Large fish and even some species familiar to us are becoming increasingly rare in Ukrainian waters. Water pollution, artificial barriers in the form of hydraulic structures and, of course, overfishing have put many fish species at risk of complete extinction within Ukraine.
Yulia Kutsokon, an ichthyologist at the I. I. Shmalhausen Institute of Zoology of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine, spoke to UNIAN about this.
In a high-risk zone
The current state of water bodies is most unfavourable for sturgeon and certain species of freshwater animals.
The main problem is barriers to natural migration. These are created by dams, weirs and other hydraulic structures that regulate the flow of Ukrainian rivers. As a result, fish are unable to undertake their evolutionary journey from the sea to freshwater spawning grounds.
The scientist reported that this threat is relevant for both the Dnipro and the Don. The removal of individual dams, as happened with the Kakhovka Hydroelectric Power Station, cannot completely reverse the situation. The vast majority of spawning grounds remain inaccessible to fish.
Due to the sturgeon’s Red List status, the population is being artificially restored in Ukraine. This helps to preserve the species to some extent.
Another large fish threatened with extinction is the catfish. According to Yulia Kutsokon, the cause here is not the dams, but overfishing.
"Now anglers and spearfishers can easily locate wintering pits and catch the largest catfish-in such conditions these fish often do not have time to reach their full size," the ichthyologist reported.
Other fish we may no longer encounter
Ship sturgeon. This is a representative of the sturgeon family. At the international level, it still has the status "on the brink of extinction." However, as the scientist notes, this species has not been recorded in the wild for quite a long time.
Dnieper barbel. This species is also on the verge of extinction. Its population is relatively stable only in the basins of the Desna and Pripyat rivers. Other barbel species are in a somewhat better state, although they are also included in the ed Book of Ukraine.
Crucian carp. This rare species is now gradually being displaced in Ukrainian rivers by the non-native silver crucian carp.
European burbot and ide. The situation with these species has worsened due to their sensitivity to oxygen levels and water quality. However, they still thrive relatively well in mountain rivers.
"We include this species in the Red Book because it fares poorly in the lowland parts of Ukraine, but, for example, local anglers in the Carpathians are surprised, since they still have this fish," Yuliia Kutsokon noted.
EcoPolitic previously reported that after the destruction of the Kakhovka Hydroelectric Power Plant dam near Zaporizhzhia, there have been increasing records of sturgeon. This species had not appeared in those waters for over 50 years.
Meanwhile, according to the United Nations, since the 1970s, more than 80% of freshwater fish worldwide have disappeared. The key factors have been water pollution and the creation of artificial barriers in rivers.
