The "Lipljen" sports and fishing club from Pljevlja, with the help of experts from the Faculty of Science and Mathematics in Podgorica and ichthyologists from the Natural History Museum of Montenegro, conducted a two-day campaign to rescue fish and other aquatic organisms from the old bed of the Ćehotina River, which was left without water after its diversion into a new bed, built due to the expansion of the exploitation area of the Coal Mine.
Club president Vaso Knežević says that on December 23rd at 2:20 p.m., the river officially flowed along a new riverbed, about three kilometers long, while the old course, also about 3 km long, remained completely dry.
"The Ćehotina River has been relocated for the fourth time due to the needs of the coal mines. Previous relocations moved it away from the city, and now it has been returned towards the city, where it once flowed," said Knežević, recalling that the change in course occurred through a summary procedure because the project was declared of state interest, without an environmental impact assessment.
For the purposes of remedial fishing, an electroshock device was used, a device operated by experts from the Faculty of Science in Podgorica, the only ones in the country who have a permit for this type of fishing.
"The electric shocker was operated by experts from the PMF, who are the only ones in Montenegro who have a permit for this type of fishing, with prior consent from the Ministry of Agriculture - Directorate of Fisheries," explained Knežević.
The action was supervised by a fisheries inspector, and the engagement of experts was financed by the Coal Mine, which, according to the club, had a legal and moral obligation to prevent damage to the fish stock.
"The Coal Mine hired experts from the Faculty of Fisheries, because otherwise it would have caused damage to the fish stock," the club president pointed out.
During the operation, a significant amount of fish was rescued, mostly juvenile brown trout, but also large specimens of grayling and trout.
"Fortunately, most of the fish retreated as the water in the old riverbed receded, so that a larger amount of fish retreated downstream into the free part of the Ćehotina river course. All the fish caught were moved to the free part of the Ćehotina river course upstream of the old course, in the town of Rabitlje, because fish still cannot enter that part of the river course upstream due to the existence of the dam in Durutovići, which is the main drawback of the Ćehotina river course relocation project, which is that a fish pass was not designed at the dam itself, which would ensure unhindered fish migration, especially during the spawning period," said Knežević.
The club particularly expressed dissatisfaction with the way the new riverbed was constructed.
"We are not satisfied with the way the new riverbed was constructed. It is too artificial, controlled, with an accelerated and uniform flow. A river must be a river, not a canal," said the club president.
SRK "Lipljen" offered the mine representatives cooperation in the rehabilitation and proposed a series of specific corrective measures: installation of barriers and waterfalls made of large stones and trees to slow down the flow, greening of the coastal belt, construction of paths along the river, annual stocking of the upstream flow and planned compensation of the fish stock. "We are at the disposal of the Coal Mine for all activities that would return Ćehotina to its former status, in the public interest," Knežević emphasized.
The club also reminded the miners of their legal obligations.
"In accordance with the Law on Freshwater Fisheries, the mine is obliged to stock the newly created part of the stream within a period of five years," said Knežević, adding that the migration barrier could be compensated for by planned stocking, especially during the spawning period.
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