How a millennium of fishing changed fish populations: a case study of Lake Peipus and the Velikaya River (NW Russia)

Abstract

The Velikaya River is the principal river flowing into the southern part of Lake Peipus, which is situated in the basin of the Gulf of Finland, an arm of the Baltic Sea. Lake Peipus is one of the largest and most productive freshwater bodies in Europe. An important population center in ancient Russia, the town of Pskov sits on the downstream part of the Velikaya. Here fisheries resources have been exploited for millennia. Local archaeological materials and historical documents provide unique opportunities for examining the historical ecology of this river and lake ecosystem. This study describes millennium-long changes in fish populations in the Velikaya River and Lake Peipus and discovers the factors responsible for them. We analyzed 5,981 fish remains dating from the 4th to the 18th centuries collected at two archaeological sites in Pskov and its surroundings. During this 1500-year period, three species predominated: pike, perch and bream together composed about three-quarters of identified bone elements. Fish sizes estimated from bone remains showed that target species, particularly bream and perch, tended to be larger before 1800 than in 20th century landings. Catch composition also changed over this long period, with increased contribution from smaller species such as whitebait, ruffe and vendace, especially in the 20th century. The main driver of the observed changes was fishing, with other human-induced factors and climate change being less important.