Anglers accuse municipality of destroying habitat of endangered fish

Danmarks Sportsfiskerforbund has accused Tønder Kommune of illegally excavating Grønå, a Natura 2000 watercourse, threatening the critically endangered snæbel fish, DR reports.

The municipality carried out the excavation in November 2025 as part of routine maintenance to prevent nearby houses from collapsing into the stream during storm surges. About 2.3 km of the stream’s banks were dug up in an area where the snæbel, one of Denmark’s 665 species at very high risk of extinction, spawns.

Kaare Ebert, a biologist with Danmarks Sportsfiskerforbund, said the work risked destroying spawning grounds for future generations of the fish. The organisation has repeatedly contacted the municipality without resolution and has now filed complaints with the Miljø- og Fødevareklagenævnet and Ankestyrelsen.

“The watercourse has been devastated. It could take many years for it to return to its original dynamics,” Ebert said.

Søren Rode Warming, head of the municipality’s Technical and Environmental Department, acknowledged the work should have been preceded by an environmental and habitat assessment. He said an external consultant is now conducting a habitat impact assessment to determine the effects on local flora and fauna.

Warming maintained the excavation involved only the stream’s banks, not its bed, and was standard maintenance. The municipality will now conduct impact assessments before future work in Natura 2000 watercourses.