Afterwards, everyone carefully returns to the water. Here now first in a larger underflow box of a long-flow trough, everything unfertilized is now read out (no eye point recognizable = rejects). Then it goes over the counting plate to determine the exact amount, already in the incubator. From here the daily care begins, as if you had put them on yourself, until hatching. Since brook trout, at least in Europe, are very likely to come from farms, there are usually no problems to be expected in further rearing, which means above all the conversion to exogenous food. Always a critical point in rearing that cannot be missed, but with wild fish this process can often be fraught with problems. Here are the hatched brook trout in the larval stage. They can best be described as the size of a pin - really very small and filigree. It is all the more astonishing when you imagine that such a tiny thing will become what you will see below. When the first brown trout were released into the wild in April, the char were able to move into a channel that had become free - still quite small but already moving much further in the direction of the fish. From here on, however, the little ones develop quite quickly, with increasing feed size the more steadily and faster. The three pictures above show the development quite well. On the right you can already see the characteristic juvenile stripes that are already forming on the flanks, the development of the fins and their reddening as well as the white fin rays. We would have liked to have followed and recorded the development of the small brook trout for longer, but unfortunately this was not possible. On July 14, 2021, the hatchery in Willwerath was damaged by the flood and the water supply was destroyed. Luckily the water in the facility was "only" knee high and all the remaining broodlings in the facility could still be evacuated as the water did not reach the pools. Parallel to incubation, we have been looking for year-old animals in order to enable earlier entry into breeding. By selecting animals from other sources and the bred ones, the aim is to create a gene pool that is as broad as possible. As mentioned at the beginning, we had found a company that breeds high-quality fish in Bavaria and was willing to provide us with a sufficient quantity. For the transport of more than 600km we left in the middle of the night to arrive at the destination in the early morning. The trip took place at the end of March, so no temperature problems were to be expected. The transport trailer has the necessary oxygen system with EPDM air vents and an insulating container that protects the 600 liters of water from heating up during the journey. Arriving at the breeding facility, our fish were already waiting in the tanks to be picked up. They were caught from the pond the day before, which significantly reduces the stress of transport, as the fish return to the water quite quickly when transferred to the transport container. After adjusting the oxygen system the fish could be loaded and we made our way back to the Eifel. However, this took longer than the way there - every 45 minutes we took a break to check the oxygen saturation with the oximeter and make adjustments if necessary. The saturation was kept at an average of 95% over the entire route. Back home, all the char survived the transport well and we could start adjusting. The water only warmed up by 1.5°C during the trip. A third of the water has now been drained from the tank and gradually filled up with water from the pond. In this way, the animals could get used to the water values in a gentle manner and then be moved. What was left to do now was - wait. The fish had an average size of 15 cm and should have reached the 30 cm mark by the age of three. For this purpose, the feeding began with feed that has an increased carotene content. From 2mm up to 6mm grain. Char have a smaller mouth gap - therefore smaller grain sizes should always be chosen than with brown trout. After the long wait, we were able to win the first brook trout eggs from our own fish at the end of 2022 and lay them in the hatchery. The animals have developed excellently in recent years, as can be seen in the following pictures.

Photovoltaic "In the Lizard" 360° tour Due to the dry summer months and the low rainfall, sometimes in the fall, it is sometimes necessary to supply the pond system with water in circulation, for this the use of pumps and pond aerators is essential - which, however, require energy. Initially, this was generated by units that were only needed for a short time, but when an increasingly long-lasting cycle operation was necessary, another solution had to be found. The So it happened that the first efforts in 2013 to electrify the system using photovoltaic modules were undertaken to ensure regenerative cycle operation. In 2014, a revised project planning provided for an open area elevation with 20 kWhp output and its own operating building to house and maintain the technology. Various regional companies took part in the tender. Financing could also be drawn up by the end of 2014. Only the approval process dragged on until spring 2016. After further official hurdles, the construction work began with the civil engineering work and foundation laying from August 2016. The system is currently being expanded and since July 2017 the PV system has been supplying the pond system with energy. After the automation is complete, the system is controlled by a PLC for optimal use of the generated energy. gallery Current plant performance The PV system is configured as an island system - so it has no connection to the local power grid - so the pond system "In der Litzer" is 100% self-sufficient. The operating building supplies the field distributors at each pond with energy and compressed air. The circulation pumps convey over 100,000 liters / hour from pond 5 into the inlet trench via the underground DN110 pump lines. At the same time, the coolness of the earth lowers the water temperature while it is being pumped through the pipes.

