Collaborative international scientific research of marine living resources and marine environment as a basis of sustainable development of the Black Sea Fisheries VNIRO 2012

Biodiversity, Hydrology, Hydrochemistry of the Black Sea Annual water balance Freshwater supply by rivers 369 km 3 Atmospheric precipitation 224 km 3 Seawater inflow from Marmara Sea by Lower Bosporus Current 176 km 3 Evaporation395 km 3 Black Sea water outflow via Bosporus 340 km 3 Main data on the Black Sea hydrochemistry and hydrology Maximal depth2212 m Longest distance from one to another shore 1200 km Coastline length4340 km Volume of the km 3 Surface of the km 2 Surface of the drainage basin km 2 Picnocline depth50-150m Surface layer salinity17‰ Salinity beneath the picnocline 20-30‰ Temperature beneath the thermocline 9oC9oC Anoxic zone upper limit m Biodiversity - number of species Marine mammals3 Fish species~180 Benthic invertebrates~1500 Macroalgae~300 Phytoplankton species~700 Zooplankton species (holoplankton)~150

Incomplete involvement of regional scientific-research institutions in the scientific research collaboration Unavailability of live environmental data exchange Unavailability of the unified methodological research framework Deficient legal framework and effective measures of regulation of fisheries and environmental management in the region Main gaps of international collaborative research activities in the Black Sea

Russian Federal Research Institute of Fisheries and Oceanography (VNIRO) VNIRO Research Activities: Scientific support of current activities and development of marine fisheries and environmental management; Implementation of complex measures in order to achieve long-term conservation and sustainable exploitation of marine living resources and their environment; Comprehensive study of biological resources and environment of the World Ocean; Statistical information on fisheries, marine living resources and environment; Aquatic living resources stock and the environment state assessment and forecasting; Aquatic living resources rehabilitation and reproduction; Development of marine aquaculture; International cooperation on fisheries and environmental issues etc. 500 highly qualified experts and stuff are employed at VNIRO, the institute has all necessary complex of laboratory equipment and a small research vessel to conduct seawater scientific-research work.

Department of fishery hydrobiology Laboratory of commercial invertebrates and algae Laboratory of coastal research Laboratory of marine mammals Laboratory of shellfish population restoration methods Department of fishery ichthyology Laboratory of bio-resources of the seas of the European part of Russia Laboratory of marine fishes of the Far East Laboratory of freshwater bio- resources of inland waters Laboratory of bio-resources of foreign economic zones and open ocean Department of industrial fishery and monitoring Laboratory of satellite monitoring systems Laboratory of fishing hydroacoustics Laboratory of instrumental methods of research Laboratory of industrial fishing Department of environmental foundations of hydrosphere biological productivity Laboratory of environmental foundations of bio-productivity Marine ecology laboratory Laboratory of ecological-toxicological research Department of international fishery cooperation Laboratory of the Pacific basin Laboratory of the Atlantic basin Laboratory of Antarctic waters Department of reproduction and cultivation of hydrobionts Laboratory of reproduction and cultivation of sturgeon and other objects of fishing Laboratory of applied physiology and morphology of hydrobionts Laboratory of diseases of hydrobionts Department of fishery regulations Laboratory of consolidated forecast Laboratory of system analysis of commercial bio-resources Laboratory of development of methods of remote monitoring of fishing areas Laboratory of standardization Department of salmon fishes Laboratory of ecology and fishing of pacific salmon Laboratory of reproduction of salmon fishes Laboratory of population biology Department of technical regulation and regulatory support of fisheries Laboratory of analytical and normative support of quality and safety Laboratory of biochemistry and technology of fish, invertebrates and algae Laboratory of food and biologically active substances Laboratory of scientific-experimental technologies VNIRO Research Divisions

Krasnodar branch of Russian Federal Research Institute of Fisheries and Oceanography Laboratory of sturgeon and other commercial fish reproduction Laboratory of marine research and fishery forecasting Laboratory of aquatic bio-resources research Laboratory of freshwater biological resources research

