ASSESSMENT OF COMMERCIAL STOCKS AND FORECAST OF CATCHES OF FISH OF THE FAMILY PERCIDAE OF THE DNIPROVSKE RESERVOIR FOR 2026

Abstract

The article presents the results of a comprehensive assessment of the state of commercial populations of three species of fish of the family Percidae (pikeperch Sander lucioperca (Linnaeus, 1758), European perch Perca fluviatilis Linnaeus, 1758, and ruff Gymnocephalus cernua (Linnaeus, 1758)) of the Dniprovske Reservoir based on data from commercial and control catches, biological analysis of individuals, and catch statistics over the last 10 years.The relevance of the work is due to the change in hydroecological conditions and the reduction in the area of fish reservoirs in Ukraine as a result of the full-scale war, which has already caused the loss of the Kakhovske Reservoir and restrictions on fishing in front-line regions, as well as in the basin of the Black and Azov Seas. Against the background of these events, the Dniprovske Reservoir is gaining strategic fishery importance.The research methods included control and commercial catches in 2024–2025 in three areas of the Dniprovske reservoir, biological analysis of fish, determination of age structure, fattening coefficients, number of yearlings, as well as analysis of multi-year ichthyological data. Coefficients of natural fish mortality, fishing effort, sizes of commercial stocks and potential volumes of allowable catch were calculated.The current dynamics of the number and age structure of populations of Percidae fish species were analyzed, linear-weight indicators were determined, and the physiological state of the fish was assessed. Based on the determined biological and industrial parameters, the volumes of allowable catch for 2026 were forecasted: for pikeperch – 47.5 t, European perch – 67.5 t, for ruffe – 0.11 t. Local manifestations of stiffness in fish from the Samara Bay were identified, which substantiates the need for adaptive fisheries management in the water area of the bay.