Angeln in der Prümbach Fließgewässer befischen beim AV Prüm In der Saison 2025 öffnen wir einen Teil unserer Fließgewässerstrecken für die Fischereiliche-Nutzung durch unsere Mitglieder als auch durch Gastangler. Zur Zeit sind wir noch mit der Erfassung der Bestände und der Erstellung der Hegepläne beschäftigt, das Hochwasser 2021 hat die Fischbestände in der Eifel nachhaltig geschädigt und stellt viele Vereine vor große Herausforderungen. Alle Neuigkeiten zum Thema werden hier veröffentlicht.

Der Weg zum AV Prüm The Executive ... your contact person Christian Ziwes 1st chairman / equipment manager / website Electric fishing (§11 / 12 LFischVO) eM@il Erwin Black Treasurer eM@il Dennis Noeske 1st water keeper eM@il Elmar Rausch 2nd chairman / 2nd water keeper eM@il Niko Nahrings Youth leader eM@il Achim Candels 2. Gewässerwart eM@il Stephan Alff Secretary eM@il Wolfgang Push Cabinmanager eM@il Erich Ternes 3. Water keeper e-M@il

Firmen und Betriebe die den Verein in seinem Wirken unterstützen

Jugendlager der letzten Jahre ....our offspring club youth In order to bring young people closer to fishing, the Prüm fishing club organizes an annual tent camp where the main focus is on fishing. The youth camps in recent years: 2018 youth camp at Lake Liblar - near Erftstadt 2017 youth camp at Lake Liblar - near Erftstadt 2016 youth camp at the reservoir in Willwerath with the theme "fishing and nature" 2015 youth camp at the reservoir in Willwerath with the theme "fishing and nature" 2014 youth camp at the reservoir in Auw 2012 Donaueschingen youth camp 2010 youth camp at the reservoir in Willwerath with the theme "fishing and nature" 2009 youth camp at the reservoir in Willwerath with the theme "fishing and nature" 2008 youth camp at the reservoir in Willwerath with the theme "fishing life and experience" 2007 youth camp at the reservoir in Willwerath with the theme "fishing life and experience" 2005 Haselünne / Emsland 2003 Bensersiel / North Sea 2002 Haselünne / Emsland 2001 Klüsserath / Mosel Camping Porten 1999 Vrouwenpolder (Holland) on the Osterschelde and North Sea 1998 Northern Ireland (14 days) 1996 Bansin seaside resort (Usedom Island) 1995 Willwerath 1994 Haselünne / Emsland

Gewässerverschmutzung und Verdrängung der Bachforelle Project work since 1991 Eifel brown trout and Pearl mussel The starting point Due to the increasing pollution of the waters and the displacement of the brown trout, two species were "on the brink" in Rhineland-Palatinate in the early 1990s. The brown trout (lat. Salmo trutta fario) prefers the fast and turbulent flowing, as well as oxygen-rich and summer-cold upper reaches of rivers. It is a district builder and the leading fish species of the "trout region" named after it. The brown trout hunts its prey, predominantly insects, insect larvae living in the water, but also small fish such as minnows, gudgeons or paddocks from the cover of tree roots that protrude into the water or washed-down bank areas. During the spawning season, which extends from late autumn to the winter months, the brown trout migrate upstream to spawn in gravelly areas, sometimes in the smaller side streams. It was found that the brown trout rises to the smallest brooks. In the last century, the brown trout was widespread in all running waters in the trout and grayling region. Spawning areas have been lost or silted up due to water pollution and the technical expansion of small streams, as well as the entry of washed-off arable crumbs in agricultural areas, which has had a negative impact on the breeding success of brown trout and unfortunately still does. So it was no wonder that the brown trout in Rhineland-Palatinate was often found only in smaller stocks and in 1987 on the Red List "endangered species" was recorded. On the other hand, a decrease in the population and habitat loss was observed in the river pearl mussel as early as 1800. It was not until the end of the 1960s that intensive studies on the pearl mussel and its rapid decline in population began at several locations. In the years 1985-1987 a comprehensive inventory check of the pearl mussel stocks in the FRG was carried out. It was found that the stocks on the right bank of the Rhine had already expired and the stocks on the left bank of the Rhine only existed at 5 locations, four of which were in the Eifel and one in the Hohen Venn. In 1985 it was decided to take measures to safeguard existence.

