Characteristics of the fish food supply of the Uglich reservoir

Abstract

The work on assessing the feed base of the Uglich Reservoir was carried out within the framework of annual monitoring studies by the Branch for Freshwater Fisheries of the Federal State Budgetary Scientific Institution “VNIRO” (VNIIPRH). Samples were taken in July 2021 and 2022 on three sections. During the year, 10 samples of zooplankton and benthic invertebrate communities were collected and processed. The purpose of the study is to evaluate the fish food supply of the Uglich Reservoir according to the indicators of zooplankton and benthic invertebrate communities in the period 2021–2022. The tasks of the study: to determine the number and biomass of zooplankton of the Uglich Reservoir in 2021–2022; to determine the number and biomass of benthic invertebrate communities of the Uglich Reservoir in 2021–2022. The Uglich Reservoir belongs to the Upper Volga cascade of hydro nodes. Located in the territory of two regions and having a length of more than a hundred kilometers, it has differences in water temperature and oxygen content in the water by reaches. Oxygen conditions in 2021 in the bottom layers, and in 2022 — both in the surface and in the bottom horizons, were unfavorable: deviations from the water quality standard were observed. The studies showed that the productivity of the Uglich Reservoir also varies by reaches. The maximum indicators of zooplankton development were observed in the channel part of the Upper reach of the reservoir. During the observation period (with incomplete determination), 21 taxa of planktonic organisms were recorded, including: Rotifera — 5, Cladocera — 12, Copepoda — 3 and Bivalvia — 1 species. In the composition of the plankton fauna, Cladocera dominated in number and biomass. The benthic invertebrate communities of the Uglich Reservoir is mainly represented by oligochaetes, chironomid larvae and bivalve molluscs. By the magnitude of the summer biomass of zooplankton and benthic invertebrate communities, in accordance with the generally accepted classification of Pidgayko (1968), the Uglich Reservoir in 2021 can be assessed as a high-feed reservoir, and in 2022 — as a medium-feed reservoir.