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Polish River Basins and Lakes – Part II pp 239–249Cite as

Fish and Fisheries in the Lakes of Northeastern Poland

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Part of the book series: The Handbook of Environmental Chemistry ((HEC,volume 87))

Abstract

In this article, we present the most comprehensive and up-to-date assessment of freshwater fish diversity in the lakes of northeastern Poland, and we use these data to characterize patterns of fish diversity and characterize the fisheries. The northeastern region of Poland is home to the country’s largest complex of lakes, with the deepest (Hańcza) and largest (Śniardwy) lakes in Poland. To date, 43 species belonging to 15 families are confirmed to occur in the lakes of northeastern Poland. Among these, the cyprinids are dominant. Most of the fish species noted in this region occur commonly in Poland; however, as many as 27% of the species are classified as highly endangered and are under species conservation. A substantial part of the fish fauna of northeastern Polish lakes is comprised of alien species, of which nine are noted in the region. For centuries, this region was the center of lake fisheries in the southern Baltic Sea basin. Currently, 70 different types of enterprises conduct fisheries in the region, but, in the face of progressing lake eutrophication, changes in catch structure are occurring, and the fisheries yield is decreasing. Common bream (Abramis brama), pike (Esox lucius), roach (Rutilus rutilus), and eel (Anguilla anguilla) are commercially the most important fish species in commercial catches in the lakes of northeastern Poland.

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Acknowledgments

This study was supported by statutory project No. S009 and No. S014 of the Inland Fisheries Institute in Olsztyn (Poland).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Ichthyology, Hydrobiology, and Aquatic Ecology, Inland Fisheries Institute in Olsztyn, Olsztyn, Poland

    Andrzej Kapusta & Elżbieta Bogacka-Kapusta

  2. Department of Fisheries Bioeconomic, Inland Fisheries Institute in Olsztyn, Olsztyn, Poland

    Arkadiusz Wołos

Authors
  1. Andrzej Kapusta
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  2. Elżbieta Bogacka-Kapusta
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  3. Arkadiusz Wołos
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Correspondence to Andrzej Kapusta .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. The Faculty of Environmental Sciences, University of Warmia and Mazury, Olsztyn, Poland

    Ewa Korzeniewska

  2. The Faculty of Environmental Sciences, University of Warmia and Mazury, Olsztyn, Poland

    Monika Harnisz

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Kapusta, A., Bogacka-Kapusta, E., Wołos, A. (2020). Fish and Fisheries in the Lakes of Northeastern Poland. In: Korzeniewska, E., Harnisz, M. (eds) Polish River Basins and Lakes – Part II. The Handbook of Environmental Chemistry, vol 87. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-12139-6_11

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