"Insights" Picture gallery

Die Brutanlage des AV Prüm im Wandel der Zeit Our "nursery" The hatchery Return From the Brunnenstube to the hatchery Load More .... after the renovation After the extensive renovation work in 2008, during which the dilapidated floor and ceiling were renewed, in the following years the complete water supply, water enrichment, and filtering and the entire electrical installation were brought up to date, the hatchery is equipped with additional breeding channels, holding tanks and one unique, experimental electrostatic hatcher ready for the future. Time travel to 2006 - functional but shaky. In the meantime getting old and the growing number of eggs no longer growing, it was time to change something. Extensive work was required to ensure that our water attendants were able to offer a better and safer workplace for the complex and time-consuming brood care. The wooden planks were dangerously slippery and sometimes fragile - light was only donated by a weak, outdated neon tube in the dark winter months. For the breeding season 2007/2008 this should be a thing of the past. After many hours of voluntary work and with the help of donations from the RWE, the "new" hatchery was handed over to the water body on time. Before the breeding ground of our "Eifeler brown trout" had moved to the hatchery in the early 90s, there was the Brunnenstube. The Brunnenstube is located about 2 km from today's hatchery. The spring water collected here used to supply drinking water. However, since the line dates from before World War I and therefore no longer meets today's drinking water production standards, it was made available to the association. So it happened that the first offspring were bred in this 1.2 m wide, 3 m deep and 2.4 m high shaft in 2 breeding channels. About 7 rungs of a rusty ladder were used to get into the shaft, to sort out dead eggs in the light of a flashlight and later to take care of the seedlings. The Brunnenstube is a bit "off the beaten path" so that it was actually not reasonable to do the brood service alone in winter, at a time when the cell phone was still a dream of the future. The logical consequence - the hatchery - which made life a lot easier at the time, is now a presentable hatchery. Unfortunately, we do not have any pictures from this period. The photos of the Brunnenstube shown here date from 2015. At that time there was a decline in the water supply in the hatchery, which was due to the leaking pipework in the Brunnenstube. This dates from the early 90s and can be seen in the pictures. Below again the plant in the brood house 2017 in direct comparison to the Brunnenstube - It clearly shows the long way we have taken since the beginning of the project. A path that we can rightly be proud of. Here the hatchery in 1994. It shows Erhard Nieder and Klaus Abels fishing off the seedlings. These were placed in the fountain room for the last time in 1993 and later (spring 94) transported to the incubator. It was then completely finished in 1995 with the completion of the plastering work. For the next 13 years, the system served the association well and paved the way for more than 2 million small brown trout to escape. Today, 14 years after the renovation, we are already over 4 million and there is still no end in sight.

