Fishes as water quality indicators in open waters of Serbia

The aim of the project is to evaluate the possibility to use different parameters of fishes as indicators of aquatic ecosystem health in Serbia. In this way, all the methods that were suggested for fish analyses within scope of the EU Water Framework Directive will be developed. As a signatory country of the International Commission for the Protection of the Danube River (ICPDR), Serbia is obliged to reach the satisfactory level of aquatic ecosystem health by year 2015. The following activities are planned within the project scope for characterization of aquatic ecosystems and their fish populations in Serbia: (1) determination of genotoxicity using the Comet Assay and micronucleus test; (2) determination of heavy metal accumulation and histopathological alterations in various fish tissues and organs; (3) estimation of hepatosomatic and gonadosomatic indices, as well as condition factor; (4) determination of parasite infestation intensity and extensity in fishes; (5) analysis of fish population parameters; (6) analysis of genetic variability influenced by fragmentation and pollution of water bodies; (7) assessment of biotic integrity index. Complex analysis of studied parameters will facilitate the determination of their significance as indicators of aquatic ecosystem health, as well as the choice of parameters that can represent early or specific pollution indicators.