Natural paradise Danube Delta

On the following days, we sit in a narrow fishing boat early in the morning and bob through the water arms of the 6792 square kilometer reserve. It was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1991. Apart from the chugging of the outboard motor, the chirping of birds and a few frogs croaking, nothing can be heard. Reed grass about three meters high lines the shore. Reeds are still one of the major economic factors here. For the inhabitants of the Delta, reeds have always been a versatile and inexpensive raw material. Traditionally, it was and is harvested for roofs, mats and fences as building material and fuel and – the young plants – as animal feed. Freshly cut banks show that the area has recently been harvested. Reed is also considered an ideal renewable fuel, for example in the form of pressed reed briquettes. Looking at the seemingly endless green area, the largest compact reed bed in the world, this landscape seems like a huge jungle to me. A forest full of reeds which, if used intelligently, provides an enormous resource of renewable raw material. I read in a brochure that today this reed has also proven itself as an ecological building material for insulation boards, construction and transportation elements. The most important thing, however, is its natural filtering action. It counteracts eutrophication, reduces the concentration of heavy metals, retains sediment and reduces erosion of the banks.

The fisherman steers his boat carefully through the waterways, pointing out various birds from time to time. As we are not ornithologists, we do not know many of them, but we still enjoy them. We slowly chug into a large lake. A few distant pelicans take flight. We are surprised how shy the birds are here. Either they are disturbed very often or they are not familiar with the engine noise of an outboard motor. Strange. Many of the birds can only be photographed from behind. We ask ourselves whether it makes sense to drive in here with a motorboat at all. This has little to do with nature conservation. To be honest, we would feel more comfortable in a rowing boat. Slowly, our little boat creeps through a narrow passage in the reeds. Another lake opens up. I lost my bearings a long time ago. A water snake crosses the bow, frogs sunbathe on the sprawling leaves of water lilies, dragonflies buzz back and forth in their jerky flight. 2207 insects and 375 bird species were observed in this biosphere reserve. These include around 180 species of breeding birds, such as pelicans, cormorants, herons, storks and ibises. Hundreds of thousands of migratory birds regularly gather in the delta in the fall, mainly various species of ducks and geese, such as the red-breasted geese, of which around 95 percent of the world population congregates in the delta.

There are said to be wolves and wild horses a little way from here. 42 mammal species such as mink, otter, ermine, wild cat, raccoon dog and muskrat find food and shelter here. There are also dry feather grass steppes on dunes and unspoiled alluvial forests on the natural embankments of the river. I think about the rivers in Romania and the wastewater they carry. We have seen a tremendous amount of dirt on our journey so far. So much garbage that you could tear your hair out. Some rivers look like they are cesspools. Some of them also lead into the Danube and thus into the delta. The lives of local residents have changed dramatically in just one generation. In the past, a single fisherman’s daily catch could yield up to 300 kilograms of fish. Today it is usually only 15 to 30 kilograms. That doesn’t even cover the fuel costs. A worker on the ferry told me the following: “I don’t think it’s good at all that everyone can now rattle up and down the Danube in their motorboats. It’s a disaster for the fish and the birds. These boats are almost impossible to control and scare everything up. This was one of the most fish-rich waters in the world and now you hardly catch anything. I was fishing all day yesterday. No fish bit. Maybe I chose the wrong bait, but I’ve been doing it a lot lately. Do you know why the fish population has dropped so much?” he asked me. “Because of all the sewage, I suppose,” I reply. “The sewage alone is not to blame. Stream fishing is.” “Stream fishing?” “Yes, stream fishing. Some black sheep among the fishermen loaded a car battery into the boat. Then they put cables in the water, short-circuited them and everything died. Absolutely everything, even the smallest fish. Do you know what that means? A catastrophe for the entire fish population,” he explained. I was horrified. “Is that still happening today?” I wanted to know. “I don’t know. I could imagine it. If they catch one, he’ll go to jail for years. It’s certainly gotten better, but I think the fish population needs at least 10 years to recover,” he continued. I now gaze thoughtfully into the murky water. Large oysters float on the surface of the water. Is that normal? Some turtles lie on their backs and float dead on the surface. Perhaps caught by the propeller of a motorboat? Perhaps the water quality? Poison? Heavy metals? Electricity? We ordered fish in the restaurant. Sure, what else in this area. When I look at the dead turtles now, my dinner almost comes back to me. There are said to be 84 species of fish here, such as perch, whitefish, crucian carp, carp, zander, catfish and the coveted caviar supplier sturgeon. Many of them find their way into restaurants across the country. It’s unbelievable how we humans are slowly but surely destroying our food resources.

“Look at a pelican!” exclaims Tanja happily. I immediately pull up my camera to capture him in the picture. “Damn, from behind again,” I curse quietly. It’s 8:00 pm. The sun is low and casts its fiery rays over the delta. Fish jump out of the water and seem to be enjoying themselves at this hour. Birds spread their wings in front of us, swinging up and down in a harmonious beat, following the course of the river like our little dinghy. The reed forests to the left and right narrow the waterway, choke it for a few hundred meters and then release it again. Floating islands of plants drift leisurely along. Our boat circles it, the propeller gets stuck briefly in the tangle of 634 algae and 107 lichens. Then we continue on towards the sunset. It’s getting cooler. Mosquitoes take over and drive the warm-blooded animals out of this magnificent natural paradise. With the last light of day, we moor at the fisherman’s jetty. Crisan has us again. Tomorrow we want to drive to the estuary. Want to see how the Danube flows into the Black Sea.

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