Der Angelverein Prüm in den Medien und interessante Inhalte über Gewässer der Region ... headlines SGD - North 25-09-17 SGD Nord: photovoltaic system for the species protection project "Eifel brown trout" - Around 75,000 euros in funding to the fishing club Prüm The state of Rhineland-Palatinate supported the “Eifeler brown trout” conservation project on the Our with around EUR 75,000. With the funds, the fishing club Prüm was able to build a photovoltaic system for ventilation and water circulation of the fish farm "In der Litzer". The Structural and Approval Directorate (SGD) North, as the upper fisheries authority, is responsible for the financial handling of the support. “With the promotion of this measure and with the annual support of the association of 7,500 euros, the state of Rhineland-Palatinate is helping to spread the brown trout and to preserve this endangered species. In addition, the work done by the Prüm fishing association on a voluntary basis can be seen as a trend-setting project for the management of flowing waters, ”said SGD North President Dr. Ulrich Kleemann. In cooperation with the state of Rhineland-Palatinate, the pond "In der Litzer" was created for the breeding of the Eifel brook trout and a hatchery was built. The Prüm fishing club has been successfully breeding Eifel brown trout there for 26 years. The endangered animals are raised in the pond and released back after a year. The aim is to stabilize the stock of animals in the streams and rivers of the Eifel. The content-related species conservation project "Preservation of the river pearl mussel" also benefits from the measures of the association. The Eifel brook trout are particularly suitable as host animals for the larvae of the river pearl mussel. The young trout in the pond facilities of the association are infected with the larvae of the pearl mussel and can ripen in the gills of the trout for nine months before they fall off. However, due to the low rainfall in the summer periods of the past few years, the association had to pay very high diesel costs for the pump units used to ventilate the breeding pools of the pond system. In order to avoid the use of expensive diesel fuel, the association carried out a study on the electrification of the pond system. The result led to a self-sufficient photovoltaic system. The procurement of the facility was financed 100 percent by the joint border fisheries commission, which consists of Luxembourg and the federal states of Rhineland-Palatinate and Saarland. Background: The state of Rhineland-Palatinate supports two related conservation projects in the area of Prüm and in the area of Seving / Dahnen (Our). The “Eifeler brown trout” project promotes the spread of domestic brown trout. The second project is concerned with the "conservation of the river pearl mussel" as the last left Rhine population in Rhineland-Palatinate. The association of Prüm has acquired land for the construction of five fish ponds exclusively for this purpose. Funding was provided by the state of Rhineland-Palatinate. The "In der Litzer" facility was entrusted to the Prüm fishing association to carry out the conservation projects by lease. SGD - North Weekly mirror 08-09-17 Waters and fish are at risk District of Bitburg / Prüm . Food warnings for fish, species extinction and a decline in stocks spoil fishing fun. Predicament of the farmers Holger Weber, member of the Biersdorf am See municipal council, sees a connection between algal bloom and the enormously increased maize cultivation area, which is particularly susceptible to soil erosion, through which fertilizers and toxins get into the water. Logical conclusion: reduce corn acreage. "That would be the most efficient measure, but it should provide explosives," Weber estimates. After all, agriculture had been lured for years by subsidies for the construction of biogas plants and the associated lucrative maize cultivation. »Subsidy policies and a lack of sales alternatives in the face of low milk and meat prices combined with rising additional costs have steered agriculture in this branch of production and often offer the only chance of survival for the farms.« Bil The Eifel has numerous waters that make you want to go fishing, but what is pulled out of the water is not always safe. In addition, the decline in species tarnishes the pleasure. Authorities issue food warnings, dead fish are floating on the Welschbilligerbach and it is not the first time that poisonous blue-green algae are spreading on the Moselle and the Bitburg reservoir. "It is particularly bad again this year," says Herbert Schneider, fisheries adviser to the Eifel district since 1995. The cause is an excessively high nutrient level in combination with sun exposure, which promotes algae growth. We recently reported that the Eifel was a "fishing paradise" because of its flowing waters and varied areas. "We have very big problems," says Schneider, speaking of eutrophic waters, declining fish stocks and the displacement of native fish species by fish that do not belong here, such as the goby or the catfish. They make pike, zander and perch difficult for survival. The illegal stocking of catfish in Sauer, Our and Mosel will be the subject of the next meeting of the Border Fisheries Commission. Schneider's criticism also focuses on questionable fishing practices. We are talking about "catch an release", ie catching and releasing, which involves fishing for the largest fish possible, in order to be photographed with the capital catch and then to reset the animals - with a low survival rate. "This method of inflicting pain, suffering and damage on fish out of a desire to compete and pure addiction to profiling is a clear violation of the Animal Welfare Act," says Schneider. He also sees worm fishing and spin fishing with triplets critically: This procedure results in severe losses in stocks of young fish, trout and grayling. According to Schneider, individual fish species on Prüm, Nims and Kyll are already threatened with extinction. This includes eel, grayling and nose. In Schneider's opinion, agriculture is also responsible for the decline in fish stocks. If fields bordered directly on water, this would result in sludge being washed in and nutrients such as phosphate and nitrogen getting into the water. Schneider therefore sees a solution in the designation of wide riparian strips to protect the waters from discharges. Over-fertilization is one of the causes The consumption warnings of SGD Nord show how urgently something has to be done for water protection. For fish from the Spangerbach, for example, which runs west of the Spangdahlem base and flows into the Kyll, it is important to eat a maximum of one trout per month. For the kyll fish below Hüttingen there is about the same consumption warning. The cause of these burdens, which also affect the Sauerland border and the Moselle, are in particular contaminated sites caused by military properties. Eating is completely discouraged. Agnes Tillmann-Steinbuß, chairwoman of the BUND district group Bitburg-Prüm, also confirms a clearly noticeable decline in species in the Eifel, which not only affects fish. She blames chemical poisons, climate change, over-fertilization and the use of pesticides for this. She also sees dangers for people from drinking water: "Over-fertilization and soil erosion cause excessive nitrate pollution in the water - these are also dangers for drinking water." The SGD Nord warns of blue-green algae that spread on the Bitburg reservoir and the Moselle. These green streaks are formed by cyanobacteria, which can form harmful substances. Water and bank areas with a clear green color should be avoided. The water of the Bitburg reservoir has been examined. Result: A significant breach of the alarm level that the Federal Environment Agency has set for the chlorophyll concentration. Reinhold Kotz of the Bitburger Land association does not see a short-term solution, even if all nutrient and sediment supply is stopped immediately. An investigation should provide information on where the polluting substances come from. Frey water analysis 05-17 Brohlbach revitalization Ambitious project by Andreas Frey to breathe new life into Brohlbach and Wirrbach brooks, which are dead due to a defective ammonia exchanger. To the report

Vereinsgewässer und Erlaubnisscheine Club lake Artificial Lake Willwerath 360° tour Since 1971, the Willwerath reservoir with 1.62 ha of water has been the club water of the Prüm 1967 eV fishing association, which in addition to the regular restocking measures, also takes care of the maintenance work around the lake. In addition to large predators such as pike and pikeperch, the reservoir is naturally populated with original "Eifel brook trout" and is one of the few lakes in the region in which the rainbow trout has not found its way. Perches and eels are also part of the local biodiversity. The reservoir offers the coarse angler the opportunity to fish both mirror and scale carp. Roaches, chubs and bream may be taken without limitation. The statutory closed seasons and minimum dimensions apply to all other types. Fishing permits can be purchased on Sundays with the hut open (see hut services) or at our issuing offices in Prüm: water quality daily tickets arrival Weather at the reservoir