riverside Maas Bokhoven Netherlands 718 pm 250611_1126

The close sloshing of waves against historical wooden vessels ‘Zalmschouw’, sand beach and rocky breakwater in the river Maas near Bokhoven in the Netherlands.

It is calm at the river. The small waves beat against the rocky breakwater but also against the wooden boat bobbing in the river 3 metres from me. To the right is a street where people walk and cycle. Cars, mopeds and motorbikes also pass by. On the left, various sizes of ships and boats pass by. There is some wind over the field, but it does not bother.

The picture shows a boat called the "Zalmschouw (salmon scow)".
It is a historic fishing vessel that was used for salmon fishing on Dutch rivers. The boat is about 6.90 metres long, 2.00 metres wide and a draft of 0.30 metres. The mast height from the water may be around 5.10 metres. Originally salmon scows were made of wood, but from 1890 they were also built in iron. They had a narrow hull, a vertical stern and a “bun”, a wooden bin, amidships to store the fish caught. The traditional colour of a salmon scow in the village of Bokhoven is usually dark green or reddish brown. This was a common choice for historical ships, as these colours were highly resistant to weathering and corrosion.

Over time, the original design was modified, and eventually salmon driftnet fishing largely disappeared due to water pollution. The Dutch newspaper ‘De Waarheid’ wrote in 1969;
The Zalmschouw used to have an important economic value as a fishing vessel, especially in river fishing in the Netherlands. This type of boat was used for driftnet fishing, catching salmon and other types of fish. Nowadays, the salmon scow is mainly seen as sailing heritage and has historical and recreational value.

From Belgium, tons of dead or stunned fish flowed into the Netherlands via the Meuse yesterday. According to Belgian experts, these deaths were caused by the large quantities of slipperiness pesticides, which entered the Meuse during the thaw. As is well known, the Meuse is already abnormally polluted by the large industries, which discharge into this river. The Maastricht Fish Stock Improvement Association has filed a complaint with the Dutch fisheries inspectorate in The Hague about the state of affairs in Belgium.

more here today / more at this river Maas

Date/time: June 12 2025, 7:18 pm

Weather: 20°c, sun, wind E 11-25 km/h, 1020 hPa, humidity 49%, visibility 24 km, dew point 0c, no clouds.

Location; river Maas / Meuse, Bokhovense Maasdijk, Bokhoven, Noord-Brabant, Netherlands (Holland), Europe. GPS 51.73525 5.24067

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