Eurasian ruffe The wide delta of Kuban, with its abundant estuaries, is especially rich in plankton and benthos. There are about 400 species of zooplankton, including rotifers, copepods, cladocerans, mollusks, worms, etc., providing abundant food for fish. The fish fauna of the Kuban differs from that of the nearby Don and Volga rivers and contains more than 65 species from 16 families.
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Organisms targeted by NISA are categorized as aquatic nuisance species, including in particular zebra mussel and the Eurasian ruffe. NISA authorizes regulation of ballast water, a key factor in the spread of aquatic invasive species. To minimize the spread of invasive species in U.S. waterways, EPA and the Coast Guard developed plans to regulate the concentration of living organisms discharged in the ballast water of ships.U.S. Coast Guard.
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The Eurasian ruffe (Gymnocephalus cernua), also known as ruffe or pope, is a freshwater fish found in temperate regions of Europe and northern Asia. It has been introduced into the Great Lakes of North America, reportedly with unfortunate results, as it is invasive and is reproducing faster than other species. Its common names are ambiguous – "ruffe" may refer to any local member of its genus Gymnocephalus, which as a whole is native to Eurasia.
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Life for the Eurasian ruffe, starts as an egg, like other fish. Egg sizes typically range from 0.34 to 1.3 mm in diameter, depending on the size of the female. If the same female has a second batch in the same season, the eggs will be smaller than the first batch. The size of the second batch of eggs is about 0.36 to 0.47 mm, while the first batch of eggs goes from 0.90 to 1.21 mm in size.
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It may relate to anthropogenic alternations to the regional nitrogen cycle, but researchers are still unsure of the causes of this change to the lake's ecology. As for other Great Lakes fish, populations have also been affected by the accidental or intentional introduction of foreign species such as the sea lamprey and Eurasian ruffe. Accidental introductions have occurred in part by the removal of natural barriers to navigation between the Great Lakes. Overfishing has also been a factor in the decline of fish populations.
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The National Invasive Species Act (NISA) is a United States federal law intended to prevent invasive species from entering inland waters through ballast water carried by ships. NISA reauthorized and amended a previous measure, the Non-indigenous Aquatic Nuisance Prevention and Control Act of 1990 (NANPCA). Organisms targeted by NISA are categorized as aquatic nuisance species, including in particular zebra mussels and Eurasian ruffe. To extend upon NANPCA, NISA authorizes regulation of ballast water, a key factor in the spread of aquatic invasive species; funding for prevention and control research; regional involvement with the Aquatic Nuisance Species Task Force; and education and technical assistance programs to promote compliance with the new regulations.
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Despite its formerly vast size, the Aral Sea had relatively low indigenous biodiversity. Native fish species of the lake included ship sturgeon (Acipenser nudiventris), all three Pseudoscaphirhynchus sturgeon species, Aral trout (Salmo trutta aralensis), northern pike (Esox lucius), ide (Leuciscus idus oxianus), asp (Aspius aspius iblioides), common rudd (Scardinius erythropthalmus), Turkestan barbel (Luciobarbus capito conocephalus), Aral barbel (L. brachycephalus brachycephalus), common bream (Abramis brama orientalis), white-eyed bream (Ballerus sapa aralensis), Danube bleak (Chalcalburnus chalcoides aralensis), ziege (Pelecus cultratus), crucian carp (Carassius carassius gibelio), common carp (Cyprinus carpio aralensis), Wels catfish (Silurus glanis), Ukrainian stickleback (Pungitius platygaster aralensis), zander (Sander lucioperca), European perch (Perca fluviatilis), and Eurasian ruffe (Gymnocephalus cernuus). All these fish aside from the stickleback lived an anadramous or semi-anadromous lifestyle.
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The only freshwater fish of the order Gadiformes, the burbot, inhabits the lower course near the Danube, which is among the southernmost points of its range. The Esociformes are also represented by a single species, the northern pike. The Perciformes are the most diverse order of fishes in the Iskar, represented by several families. The autochthonous species of the family Percidae include pikeperch, Volga pikeperch, European perch, common zingel, streber, Eurasian ruffe, Balon's ruffe, striped ruffe, The Cyprinidae are represented by asp, tench, Danube bleak, common bleak, riffle minnow, silver bream, common bream, white-eye bream, blue bream, Vimba bream, sabrefish, ide, European chub, common nase, European bitterling, common roach, common minnow, common rudd, gudgeon, Kessler's gudgeon, Danube whitefin gudgeon, common barbel, Romanian barbel, crucian carp, The Nemacheilidae are represented by the stone loach, while the species of the family Cobitidae include European weather loach, spined loach, Balkan loach, golden spined loach, Bulgarian spined loach, and Cottus haemusi.
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