Alien freshwater fish species in the Balkans—Vectors and pathways of introduction |
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Authors: | Marina Piria Predrag Simonović Eleni Kalogianni Leonidas Vardakas Nicholas Koutsikos Davor Zanella Milica Ristovska Apostolos Apostolou Avdul Adrović Danilo Mrdak Ali Serhan Tarkan Dragana Milošević Linda N Zanella Rigers Bakiu F Güler Ekmekçi Metka Povž Kastriot Korro Vera Nikolić Rifat Škrijelj Vasil Kostov Andrej Gregori Michael K Joy |
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Affiliation: | 1. Department of Fisheries, Beekeeping, Game Management and Special Zoology, Faculty of Agriculture, University of Zagreb, Zagreb, Croatia;2. Faculty of Biology, University of Belgrade, Belgrade, Serbia;3. Institute for Biological Research “Sini?a Stankovi?”, University of Belgrade, Belgrade, Serbia;4. Institute of Marine Biological Resources and Inland Waters, Hellenic Centre for Marine Research, Anavyssos, Greece;5. Department of Environment, University of the Aegean, Mytilene, Greece;6. Faculty of Science, University of Zagreb, Zagreb, Croatia;7. Faculty of Sciences and Mathematics, St. Ciril and Methodius University, Skopje, Macedonia;8. Institute of Biodiversity and Ecosystem Research, Bulgarian Academy of Sciences, Sofia, Bulgaria;9. Department of Biology, Faculty of Sciences, University of Tuzla, Tuzla, Bosnia and Herzegovina;10. Faculty of Sciences and Mathematics, University of Montenegro, Podgorica, Montenegro;11. Faculty of Fisheries, Mu?la S?tk? Ko?man University, Mu?la, Turkey;12. Department of Aquaculture and Fisheries, Agricultural University of Tirana Kod?r Kam?z, Tirana, Albania;13. Biology Department, Faculty of Science, Hacettepe University, Ankara, Turkey;14. Institute of Natural Sciences, Umbra, Ljubljana, Slovenia;15. Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Agricultural University of Tirana, Tirana, Albania;16. Faculty of Science, University of Sarajevo, Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina;17. Institute of Animal Science, St. Cyril and Methodius University, Skopje, Macedonia;18. Institute of Agriculture & Environment, Massey University, Palmerston North, New Zealand |
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Abstract: | Fish introductions, particularly in areas of high biological diversity and endemism, represent a major threat for biodiversity. In the Balkan Peninsula, 60 fish species have been introduced to date, of which 36 have become naturalized in inland waters. Since the Balkans are one of the world's 35 biodiversity hot spots, this large presence of alien fish species poses a serious threat for the stability of freshwater ecosystems and the survival of the native ichthyofauna and of aquatic biodiversity in general. The motivation for the introductions, and the historical timeline, varies among the Balkan states. Despite recent attempts to implement and align legislation aimed at preventing the introduction of potentially invasive species, and the implementation of rigorous controls of introductions and increased protection of open waters, the majority of current introductions remain intentional, primarily via aquaculture. This review article provides a historical overview of freshwater fish introductions, the motivation behind them and the current distribution of alien freshwater fishes in the Balkans. The ecological implications and future perspectives concerning alien fish species in the region are also discussed. |
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Keywords: | Balkan Peninsula distribution inland waters introductions history invasives non‐native fish |
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