Projects

Project No. CZ0091

Applicant: As./Prof. Jan Kubečka, PhD.

Financial support: Grant from Iceland, Liechtestein and Norway through the EEA financial mechanism and the Norwegian financial mechanism

Duration: 2008-2010

The project is aimed at improvement of ecological potential of Czech reservoirs and enhancement of fisheries management by improving the methods of assessment of qualitative and quantitative composition of the fish stock. The project includes introduction of active methods of monitoring, namely new hydroacoustic and trawling approaches. Active methods should mitigate the main weaknesses of the current monitoring based predominantly on passive methods. Managing of the use of active trawling gear for fish capture would represent the revolution both in monitoring and the management of reservoirs. The project follows the philosophy of the EC water framework directive 2000/60/EC and promises to create new fish monitoring methodology and to bring new crucial knowledge to the methods of fish capture in general.

The project consists of:

1) Design and purchase of the gear necessary for fish monitoring (a research vessel, trawls, a trawl sonar, a scientific echosounder).

2) Testing of the above equipment, assessment and remedy of sampling difficulties and developing methodical procedure for fish monitoring under the conditions of Czech reservoirs.

3) Trial monitoring of the fish of selected reservoirs (Římov, Lipno, Orlík, Želivka, Nýrsko). Comparisons of the new approaches to the current ones (intercalibration).

4) Processing of the collected information and creation of a tentative methodical guide for the fish monitoring (after the st and 2nd field seasons).

5) Pilot full monitoring of selected reservoirs (3rd field season).

6) Assessment of the results and creation of final methodical guides.

7) Project publicity: scientific publications, an international conference.

Basic project outputs:

- mapping of ecological potential of the fish stocks of 10 Czech reservoirs

- creation of a methodical guidance and a monitoring system with the emphasis on active sampling methods

- unique, build-to-suit equipment and an experienced team for the monitoring system

- outline of the potential of trawling gear for the management of the fish stock of Czech reservoirs

- enhancement of international reputation of Czech and Norwegian hydrobiological, fisheries and acoustics schools

The project was approved during May-June 2008 so the real start date was 1 st July 2008 (although the tenders for the purchase hydroacoustic equipment for the were carried out prior to this date). The 2008 field campaign (July-October 2008) will include the mounting and field tests of the scientific echosounder and the trawl monitoring system. The tentative fish stock assessments will be carried on the Římov, Orlik and Nové Mlýny Reservoirs. Also the preliminary tests of fish behaviour in front and inside the pelagic trawl will be carried out.

Feasibility study

The first series of data reports

The year 2008 was in fact the first year of the monitoring of the fish stock of Czech reservoirs. The collection of data and the first level of data processing was financed by the Czech Ministry of Environment. Making reports for the stakeholders and connected methodical work on the performance of active and passive sampling gear was financed by the current project of NFM and FM EEA CZ0091.

Outputs possible to download:

1) The first series of reports on the fish stock of Czech reservoirs (based mainly on the results of the passive sampling gear. The reports publicly available are on the following reservoirs: Fláje, Lipno, Nové Mlýny I, Nové Mlýny II, Nové Mlýny III, Seč, Těrlicko, Vranov, Žermanice

2) The paper on the new methods of processing of hydroacoustic data for studying the fish stock elaborated during the current project.

3) The abstract and the presentation of the results at The 15. Conference of Czech and Slovak Limnological Society held on 22.-26. June 2009 in Třeboň, Czech Republic.

4) The paper presenting project results to the broad fishery community.

5) The paper describing fish activity as determined by gillnet catch.

6) Thor Heyerdahl - new flagship of the FishEcU fleet.

7) The paper presenting project results to the broad fishery community.