Intensity of winter recreational fishing in the reservoirs of the Kharkiv Region (Ukraine)

Abstract

The paper presents the results of the research performed in the 2020–2021 winter period on 4 sections of the Pechenizke Reservoir and on 2 fluvial sections of the Siversky Donets river (areas with maximum fishing loads) are presented. We analyzed 336 reports from anglers. Total of 12 fish species were recorded in the catches. The most common were bream Abramis brama and roach Rutilus rutilus, which accounted for 72% of the total number of cought fish. The number of anglers on the water body depended on the day of the week. On holydays, the number of anglers were higher than during the week – 1.8 times on Saturday and 2.5 times on Sunday, total catch was doubled respectively. In winter, ice fishing rods were used most often – 70.8% of the total number of gears, tip-ups (rod for catching predatory fish) – 20.8%, spinnings – 4.3%, feeders – almost 2.5%, float fishing rods – 1.2%. Total of 10 species of fish were caught by ice fishing rods (83% of the total species composition of the catches), by feeders – 6 (50%), by spinnings – 5 (42%), by the rods with float – 3 (25%)), only pike Esox lucius was caught on the tip-ups. The average catch per 1 gear/day was 3.3 ± 0.16 kg for ice fishing rod, 2.8 ± 0.19 kg for spinning, 1.45 ± 0.10 kg for feeder, 1.22 ± 0.08 kg for float fishing rod, 0.80 ± 0.06 kg for tip-up.

Keywords

• aquatic biological resources; winter recreation fishing; catch accounting; nature management; ichthyological research; natural and artificial reservoirs.