Abstract
The Danube River is 2,857 km long and navigable along the major part of its flow (2,411 km). Human activities have started to influence Danube River flow more significantly since the sixteenth century, through the flood prevention, navigation and hydropower plant construction activities. Two largest dams in the Danube, located at 943 river km (“Iron Gate I”, constructed in 1970) and 863 river km (“Iron Gate II”, constructed in 1984), have formed a large accumulation lake. These dams represent obstacles for migratory fish species, such as sturgeons and shads. Beside the negative impact of dams and the river flow regulation, common stocks of these species in the Lower Danube Region (LDR) are also impacted by unsustainable and illegal fishery and pollution. Major obstacle to an efficient common management of these fish stocks by LDR countries is a lack of management harmonization and coordination, as well as lack of common management plans that would be based on coordinated monitoring and research efforts in all LDR countries. Guiding principles for a good management plan for sturgeons and shads in the LDR should include efficient public and stakeholder participation, and a long-term vision that would be harmonized with the short-term social, cultural and economic needs. Availability of timely scientific information, provided through the broad and long-term monitoring and research activities, could determine the state of sturgeon and shad stocks and the efficiency of their current management.
Access this chapter
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
References
Action Plan (2006) Action plan for the conservation of sturgeons (Acipenseridae) in the Danube River basin, Nature and Environment, 144. Council of Europe, Strasbourg Cedex
Bacalbasa-Dobrovici N (1997) Endangered migratory sturgeons of the Lower Danube River and its delta. Environ Biol Fish 48:201–207
Bacalbasa-Dobrovici N, Patriche N (1999) Environmental studies and recovery actions for sturgeon in the Lower Danube River system. J Appl Ichthyol 15:114–115
Banarescu P (1964) Fauna R.P.R., Pisces-Osteichthyes, vol XVIII. Academiei R.P.R., Bucuresti (In Romanian)
Ciolac A (2004) Migration of fishes in Romanian Danube River. Appl Ecol Environ Res 2(1):143–163
Ciolac A, Patriche N (2004) Structure of Danube Shad (Alosa Pontica, Eichwald 1838) spawner flocks migrating for reproduction in Danube River. Appl Ecol Environ Res 2(2):53–58
Cvijanovic G, Adnadjevic T, Bugarski-Stanojevic V, Lenhardt M (2009) Optimisation and standardisation of primers for sterlet (Acipenser ruthenus) and beluga (Huso huso) microsatellite loci. In: Book of abstracts IV, Congress of the Serbian Genetic Society, Tara, June 1–5, Serbia. Serbian Genetic Society, Belgrade, p 23
Erguden D, Turan C, Cevik C (2007) The growth features of Pontic shad (Alosa pontica Eichwald, 1838) in the Sea of Marmara. J Biol Sci 7(4):685–688. doi:10.1016/j.microc.2010.02.004
Hubenova T, Uzunova E, Zaikov A (2009) Management strategies in protection and restoration of sturgeon biodiversity in Bulgaria. In: Conference proceedings, IV international conference “fishery”, May, Belgrade, pp 39–52
Jarić I, Lenhardt M, Cvijanovic G, Ebenhard T (2009) Acipenser sturio and Acipenser nudiventris in the Danube – extant or extinct. J Appl Ichthyol 25:137–141. doi:10.1111/j.1439-0426.2009.01227.x
Jarić I, Ebenhard T, Lenhardt M (2010) Population viability analysis of the Danube sturgeon populations in a Vortex simulation model. Rev Fish Biol Fish 20:219–237. doi:10.1007/s11160-009-9151-0
Jarić I, Lenhardt M, Pallon J, Elfman M, Kalauzi A, Suciu R, Cvijanović G, Ebenhard T (2011) Insight into Danube sturgeon life history: trace element assessment in pectoral fin rays. Environ Biol Fish 90(2):171–181. doi:10.1007/s10641-010-9728-4
