Environmental conditions, freshwater fishes and fishery management in the Ukraine

Abstract

Ukraine, with a total area of almost 604,000 km2, has 73,000 rivers and streams and about 20,000 lakes and estuaries. These aquatic resources belong to the Baltic Sea and the Black Sea (including the Sea of Azov) basins, and are inhabited by at least 137 fish species. Over the last 40–50 years, the freshwater fish fauna of Ukraine waters has changed considerably. Intensive fishing based on non-biological principles in the absence of aquaculture assistance caused significant degradation of fish populations: in particular, the replacement of long-life cycle species by short-life cycle species and “biological pollution” as a result of intentional and unintentional introductions. Twenty new exotic species were introduced and some of them became established. At the same time, a number of long-life cycle and migratory fishes, which were the most important for commercial fisheries, became extirpated. However, the growing number of nature reserves of different levels and categories gives some reasons to hope for stabilization of fish diversity in general and its possible improvements in the future. The freshwater fishery needs further modernization based on advanced principles that could guarantee a sustainable use of freshwater fish resources.

Crayfish in central and southern Ukraine with special focus on populations of indigenous crayfish Astacus pachypus (Rathke, 1837) and their conservation needs

“…However, 11.7% of these localities were assessed as unsuitable for native crayfish mainly owing to their organic contamination from agricultural activities or human settlements. Movchan () noted that most fresh waters in the Ukraine are polluted and degraded by human activities. Habitat degradation is one of the main reasons for declining populations of native crayfish in the whole of Europe (Chucholl & Schrimpf, ; Fűreder et al, ).…”

“…The presence of A. leptodactylus under these conditions supports the suggestion that it has wide ecological plasticity (Fűreder et al, ; Holdich et al, ; Kouba et al, ; Kozák et al, ; Pöckl et al, ). In the Dnieper River, several Ukrainian national programmes have tried to improve catchment and habitat protection and eliminate pollution sources with the aim of improving its water quality and ecological conditions and eliminating environmental degradation and natural resources exploitation, in the context of protecting the Azov Sea and Black Sea stocks and environment (Movchan, ).…”

“…Widespread unemployment and low living standards stimulate poaching and uncontrolled use of water bodies. This situation is exacerbated by a very limited Ukrainian state budget for wildlife and fishery management and fishery research, with only a few enthusiastic and professional staff employed in this sector (Movchan, ).…”

“…The rare and threatened status of A. pachypus in Ukraine emphasizes the need to define a clear and effective conservation strategy that will use all the principles of current conservation of European native crayfish species published by Fűreder et al (), Reynolds et al () and Souty‐Grosset et al (). The most important requirements of thick‐clawed crayfish conservation for the future are (1) to change Ukrainian legislation with the aim of totally protecting thick‐clawed crayfish in all stages and decreasing the exploitation of aquatic biota (Movchan, ), (2) to eliminate habitat degradation by organic and chemical pollution, alteration, fragmentation, intensive land use, agricultural and urban development (Chucholl & Schrimpf, ; Fűreder et al, ), (3) to avoid stocking of non‐native crayfish into Ukrainian waters and mitigate their adverse impact on native crayfish (Chucholl & Schrimpf, ), (4) to improve and increase nature conservation actions in Ukraine, including educational and socio‐economic aspects (Movchan, ), and (5) to apply basic and applied scientific approaches in understanding the biology, management and conservation of native crayfish species (Kozák, Füreder, Kouba, Reynolds, & Souty‐Grosset, ).…”

“…Noble crayfish occur only in the western part of Ukraine, including water bodies of the Carpathians and the Podolsk highlands with declining trends (Mezhzherin et al, ) and this species is considered vulnerable (Dovgal, ). The thick‐clawed crayfish is not covered by Ukrainian fishery and nature conservation rules and legislation, which are not well established there for practical nature conservation (Movchan, ). However, this species is currently identified as a species in danger of extinction in the whole of Europe (Gherardi & Souty‐Grosset, ).…”