Fishing in Serbia
There are 110 fish species registered in Serbia, or 51% of all European ichtyofauna. Freshwater ecosystems in Serbia comprise large basins (Danube with tributaries), macroaccumulations (Djerdap, Vlasina, etc.), microaccumulations (larger number of small accumulations for irrigation and other local purposes), flooded areas and wetlands (Apatin wetland, Kovilje-Gardinovac wetland, and a series of smaller areas of local significance) and a canal network (Danube – Tisza – Danube, and other smaller networks).
There are 4 areas in Serbia with specific ichtyofauna: Danube-Black Sea System, Tara-Piva-Drina, System, Ohrid-Drim-Skadar System and rivers of Aegean basin. There are 79 fish species in Danube Basin, from 16 families and 3 species of Cyclostomata. Family Cyprinidae has 50 species. Specific feature of the Danube-Black Sea system is seasonal presence of 5 species from Acipenseridae family and 2 species from Clupeidae family, which migrate from the Black Sea to the Danube during spawning season.
Hydroelectric power plant cut this migratory path, and they can reach only to Djerdap II plant. There are 12 endemic fish species and subspecies in the Danube basin and one endemic species of Cyclostomata. There are also 13 allochthonous species. Populations of some introduced species are rather numerous, and some of them are undesirable in natural ecosystems.
Tara-Piva-Drina System is significant for mountain areas. There are 32 fish species registered in this system Ohrid-Drim-Skadar System represents very important area for it is a main corridor
between riverine, lacustrine and marine ecosystems. It has specific ichtyofauna for the large number of endemic species and subspecies. Metohija area, as a part of this system, has 16 autochthonous (Salmo trutta with two subspecies) and 9 allochthonous species.Aegean Basin rivers comprise rather small area in Serbia and there are no precise data on ichtyofauna.
Aquatic ecosystems enable fast spreading of introduced or non-indigenous species that are rapidly expanding outside of their native range. Introduced species can alter ecological relationships among native species and can affect ecosystem function, economic value of ecosystems, and human health. More than 15 fish species in Serbia are introduced from other regions (Janković and Krpo-Ćetković, 1995). The newest case of introduction was recorded in 2006. A specimen of the North American paddlefish, Polyodon spathula was caught near Prahovo in the Serbian part of the Danube River
(Lenhardt et al., 2006).
