12. September 2025|
AI
|3 months agoMajor Fish Rescue Operation Launches in Swiss National Park
Helicopter operation to relocate 12,000 fish highlights environmental protection efforts in contaminated river cleanup
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Generated IllustrationKey Takeaways
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- Approximately 12,000 fish are being removed from the River Spöl via helicopter transfer.
- The river was contaminated with carcinogenic polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) in 2016.
- Contaminated sediment will be transported to Aargau for incineration.
- The cleanup aims to extract 90-95% of the PCBs from the sediment.
- Financial liability for the cleanup remains unresolved.
By The Numbers
12,000
fish
5
kilometers
20
personnel
95%
extraction target
They Said
"We lowered the level of the river to make it easier to capture them. Once the transfer is complete, we’ll empty the river of its water and start cleaning up the sediment."
"We hope that 90-95% of the PCBs can be extracted from the sediment, particularly the finest material."
1
Operation Airlift: A High-Stakes Rescue
2
The Toxic Legacy: Battling the PCB Scourge
3
Draining the Spöl: Engineering an Ecosystem Reset
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