title: The Alburnus benthopelagic fish species of the Western Balkan Peninsula: An assessment of their sustainable use.
abstract: In this study, we aimed to assess the population status of bleak (Alburnus spp.) over the Western Balkan Peninsula in terms of its sustainable use. A second objective was to determine key factors important for fishery management planning. Two different basins, continental (the Danube Basin and the Sava River sub-basin) and marine (the Adriatic and the Aegean Sea Basins) were examined. A sustainability assessment and factor analysis were conducted using the adjusted ESHIPPOfishing model, extended with additional socio-economic sub-elements, and the categorical principal components analysis (CATPCA), respectively. The results of the assessment revealed the bleak populations in the Danube Basin and the Sava River sub-basin to be highly sustainable. The population characteristics with abiotic and biotic factors were responsible for this status, while the influence of socio-economic factors was insignificant. The sustainability status of the bleak populations of the Mediterranean basin varied, with the populations from Ohrid and Skadar Lakes showing a high and those from Prespa and Dojran Lakes a medium status. Socio-economic factors with traditional fishing were the most important for the Mediterranean bleak populations.
authors.affiliation: University of Kragujevac, Faculty of Science, Institute of Biology and Ecology, Radoja Domanovića 12, 34000 Kragujevac, Serbia. Electronic address: simic@kg.ac.rs.
authors.forename: Vladica
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Simić
authors.affiliation: University of Kragujevac, Faculty of Science, Institute of Biology and Ecology, Radoja Domanovića 12, 34000 Kragujevac, Serbia.
authors.forename: Snežana
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Simić
authors.affiliation: University of Belgrade, Institute for Biological Research "Siniša Stanković", Bulevar Despota Stefana 142, 11060 Belgrade, Serbia.
authors.forename: Momir
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Paunović
authors.affiliation: University of Kragujevac, Faculty of Science, Institute of Biology and Ecology, Radoja Domanovića 12, 34000 Kragujevac, Serbia.
authors.forename: Nataša
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Radojković
authors.affiliation: University of Kragujevac, Faculty of Science, Institute of Biology and Ecology, Radoja Domanovića 12, 34000 Kragujevac, Serbia.
authors.forename: Ana
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Petrović
authors.affiliation: Hydrobiological Institute, Naum Ohridski 50, 6000 Ohrid, Macedonia.
authors.forename: Trajče
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Talevski
authors.affiliation: University of Niš, Faculty of Science and Mathematics, Department of Biology and Ecology, Višegradska 33, 18000 Niš(1), Serbia. Electronic address: djuradj@pmf.ni.ac.rs.
authors.forename: Djuradj
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Milošević
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D063368:Balkan Peninsula; D003247:Conservation of Natural Resources / Q000379:methods*; D003530:Cyprinidae / Q000254:growth & development*; D004784:Environmental Monitoring; D005398:Fisheries / Q000379:methods* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D014644:Genetic Variation; D060106:Lakes; D010802:Phylogeny
keywords: Accumulation; Bleak; Fishery; Lakes; River basin; Sustainability