Fish faunistical and stream habitat survey of the Torna Creek in the town of Ajka, Hungary
Abstract
The study reports data about the fish fauna in the section of the Torna Creek that flows through the town of Ajka, Hungary, and the basic habitat features that can influence the distribution of the fish within small streams. A single occasion of field survey was conducted in May 2023. There were five sampling reaches, each was 150 m long, within Ajka. As results, 13 individuals of 4 fish species (stone loach Barbatula barbatula, gudgeon Gobio gobio species complex, roach Rutilus rutilus, and chub Squalius cephalus) were captured. The number of the species caught per sampling reach varied between one and two, and the total number of individuals caught ranged from one to five. All species were native in Hungary; two of them were protected by the Hungarian legislation. None of the species is listed by any of the annexes the European Union’s Habitat Directive. Some individuals of the native noble crayfish Astacus astacus and some juveniles of the native green frogs Pelophylax spp. were also encountered as by-catching. The hydrogeological status of the studied section of the Torna Creek is moderately or highly modified. Suggestions for interventions to improve the ecological integrity of the habitat are also discussed.
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