Decline of Artisanal Fish Catch by Species in the Croatian Section of the Sava River

Abstract

Abstract The aim of this study is to analyse the development of artisanal fish catch by species in the Croatian section of the Sava River. For Abramis brama and Silurus glanis, a significant decline in catches (in kg) was observed throughout the study period (2004-2021). Since 2013, this has also been the case for Cyprinus carpio, Esox lucius, Sander lucioperca, other autochthonous species and alochthonous species, while catches of Leuciscus idus have declined significantly since 2014. The catches of three species (Acipenser ruthenus, Leuciscus aspius and Tinca tinca) fluctuated without a trend, which can be attributed to the low quantities. This decline in catches of the most sought-after species in the Sava was greater than that of the other less sought-after autochthonous species (mainly other cyprinids), whose share of the total catch increased significantly.