VNIRO international scientific research collaboration in the the Azov and Black Seas Russian Federal Research Institute of Fisheries and Oceanography (VNIRO), Russia The Azov-Black Sea Research Institute for Fishery and Oceanography (AzNIRKH), Russia Russian Academy of Science, South Research Center, Russia Southern Scientific Research Institute of Marine Fisheries (YugNIRO), Ukraine Turkish Karadeniz Technical University, Faculty of Marine Science, Turkey (in the process of signing ) National Institute for Marine Research and Development (RMRI), Romania Institute of Oceanology, Bulgaria

Assessment of the current state of the Kerch Strait ecosystem and biological productivity: Comprehensive environmental research VNIRO and YugNIRO of the Kerch Strait Distribution of dissolved oxygen, nitrates, silicates in the Kerch Strait in July, The results of Russian - Ukraine collaborative research. Hydrological research Hydrochemical research Hydrobiological research

Environmental research of the Azov – Black Sea basin Seasonal and long – term fluctuations of bio- and hydrochemical conditions peculiarities of the Black Sea ecosystems for elaboration of the action plan for the increasing of fish production Kerch Strait Liman of Khiziltazsch The North –East part of the Black Sea

Joint scientific research of Russian Federal Research Institute of Fisheries and Oceanography (VNIRO) & The Azov-Black Sea Research Institute for Fishery and Oceanography (AzNIRKH) Macrophytes stock assessment and the research methods standardization Air photography mapping of algae distribution in the Caucasian Black Sea coast Data evaluation of the current state of commercial species of benthic populations

Current VNIRO scientific research activities in the Black Sea ProjectDepartment Optimization of accounting fishing systems with practical application to estimate the abundance of commercial fish species of the Black Sea and development of the methods for the determination of coefficients of catchability accounting fishing gear used in the coastal waters of the Black Sea Laboratory of industrial fishing. Department of industrial fishery and monitoring The study and monitoring of the status of aquatic biological resources and coastal ecosystems of the Black Sea in areas exposed to the most intense anthropogenic impact and proposals development for the conservation of aquatic biological resources and the improvement of coastal ecosystems state of in these waters Krasnodar branch of Russian Federal Research Institute of Fisheries and Oceanography (VNIRO) Monitoring of abiotic factors of the environment of aquatic biological resources in the Russian area of the Black Sea Laboratory of environmental foundations of bio- productivity, Marine ecology laboratory, Laboratory of ecological-toxicological research. Department of environmental foundations of hydrosphere biological productivity Monitoring of the commercial, non-traditional and potentially commercial invertebrates, algae and sea grasses stocks status in the Russian area of the Black Sea Laboratory of coastal research. Department of the fishery hydrobiology

The Department of Environmental Foundations of Hydrosphere Biological Productivity Marine Ecology Laboratory 1989 – 2011 oceanographic, hydrochemical, biochemical research of the Russian Black Sea coastal zone

Comprehensive environmental research of the Khiziltazsch limans Evaluation the current status of stocks dynamics of aquatic biological resources of the Russian part of the Black Sea, including the Black Sea estuaries, regularities of their reproduction and multiyear tendencies of their changes. The project has been started in summer 2010 in collaboration of The Department of Environmental Foundations of Hydrosphere Biological Productivity (VNIRO ) and Krasnodar affiliate of VNIRO

The Black Sea – limans: Ecosystem dynamic

, Distribution of temperature, salinity and dissolved oxygen in summer and autumn, 2010 July September

J Distribution of nutrients (phosphates, nitrates and silicates, µM,) in summer and autumn, 2010 JulySeptember