Kolarov PP (1985) Biological characteristics and population dynamic of anadromous fish species. PhD thesis, Institute for Fish Resources, Varna
Lagutov V (2009) Theory and practice of sturgeon species restoration: the prospects for natural reporduction in the Ural river. PhD thesis, Department of Environmental Sciences and Policy, Cewntral European University, Budapest
Lenhardt M, Cakic P, Kolarevic J (2004) Influence of HEPS Djerdap I and Djerdap II dam construction on catch of economically important fish species in the Danube River. Ecohydrol Hydrobiol 4(4):499–502
Lenhardt M, Cakic P, Kolarevic J, Mickovic B, Nikcevic M (2004) Changes in sterlet (Acipenser ruthenus L.) catch and length frequency distribution in the Serbian part of the Danube River during the twentieth century. Ecohydrol Hydrobiol 4:193–197
Lenhardt M, Finn RN, Cakic P, Kolarevic J, Krpo-Cetkovic J, Radovic I, Fyhn HJ (2005) Analysis of the post-vitellogenic oocytes of three species of Danubian Acipenseridae. Belg J Zool 135(2):205–207
Lenhardt M, Hegedis A, Jaric I (2005) Action plan for sturgeon species management in fishery waters of Republic Serbia. Institute for Biological Research, Belgrade, 21 p
Lenhardt M, Jaric I, Kalauzi A, Cvijanovic G (2006) Assessment of extinction risk and reasons for decline in sturgeon. Biodivers Conserv 15:1967–1976. doi:10.1007/s10531-005-4317-0
Lenhardt M, Jaric I, Cvijanovic G, Smderevac-Lalic M (2008) The key threats to sturgeons and measures for their protection in the Lower Danube Region. In: Lagutov V (ed) Rescue of sturgeon species in the Ural River Basin. Springer, Dordrecht, pp 87–96
Lenhardt M, Jaric I, Cakic P, Cvijanovi G, Gacic Z, Kolarevic J (2009) Seasonal changes in condition, hepatosomatic index and parasitism in sterlet (Acipenser ruthenus L.). Turk J Vet Anim Sci 33(3):209–214. doi10.3906/vet-0710-14
Lenhardt M, Navodaru I, Vassilev M, Visnjic-Jeftic Z, Skoric S, Smederevac-Lalic M (2009b) Status of Pontic shad (Alosa immaculata Bennett 1835) in Lower Danube Region. International Workshop on the Restoration of Fish Populations, 1–5 September, Dusseldorf, pp 36
Lenhardt M, Jaric I, Poleksic V, Djordjevic D, Cvijanovic G, Raskovic B, Gacic Z (2010) Assessment of biomarkers for toxicity of the Danube and Tisza River pollution: histological, morphological and ecological parameters of sterlet (Acipenser ruthenus L.). In: BALWOIS 2010, Ohrid, Republic of Macedonia, 25–29 May
Navodaru I (1996) Exploitation of Alosa Pontica in the Danube Delta, Romania. In: Cowx IG (ed) Stock assessment in inland fisheries. Fishing News Books, Oxford, pp 448–453
Navodaru I (1998) Pontic shad: a short review of the species and its fishery. Shad j 3(4):3–5
Navodaru I (2001) Seaward drift of the Pontic shad larvae (Alosa Pontica) and the influence of Danube River hydrology on their travel path through the Danube delta system. Bull Fr Peche Piscic 362(363):749–760
Navodaru I, Staras M (2002) RRA training seminar, Sofia
Navodaru I, Waldman JR (2003) Shads of Eastern Europe from the Black Sea: review of species and fisheries. In: Limburg KE, Waldman JR (eds) Biodiversity and conservation worldwide, American Fisheries Society Symposium 35. American Fisheries Society, Bethesda, pp 69–76
Navodaru I, Staras M, Banks R (1999) Management of the sturgeon stocks of the Lower Danube River system. In: Stiuca R, Nuchersu I (eds) The delta’s: state-of-the-art protection and management. Conference Proceedings, 26–31 July, Tulcea, Romania, pp 229–237
Paraschiv M, Suciu R, Suciu M (2006) Present state of sturgeon stocks in the lower Danube river, Romania. IAD Limnological Reports 36. IAD, Vienna, pp 152–158
