An important study by the Institute of Oceanography and Fisheries will begin soon, which will provide a scientific answer to the question of what we have really done to fish populations by filling in artificial beaches in places where the coast was once full of life.
Shallow coastal habitats are crucial for many species of marine fish, but human activities such as building and filling beaches destroy places where fish breed and grow.
"Our previous research revealed that changes in fish communities along the Adriatic coast may be related to coastal construction, but the importance of natural beaches and the effects of supplementation are still not sufficiently investigated. Therefore, we will soon start field research to assess the impact of human activities on the fish communities of the Adriatic Sea", published is the Institute of Oceanography and Fisheries.
Through the project Linking the ecological role of habitats and trophic patterns with the dynamics of fish populations and diversity - #LinkFish, financed by the Croatian Science Foundation - Croatian Science Foundation, under the leadership of dr. sc. Sanje Matić Skoko from the Laboratory for Ichthyology and Coastal Fishing, scientists will study the fish life on the natural and artificially modified beaches of Kvarner and central Dalmatia.
This research will provide key information that will answer the question of how human activities have changed the composition and structure of coastal fish communities on the Croatian coast.
Sampling will be done at the end of spring, before the beginning of the tourist season, when ecological conditions allow a high probability of the presence of young fish.
Scientists will assess fish populations by diving, gillnets and quadrats using anesthetic to examine the composition of tiny cryptobenthic fish species that hide in crevices and under rocks.
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