A new chapter in the study of aquatic ecosystems in the Northern Azov region

 

This event marked an important step in reviving Russian scientific activity in the Northern Azov region, which had been interrupted for more than three decades.

 

To expand the range of research, the department is actively recruiting qualified specialists and acquiring modern material and technical equipment. Department staff regularly conduct comprehensive research aimed at studying the population dynamics of fish, marine invertebrates, and other aquatic organisms in the coastal ecosystems of the Northern Azov region. The focus is on analyzing the factors influencing the abundance, distribution, and reproduction of these species. Additionally, the characteristics of the aquatic bioresource habitat are studied, including hydrological, hydrochemical, and hydrobiological parameters.

 

One of the department's key areas of work is monitoring the commercial catch of aquatic biological resources. Specialists regularly collect data on the catch of gobies, shrimp, mullet, and other aquatic organisms, allowing them to assess the population dynamics of aquatic biological resources and develop recommendations for rational and sustainable fishing.

 

"Currently, department staff are monitoring the fishery in the areas of Novoazovsk, Yalta, Urzuf, and the Belosarayskaya Spit. This monitoring involves analyzing the size and weight characteristics of catches during specialized fisheries, their quantitative parameters, and bycatch indicators," noted Andrey Monin, Head of the Industrial Fisheries Laboratory.

 

In addition, department staff are collecting data on water bodies to determine their categories. In the Novoazovsky District, the characteristics of the Gruzsky Elanchik and Mokry Elanchik rivers were studied; in the Mangush District, the Mokraya Belosarayka and Soleny Liman (Belosaraiskaya Spit) rivers; and in the Volodarsky District, the Starokrymskoye (Kalchikskoye) Reservoir.

 

The North Azov Department provides ongoing operational scientific support to fisheries and law enforcement agencies in the fight against poaching. Department specialists conduct regular surveys of illegal catches and fishing gear, helping to curb poaching and collect valuable data for ecosystem analysis. Department Head Alexey Ponedelnikov reported that since the beginning of the year, department staff have examined several hundred poaching nets and several thousand specimens of illegally harvested aquatic bioresources, including sturgeon, turbot and glossa flounder, mullet, carp, silver carp, gobies, and other fish species.

 

The department's future development prospects include deepening scientific research and developing practical measures for the sustainable use of aquatic bioresources. This will contribute not only to the region's environmental well-being but also to its socioeconomic development and, consequently, to the implementation of the Azov Region Sustainable Development Strategy until 2040.

 

 

VNIRO Press Service