Patriche N, Pecheanu C, Billard R (1999) Sturgeon fisheries, caviar production in Romania and possible measures of rehabilitation in the Lower Danube. Riv Ital Acquacolt 34:83–91
Poleksic V, Lenhardt M, Jaric I, Djordjevic D, Gacic Z, Cvijanovic G, Raskovic B (2010) Liver, gills and skin histopathology and heavy metal content of the Danube sterlet (Acipenser ruthenus Linnaeus, 1758). Environ Toxicol Chem 29(3):515–521. doi:10.1002/etc.82
Raikova G, Zivkov M, Vassilev M, Miloshev G, Uzunova E (2004) Action plan on conservation of sturgeons in the Bulgarian aquatories of the Danube River and the Black Sea. Report of the Ministry of the Environment and Waters, Sofia, 25 p. http://chm.moew.government.bg/nnps/files/Action%20plan20(resume)_eng2.doc
Reinartz R (2002) Sturgeons in the Danube River: Biology, Status, Conservation. International Association for Danube Research (IAD), Bezirk Oberpfalz. Landesfischereiverband Bayern, e.V., Munich, 150 p
Suciu R, Suciu M, Paraschiv M (2005) Contributions to spawning ecology of beluga sturgeons (Huso huso) in the lower Danube River, Romania. Extended abstracts of ISS 5, General Biology, Life history, CITES – Trade & Economy, Ramsar, Iran, pp 309–311
Suciu R, Knight CM, Onara DF, Paraschiv M, Taflan E, Iani M, Holostenco D (2009) Present and perspectives of sturgeon conservation in the Lower Danube River, Romania. In: Sixth international symposium on sturgeon, Wuhan, China, 26–29 Oct 2009
Vassilev M (2003) Spawning sites of beluga sturgeon (Huso huso L.) located along the Bulgarian-Romanian Danube River stretch. Acta Zool Bulg 55(2):91–94
Vassilev M (2006) Lower Danube – the last refuge for surviving of sturgeon fishes in the Black Sea Region. In Hubert P (ed) Water observation and information system for decision support. Conference Proceedings, Balwois, Ohrid, Macedonia. http://balwois.org. Accessed on 15 Apr 2009
Vassilev M, Pehlivanov L (2003) Structural changes of sturgeon catch in the Bulgarian Danube section. Acta Zool Bulg 55:97–102
Visnjic-Jeftic Z, Lenhardt M, Navodaru I, Hegedis A, Gacic Z, Nikcevic M (2009) Reproducibility of age determination by scale and vertebra in Pontic shad (Alosa Pontica Eichwald, 1838), from the Danube. Arch Biol Sci 61(2):337–342. doi:10.2298/ABS0901337V
Visnjic-Jeftic Z, Jaric I, Jovanovic LJ, Skoric S, Smederevac-Lalic M, Nikcevic M, Lemhardt M (2010) Heavy metal and trace element accumulation in muscle, liver and gills of the Pontic shad (Alosa immaculata Bennett 1835) from the Danube River (Serbia). Microchem J 95(2):341–344. doi:10.1016/j.microc.2010.02.004
Williot P, Arlati G, Chebanov M, Gulyas T, Kasimov R, Kirschbaum F, Patriche N, Pavlovskaya LP, Poliakova L, Pourkazemi M, Kim Y, Zhuang P, Zholdasova IM (2002) Status and management of Eurasian sturgeon: an overview. Int Rev Hydrobiol 87(5–6):483–506
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Editor information
Editors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 2012 Springer Science+Business Media B.V.
About this paper
Cite this paper
Lenhardt, M. et al. (2012). Fish Stock Management Cooperation in the Lower Danube Region: A Case Study of Sturgeons and Pontic Shad. In: Lagutov, V. (eds) Environmental Security in Watersheds: The Sea of Azov. NATO Science for Peace and Security Series C: Environmental Security. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-007-2460-0_7
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-007-2460-0_7
Published:
Publisher Name: Springer, Dordrecht
Print ISBN: 978-94-007-2459-4
Online ISBN: 978-94-007-2460-0
eBook Packages: Earth and Environmental ScienceEarth and Environmental Science (R0)