Trophic relationships between primary producers and fish yields in Lake Balaton

Abstract

Relationships between chlorophyll a content of the water, the shoreline-length: water area ratio and the annual total fish yield as catch per unit effort (CUE: kg ha⁻¹ 100 h⁻¹ as annual mean values) have been calculated by multivariable regression. The determination coefficient (r ² = 0.913) showed a significant dependence of fish yield on morphometry of different lake areas. Accordingly, fish carrying capacity of the open water areas, calculated from chlorophyll a content and S/A, ranged from 12 to 34%, but that of the littoral zone between 66 and 88%. These findings have also been supported by echo-sounding records of the horizontal distribution of fish.

Bream (Abramis brama L.) contributes the majority (70–80%) of fish stock and yield. Its food mainly consists of zooplankton and benthic invertebrates in ratios that are widely variable with season and depend on the age of fish. Average daily food consumption of individuals (age group 3 + and over) varies between 2 and 5 g. Bream consumes two- to three-times more food in the SW basin than in the NE one. This means that the present stocks inhabiting areas from NE to SW consume annually 13 249–20 085 t yr⁻¹ of food. According to estimated calorific values, the annual energy consumption of local populations along the longitudinal axis of the lake varies between 93 and 141 kJ m⁻² yr⁻¹. The efficiency of energy transfer from primary producers to fish is low and varies from 0.04 to 0.1%.