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Follow an eel in the Rhine Falls basin, or a salmon thanks to 3D virtual reality (Photo: timescope, computer-generated from the fishoscope).

Swim with the fish in the Rhine Falls basin

July 19, 2024 | Andri Bryner

With a 3D view through the fishoscope, fish in the Rhine Fall basin can be experienced up close. Eawag has accompanied the pilot project.

The Rhine is currently still very full. As Lake Constance is overflowing, around 800,000 litres thunder over the Rhine Falls into the stilling basin below every second. This basin has always been not only full of secrets, but also the final destination for all fish that have made the upstream migration. Swimming in the Rhine Falls basin is forbidden. Now the ‘Fischoskop’ makes it possible to jump into the Rhine Falls basin without getting wet. Fish that live there can be experienced up close thanks to virtual reality. On a journey lasting just a few minutes, viewers are given information about some of the fish species and their habitat.
 

The waters plunge 23 metres into the Rhine Falls basin. (Photo: cc0)
The waters plunge 23 metres into the Rhine Falls basin. (Photo: cc0)

The project aims to bring science to life. It is a pilot project financed by the Schaffhausen Lottery Fund. It was supported by the ZHdK and Eawag and realised by the company Timescope from Paris. The Schaffhausen Nature Research Society SHnat, with which Eawag is closely associated, is also involved. Former Eawag Director Otto Jaag, for example, was an honorary member of SHnat.
 

The fishoscope now stands on the Schaffhausen side of the Rhine Falls.

The fishoscope now stands on the Schaffhausen side of the Rhine Falls.

Cover picture: Follow an eel in the Rhine Falls basin, or a salmon thanks to 3D virtual reality (Photo: timescope, computer-generated from the fishoscope).

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