The Elbe River near Neratovice is now richer by half a ton of fish. The traditional autumn fish stocking event was organized by Spolana Neratovice in cooperation with local anglers and the ORLEN Unipetrol Foundation. This year, pupils from the 4th grade of Ing. M. Plesinger Primary School in Neratovice took part in releasing the fish. The stocking takes place twice a year, and Spolana has supported the initiative since 2013. During that time, more than 11.5 tonnes of native fish species have been released into the Elbe.
Before the fish were released, the children learned about the fish species living in Czech rivers. Each pupil then had the opportunity to carefully release a fish into the Elbe themselves. This hands-on experience complemented the knowledge they had gained at school. "We want children to see the river as a living ecosystem that needs care and protection. The personal experience of releasing fish into the river gives them much more than classroom instruction alone. We are delighted that so many young participants joined our autumn event," says Piotr Tomiło, Executive Director of Spolana.
Together with the children, local anglers released mainly common carp, as well as bream, roach, perch, and ruffe into the river. Thanks to fish passages at weirs, the fish can move freely along the river and gradually spread to more distant sections. The regular stocking of native species contributes to maintaining a diverse and stable fish population in the Elbe.
The accompanying program for the fourth graders was prepared by local anglers together with leaders of the Šupinky Neratovice Fishing Club. Through quizzes and practical activities focused on the aquatic environment, the children learned to identify different fish species, discovered what fish need to survive, and discussed responsible behavior near water."Events like this allow us to show children things that are difficult to learn from pictures alone. They can see the differences between species, understand why fish are released into rivers, and realise that their own behavior also affects aquatic life," says Jiří Chrdle, representative of the local anglers.
The autumn fish stocking event followed the spring campaign, completing this year's fish stocking activities in the Elbe. Spolana organizes the initiative twice a year in cooperation with local anglers and schools. The project combines river conservation with practical environmental education, supporting both the restoration of fish populations and children's interest in nature in their local surroundings.
SPOLANA s.r.o. is one of the leading chemical companies in the Czech Republic, producing sulphuric acid. It currently employs over 170 people. Since 2016, Spolana has been owned by the ORLEN Unipetrol Group, which is the largest refining and petrochemical company in the Czech Republic. It focuses on oil processing and the production, distribution and sale of fuels and petrochemical products – particularly plastics and fertilisers. In all these areas, it is a major player on both the Czech and Central European markets. The ORLEN Unipetrol Group comprises refineries and production plants in Litvínov and Kralupy nad Vltavou, the Paramo company in Pardubice, the Spolana company in Neratovice, and a research centre in Brno. ORLEN Unipetrol also operates a network of ORLEN petrol stations in the Czech Republic, Slovakia and Hungary. ORLEN Unipetrol is one of the largest companies in the Czech Republic in terms of turnover. It employs more than 3, 300 people. In addition to business development, ORLEN Unipetrol prides itself on being a socially responsible company. It therefore devotes equal attention to initiatives focused on fostering and supporting sustainable development, education, local communities and the environment. In 2005, ORLEN Unipetrol became part of the ORLEN Group, which is the largest energy company in Central Europe.
Contact: Pavel Kaidl,
spokesperson, telephone: +420 736 502 520, e-mail: pavel.kaidl@orlenunipetrol.cz