Thousands of fish have found themselves on the move in Paris as the iconic canal that they call home undergoes a dramatic face-lift.
City workers have spent the past two days netting 4.5 tonnes of trout, carp and bream from the Canal Saint-Martin, which is being drained for the first time in 15 years in a massive clean-up operation.
The fish are being moved to their new home in a section of the canal which is not being drained.
Meanwhile, a whole host of bizarre and unexpected objects have already surfaced, including mopeds, bicycles, trolleys and even old cameras and tape recorders.
The three-mile long stretch of canal flows through the heart of the French capital’s 10th arrondissement, one of the city’s most exclusive and fashionable districts.
But in recent years the area has developed a reputation for its lively nightlife, and a magnet for tourists and locals alike.
Residents blame this surge in popularity as the reason for some of the more bizarre objects that have been discovered lurking in the canal.
The last time the canal was emptied, in 2001, among the 40 tons of rubbish were bicycles, motorbikes, gold coins, wheelchairs, a toilet bowl, two First World War shells and even a car.
This time round, the clean-up team has already discovered a pistol during the operation, which has been handed over to the police.
Emptying to 90,000 cubic metres of water, and renovating its four double locks, will cost the city 9.5million euros (£7million), and it will remain drained of water for three months.
The first step was to drain the water until just 50cm were left in the bottom of the canal.
This allowed the team to fish out the trout, carp and bream that have made their home in the canal, and transfer them to another part of the canal.
The team had just three days to catch the fish before the canal is fully drained on Thursday.
Napoleon Bonaparte commissioned the canal in 1804, according to news site France24, to provide the city with goods and fresh water.
But residents lucky enough to live in the now exclusive vicinity of the river are concerned about its thriving nightlife, and the damage it does to the area.
They even launched a social media campaign to draw attention to the vandalism and drinking, posting Instagram images of piles of vomit and smashed bottles.
The deputy mayor in charge of the environment, Celia Blauel, beseeched Parisians to respect the canal once its makeover is finished.
If everyone mucks in and avoids throwing anything in the water, we might be able to swim in the canal in a few years, as in numerous other European cities,’ she told Le Parisien.
Associated Newspapers Ltd