Il Pesch sbatta

The poetry of ice fishing and the rediscovery of silence

In Switzerland, the ice fishing scene is still relatively small and manageable. However, it attracts more and more people in this country as well. The fascination lies not primarily in fishing or catching fish, but just as much in experiencing nature. This includes persevering for hours in front of an ice hole as well as practising lost virtues such as patience, mindfulness, modesty or strengthening one's very own intuition, because the fish keep well hidden under the black ice. It is a strange mixture of hope, serenity, tension and suspense that a fisherman:s soul must bring.

In her research, the cultural scientist explores the question of the extent to which ice fishing may even be called a school of life. In addition to a cultural-scientific-philosophical view of ice fishing and the question of the longing for silence and deceleration, she also looks at current environmental problems. What is the state of fish stocks? Which species are endangered and why? And how does ice fishing survive in a climate that is changing so rapidly?