The project, organized by the Perm Regional Branch of the Russian Geographical Society, Perm State National Research University, the Mining Institute of the Ural Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences and the Perm branch of VNIRO, brought together 45 researchers — this is the largest comprehensive study of the river in the last 50 years. Having covered 200 km by water, the team has collected valuable interdisciplinary data: they will help not only protect the ecosystem of the natural park, but also design safe and ecologically balanced hiking routes that take into account vulnerable areas of the river valley.
As part of the hydrobiological work, Sergey Ogorodov conducted a series of targeted studies on key sections of the river. He took samples of zooplankton and zoobenthos from the Vishera ridges — these organisms serve as the most important indicators of the state of the reservoir and directly determine the productivity of the aquatic ecosystem. In addition, the specialist performed drownings of juvenile drakes to assess the abundance and species composition of juvenile fish, and also conducted setups to analyze the structure of the ichthyofauna in the studied area.
The obtained materials will allow a detailed assessment of the river's food supply — that is, to understand how well the reservoir is able to support fish populations. Scientists will be able to find out how different fish species are distributed and how numerous they are in the studied stretch of the Vishera, as well as identify possible changes in their migration routes and feeding grounds. These data will form the basis for recommendations on the conservation of biodiversity and the rational use of water resources, as well as help to adjust measures to protect rare and valuable species living in the river basin.
VNIRO Press Service
