Ichthyological integral indices, the history of development and possible application on rivers in Serbia

Abstract

Stojković, M., Milošević, Đ., Simić, V.: Ichthyological integral indices, the history of development andpossible application on rivers in Serbia. Biologica Nyssana, 2 (1), September 2011: 59-66.

Based on a literature review, the different approaches in the water quality assessment using fish communitiesin freshwaters are summarized. Fish assemblage indicators, developed throughout the world, were reviewedand the main differences in methodologies, number of metrics and values are summarized. We have drawnattention to the methods used for designing a fish-based index with a particular focus on originaldevelopments in North America and its adaptations in many different regions and habitat types. The mainobstacles for ecological assessment are scarce ecological information and the problem with the classification.The lack of knowledge is especially true for species assemblages in the relatively unexplored river basins ofEurope, e.g. The Balkans peninsular.

Key words: biotic indices, fish, multimetric approach, water quality assessment