Fishermen on the Seine at Poissy, by Claude Monet
The Seine River, which runs through the middle of Paris, was once home to dozens of species of fish, but, like many other urban rivers, eventually became too polluted to sustain them. Atlantic salmon were present in the river well into the mid-20th century but had not been seen since then.
So scientists and fishermen alike were thrilled to learn that this year as many as 1000 salmon had made the upstream swim from the ocean all the way to the City Of Lights . The return of the salmon is considered to be a significant milestone in France’s efforts to restore the Seine ecosystem, since they are one of the largest species of fish to live in that environment and require the presence of smaller food organisms, adequate oxygen levels, and other indicators of a healthy river.
