Wild salmon are vanishing from European rivers, and the crisis doesn’t stop at national borders. That’s why, at the 2024 EWF in Fürstenfeldbruck, conservationists, scientists and fly fishers gathered for the Wild Salmon Without Borderssymposium: two days of honest conversations about habitat loss, migration barriers, aquaculture pressure and what can still be done to save this species.

The takeaway was clear. Salmon need clean, connected rivers. They need political will. And they need anglers to become advocates, not just participants.

Read the full breakdown, meet the speakers and find out how you can help restore Europe’s wild rivers.

This adventure started with Malbec, a fireplace, and a story I should never have listened to. One moment I was at home in Munich, the next I was packing five rods, a drone, and enough layers for a polar expedition. Patagonia pulls you in like that.

Follow the full journey from Germany to Ushuaia, through strikes, sleepless flights, wild horses, and the legendary Rio Irigoyen. Experience the cold mornings, the moonlit riverbanks, the frustration of slow days, and the adrenaline shot of hooking an 85-centimeter sea trout that nearly pulled my arm off.