Economic effectiveness of stocking lakes in Poland [RESEARCH ARTICLE]

Abstract

This paper was based on survey data regarding stocking and fish catches from the 1995-2007 period that was collected from enterprises licensed to manage lake fisheries in Poland. An average of 70 questionnaires were collected annually from lake fisheries enterprises exploiting a combined lake surface area of 228,102 ha. The eleven species of fish analyzed were those that were the most intensely stocked. The effectiveness of stocking in Polish lakes in this period was analyzed by calculating the mean annual stocking effectiveness coefficient, i.e, the value in PLN ha-1 of catches of a given species per 1 PLN ha-1 of stocking this species in a given year. The highest mean annual stocking effectiveness coefficient was noted for pikeperch Sander lucioperca (L.) (4.21 PLN ha-1) and bighead carp Aristichthys noblilis Rich. together with silver carp Hypophthalmichthys molitrix Val. (4.02 PLN ha-1); however, these values were unstable. A similar situation was noted for eel Anguilla anguilla (L.), which had the next highest stocking effectiveness coefficient at 2.32 PLN ha-1. The stocking effectiveness coefficient was stable for tench Tinca tinca (L.) (2.16 PLN ha-1), vendace Coregonus albula (L.) (2.09 PLN ha-1), and pike Esox lucius L. (1.31 PLN ha-1). The stocking of whitefish Coregonus lavaretus (L.), Wels catfish Silurus glanis (L.), crucian carp Carassius carassius (L.) together with Prussian carp Carassius auratus gibelio Bloch., common carp Cyprinus carpio L., and grass carp Ctenopharyngodon idella Val., were ineffective economically from the viewpoint of the size of commercial catches.

CORRESPONDING AUTHOR:

M. Mickiewicz [+]
Department of Fisheries Bioeconomics
Inland Fisheries Institute in Olsztyn
Oczapowskiego 10, 10-719 Olsztyn, Poland
Tel. +48 89 5241065; e-mail: mmickiewicz@infish.com.pl