dc.description.abstract | The European eel (Anguilla anguilla), a catadromous, critically endangered species,
was the subject of this study. The main goal was to determine the status of populations
of European eel in the waters of the Republic of Serbia. The research included both
fieldwork (27 sampling sites) and the literature data analysis for all three river basins
in Serbia: Aegean, Adriatic, and Black Sea. The methodology of data collection and
determination of European eel presence differed from basin to basin. The fish were
identified, measured, noted and immediately returned to the water. The waters that
belong to the Aegean basin in Serbia could not be considered anymore as a natural
habitat for the European eel, although it inhabits the middle and lower reaches of the
rivers that belong in Bulgaria, Greece and North Macedonia. The rivers of the Adriatic
basin were not available for sampling; therefore, just literature data were collected.
Insufficient literature data on the presence of European eels in waters of the Black Sea
basin in the last decade imposed using of inquiry survey with commercial fishermen
about occurrence of European eels in their catches. Total of 54 commercial fishermen
were surveyed at 31 locations on the Danube, Sava and Tisza. Results showed presence
of both silver and yellow stages. The survey showed that there is a linkage between
the time and manner of occurrence of the life stages. The collected data were
georeferenced and the area where European eels were recorded was defined. Based on
the hypothetical projection, according to statistical data, annual catch reached 1352 kg
in the Danube, Sava and Tisza. Recent data (2015 to 2019) are predominantly related
to the Danube, which can be correlated to the connection between the Black and North
Seas (Rhine-Main-Danube canal connection). This study shows that the appearance of
the juvenile migration stages of European eels is not unimportant and deserves more
research attention. | sr |