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Project Rationale, Goals and Objectives
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PROJECT RATIONALE, GOALS AND OBJECTIVES
The impact of the fish industry and aquaculture on the biodiversity of Dnipro Basin water eco-systems has so far been little studied. This has to do with the fact that the fish industry of the former USSR and by tradition that of post-Soviet republics did not take an interest in “non-commercial and non-feed” hydrobionts. We have mainly historical data on the diversity of commercial fish caught by the fish industry (for commercial purposes) and fish bred in fish ponds. No account is taken of the impact of the fish industry, amateur fishing and illegal extraction of fish and invertebrates on the plant and animal life of water bodies.
Since the priorities of the fish industry, which among other things strives to obtain maximum numbers of some species, are obviously inconsistent with a well-known principle according to which increased dominance leads to a reduction in the diversity of species making up a community, we have theoretically-substantiated reasons to consider that the fish industry and aquaculture have a considerable influence on biodiversity of hydroecosystems. The investigation of this problem is a high-priority task not only for the Dnipro Basin extending into the territories of Russia, Ukraine and Belarus but also for other river basins.
Fish industry is not only about stocking ponds with fish, introduction and catching of fish and feed hydrobionts but also about creating a peculiar kind of water bodies – fish ponds. This means that biodiversity is influenced at all levels - species diversity, topical level and landscapes are all affected. In view of the above, the implementation of a project aimed at identifying outstanding problems and issues related to the impact of the fish industry on biodiversity in the full sense of this word is of practical and theoretical interest to us.
Damming of the Dnipro River accompanied by the anthropogenically-induced eutrophication has significantly changed the diversity of ichthyofauna and has resulted in the considerable deterioration of the quality of commercial fish caught both from water reservoirs and river estuaries.
In the Dnipro River reservoirs as a result of changes in the hydrological regime, overgrowing and swamping of fish-spawning and dwelling areas, blocking up by dams of routes of migrating fish, numbers of native migrating, semi-migrating and non-migrating rheophile fish species have decreased. Some valuable species (such as ship, sterlet, salmon, and eel) have completely disappeared while small-value fish (sardelle, Alburnus alburnus, aterina and pipefish) have multiplied in large numbers. The same situation is observed in the Dnipro-Bug estuary, which cannot but influence the Black Sea ecosystem.
Because Dnipro Basin shorelines have for the most part been plowed up, water reservoirs are being contaminated by surface run-offs of suspended solids. In addition, due to low water velocity in the reservoirs, shallow water zones that serve as spawning areas for phytophile fish are getting silted. This process is accompanied by the contraction of fish-spawning areas and spawning substratum, which is a characteristic feature of the current stage of their development.
Biodiversity and fish yields of water reservoirs are greatly affected by the anthropogenic factors such as oxygen regime disruptions, heavy metals, radionuclides, etc. This is proven by massive fishkills taking place practically each year in winter and particularly summer. In view of the above, the survey focused on the assessment of the current fish industry’s activities in the Dnipro Basin water bodies and on the assessment of the impact of these activities on the diversity of fauna dwelling in the Dnipro water reservoirs and major Dnipro tributaries.
Input of pollutants (especially biogenic and organic pollutants) into water bodies and watercourses is accelerating their eutrophication. Damming of the river flow and significant variations in the water level regime of the reservoirs have had a destabilizing effect on watercourse ecosystems and have transformed spawning and dwelling areas of young fish thereby adversely affecting natural fish habitats and particularly their natural reproduction environment. Construction of hydrotechnical and irrigation facilities is facilitating the invasion of new and exotic fish and invertebrate species into water bodies.
The Project goal is to assess the fish industry’s impact on the biodiversity of the Dnipro Basin water ecosystems and to make proposals aimed at biodiversity conservation.
The research objectives were as follows:
- To describe fish industry’s water resources and to examine the current status of the Dnipro Basin water bodies;
- To make analysis of the current status of the fish industry, including a description of fish enterprises, fishing in natural water bodies, and fish-breeding in fish-farms’ ponds;
- To assess biodiversity of the Dnipro River ecosystem in terms of the species variety of flora and fauna, including rare and vanishing species;
- To characterize fish introduction, invasion and intervention in water bodies of the Dnipro tributary sub-basins; evaluate the impact of these processes on biodiversity of water bodies used by the fish industry;
- Evaluate the impact of commercial fishing and pond fish-breeding on the species diversity of fish and aquatic invertebrates;
- To define the role of fish farms as biodiversity reserves and refugiums;
- To identify outstanding issues of the fish industry and to come up with proposals for the Strategic Action Plan.
