Drought threatening indigenous fish species in Toplica River

A prolonged drought during the summer months in the Toplica District has brought the river water level almost to the biological minimum for the survival of fish stocks.

For more than a month, the water level of the Toplica River has been recording values of minus 22 to minus 26 centimeters at all measuring points.

The watercourse might not even exist if it were not for wastewater, say fishing enthusiasts on the river, and point out that this is confirmed by unpleasant odors in the coastal area, which causes additional concern for the survival of fish.

– The water is low, fish survive by moving in schools and going to rapids where oxygen is created and that is how they survive – says Srdjan Radosavljevic, president of the Fishermen’s Association “Bistro” in Prokuplje.

Dragan Mehmedovic, a fisherman from Prokuplje, says that he has been fishing for fifty years, but “it has never been like this.”

– I do sport fishing, I catch and return. The water has really dropped by a meter, if not more – says Lazar Ristic, a fisherman from Prokuplje.

Fish guards take care of all problems on the rivers every day and, together with the competent inspectorates, try to prevent activities that cause damage.

When the situation is alarming, they take the necessary, urgent measures in cooperation with local governments.

– Most of the river had dried up, the fish concentrated in certain whirlpools and then we injected drinking water. In this way, we slightly improved the oxygen and some of the water regime – says Nikola Kumanovic, director of DOO “Juzna Morava 2” from Nis.

Climate change is taking its toll, so from the torrents and flood waves from spring to this period at the end of summer we have a situation where the Toplica can easily be walked over along its entire length.

– There are fish, however, the water and the condition of the fishing waters have been catastrophic in the last few years due to drought, and therefore this causes any production, the introduction of anything into such fishing waters to lead to accidents – says Kumanovic.

Over the years, the problem of river water levels has become increasingly serious and is not being addressed properly, both fishermen and fish keepers agree, expecting the profession to tell us how to preserve the living world we still have in our rivers in the long term.

Udruženje rekreativnih ribolovaca Bistro Prokuplje

DOO JUŽNA MORAVA DVA NIŠ

Toplica

Srđan Radosavljević

Nikola Kumanović

fish

river

pollution