Ichthyofauna of the Zaporizhia Nuclear Power Plant cooling pond (Enerhodar, Ukraine) and its biomeliorative significance
Abstract
O.M. Marenkov
The article presents the results of comprehensive research of the fish fauna of the cooling pond of the Zaporizhia Nuclear Power Plant. The species composition of the fish fauna and the main limiting factors affecting the structure of the ichthyocenosis of the reservoir have been studied. It is noted that the fish fauna is dominated by invasive species (57%), most of which are introduced for the biological melioration in a cooling pond. The decrease in the number of native fish species is caused both by the spread of invasive species and by the factor of high water temperature. The latter factor limits the number of fish species that do not tolerate a rise in water temperature (roach Rutilus rutilus (Linnaeus, 1758), bream Abramis brama (Linnaeus, 1758), rudd Scardinius erythrophthalmus (Linnaeus, 1758)). The paper also presents the results of studies on the nutrition spectrum of fish living in the Zaporizhia NPP cooling pond. The dynamics of catches of the main ameliorative species over the last 10 years has been analyzed. Practical recommendations on the stocking the heat sink with ameliorative fish for the period of 2018–2022 are given.
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