The current ecological and ichthyotoxicological state of the shlis-selburg bay lake Ladoga

Abstract

The article presents the materials of biological and chemical-analytical studies of the Shlisselburg Bay of Ladoga lake, that plays an important fishery and sanitary-hygienic role as a source of water supply of St. Petersburg. The dominant role of ichthyo-fauna in the assay of the ecological and toxicological state of the studied water area is shown. The purpose of the conducted research is to assess the ecological and ichthyo - toxicological state of the Shlisselburg Bay of Ladoga lake, as one of the main fishery water areal and the only source of water supply of St. Petersburg (the source of the Neva River). Biological and chemical analytical studies of the water area of the Shlisselburg Bay in laboratory conditions were carried out in the summer-autumn period in 2022 in three water areas. A feature of the Shlisselburg Bay is the presence of a runoff flow, that initiates the removal of pollutants and the nature of bottom sediments, which makes the Bay less vulnerable to anthropogenic impact. Currently, the methods used to assess water quality for the fisheries perspective are biological – bioindication and biotesting, as well as the results of chemical analysis in comparison with the standards for the content of harmful substances in water, sediments, precipitation and fish. Preference is given to “express’ methods: biotesting and bioindication of fish research results. Analysis of materials from previous studies have given reason to consider a gradual decrease in anthropogenic load (exposure to pollutants) on fish, as generally recognized indicators of water quality, given from fisheries positions. The results of the research showed that the ecological and toxicological condition of the Shlisselburg Bay has now improved, but cannot be considered satisfactory. Taking into acount the state of the ichthyo fauna and the level of its pollution, it can be characterized as weakly expressed sublethal with a possible transition to medium-expressed, conditionally sublethal in the spring period.