The programme of comprehensive scientific research of biological and fishery productivity of the Black Sea The programme of comprehensive scientific research of biological and fishery productivity of the Black Sea The comprehensive study of the seasonal and interannual variability of biological and fishery productivity and effects on reproduction, distribution and abundance of the commercial species in the Black Sea. The research preparations: Analyze the data of the ecosystem research, areas and time of occurrence in the Black Sea region over the past 50 yearsAnalyze the data of the ecosystem research, areas and time of occurrence in the Black Sea region over the past 50 years Evaluate the data representativeness and the comparability of the research methods Design a programme and unified methodological approaches for comprehensive environmental research. It is highly recommended to create specialized international working group dedicated to the elaboration of the recommendations on common methodological approaches and quality control of scientific research in the Black Sea Fisheries. The results of the working group should be a document containing the uniform standards of methods of environmental researches in the Black Sea Region.Design a programme and unified methodological approaches for comprehensive environmental research. It is highly recommended to create specialized international working group dedicated to the elaboration of the recommendations on common methodological approaches and quality control of scientific research in the Black Sea Fisheries. The results of the working group should be a document containing the uniform standards of methods of environmental researches in the Black Sea Region. Determinate the most representative areas of the Black Sea for the annual comprehensive environmental monitoringDeterminate the most representative areas of the Black Sea for the annual comprehensive environmental monitoring Design a programme of annual environmental monitoring of the Black Sea ecosystem Create an integrated database of abiotic and biotic factors of marine living resources and the environment of the Black SeaCreate an integrated database of abiotic and biotic factors of marine living resources and the environment of the Black Sea Elaborate recommendations for the assessment of aquatic biological resources stocks, their rational exploitation, reproduction and fishing capacity increasingElaborate recommendations for the assessment of aquatic biological resources stocks, their rational exploitation, reproduction and fishing capacity increasing

Integrated international environmental database The Black Sea integrated environmental database Oceanographic data Biochemical data Hydrochemical data Microbiological data Phyto- and zooplankton data Phyto- and zoobenthic data Hydroacoustic data Ichthyological data Parasitological data Ichthyopathological data Genetic data Marine mammals and birds data Pollution data Option one Option two

The programme of comprehensive scientific research of biological and fishery productivity of the Black Sea I. The study of abiotic environmental parameters determining the productivity, including the analysis of their spatial and temporal changes and status: Oceanographic research Hydrochemical research Biochemical research

The programme of comprehensive scientific research of biological and fishery productivity of the Black Sea. II. The study of biotic components of marine ecosystems: Microbiological research Primary producers research: phytoplankton, microphytobenthos and macrophytes Zooplankton research Benthic organisms research Ichthyological research Ecological parasitological and ichthyopathological research Genetic monitoring of the Black Sea commercial fish species Observations of marine mammals and avifauna

The programme of comprehensive scientific research of biological and fishery productivity of the Black Sea. III. Hydroacoustic monitoring of the Black Sea fish with standard methodology, hardware and software.

The programme of comprehensive scientific research of biological and fishery productivity of the Black Sea. IV. Assessment of anthropogenic impacts on the productivity of marine ecosystems (ecological - toxicological studies): Sea water pollution and impact on marine living resources Sediment pollution and the impact on marine living resources

The expeditions should be planned annually in different areas of the Black Sea, including offshore zones and the areas of large cyclonic gyres, in the cooperation of all the Black Sea countries. The materials of the expeditions should be available to all participants, and the research results should be discussed at the international conferences and specific working groups. The research goals appoint the terms and areas of the scientific research. The programme of comprehensive scientific research of biological and fishery productivity of the Black Sea

3. Research of artificial reproduction and commercial aquaculture of European (flat) oysters (Ostrea edulis). The research programme: Developing of aquaculture in the Black Sea 1.Artificial reproduction and aquaculture of the Azov-Black Sea sturgeons (beluga (Huso huso), sturgeon (Acipenser gueldenstaedtii), sevruga (A. stellatus), spike (A.nudiventris)). 2. Artificial reproduction and commercial aquaculture of the native Black Sea fish. Artificial reproduction and commercial aquaculture of the Black Sea turbot (Psetta maeotica) Commercial aquaculture of new objects - croaker (Umbrina cirrosa) and bluefish (Pomatomus saltatrix)

Establishment of unified methodological approaches to the scientific research Creation of an integrated database of abiotic and biotic factors of marine living resources environment Carrying out joint scientific and field research Collaborative publications and conference participation Coordination of the positions, research activities and the results within specific scientific working groups framework Joint training and internship of scientific experts and stuff The priorities in the planning of the international scientific collaborative activities

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