Monitoring of aquatic bioresources of the rivers of the North Caucasus

 

The research was conducted from July 14 to 25 on the main tributaries of the Terek River within the North Caucasus - the Baksan, Cherek, Chegem, and Urukh rivers. The total length of the expedition route was more than 2,000 km.

 

The Terek is the largest river in the North Caucasus. The nature of the Terek River basin is very picturesque and rich in endemics. There are a significant number of reserves and sanctuaries here. Fisheries research is important here from the point of view of restoring stocks of valuable species of bioresources - Caspian salmon, brown trout (trout) through artificial reproduction, development of recreational fishing, and aquaculture.

 

Samples of phyto-, zooplankton and benthos were collected from the studied rivers, and ichthyological material was collected. During the work, the current characteristics of the studied sections of the rivers were taken into account: the width of the floodplain and the channel, the number of branches, the average depth, the speed of the current, the water temperature, the nature of the soil, transparency, oxygen saturation. To assess the fisheries characteristics of the rivers, samples were collected at three points: the source, the middle course and the mouth.

 

The ichthyofauna of the studied tributaries of the Terek River - Cherek, Chegem, Baksan in mountainous areas is determined by the features of abiotic and biotic factors - high flow rates, high turbidity of water during the summer flood period, temperature fluctuations, low values of biomass of food organisms, etc., and is generally characterized by low diversity and abundance. In the upper reaches of the rivers, there is a single representative of the ichthyofauna - brook trout. In the lower reaches of the studied rivers, in the foothills, the hydrological situation is more favorable for the life of fish. Here, the species composition and number of fish increase significantly, the most numerous species are the Terek barbel, chub, Terek gudgeon, bleak, eastern minnow.

 

The collected material was delivered to the "West Caspian" department for office processing.

 

Press service of VNIRO