It is safe to eat fish caught in Luxembourg’s Upper Sûre lake and do water sports after tests showed the cold snap substantially reduced cyanobacteria blooms reported in September Visit Luxembourg

It is safe to eat fish caught in Luxembourg’s Upper Sûre lake and do water sports after tests showed the cold snap substantially reduced cyanobacteria blooms reported in September Visit Luxembourg

The popular bathing spot was closed before the end of the official swimming season (30 September) when algae blooms were found to be widespread in the area.

In a press release published on Monday, Luxembourg’s water management agency said that seasonal changes had led to a sharp decline in “cyanobacterial biomass and the dissipation of blooms. The analysis conducted by the Luxembourg Institute of Science and Technology (LIST) has shown that cyanotoxin concentrations that can cause health problems in humans and animals have also dropped considerably. This evolution of the situation puts an end to the alert to microbiological and toxic risks in public health related to the presence of cyanobacteria blooms.”

The practice of recreational and sports activities, with the exception of swimming, can resume. Swimming in official bathing sites is only permitted from 1 May to 30 September.

Fish caught in the lake can now be consumed, provided they have been gutted, according to the health directorate’s food security division.
“However, it cannot exclude the bioaccumulation effect of toxins produced by cyanobacteria in the liver of fish. In conclusion, the consumption of gutted fish is no longer discouraged,” the statement read.