Scientific Cooperation and Technology Transfer for the Development of a Fish-based Assessment Method of Surface Waters Ecological Status

Study Area: Western Greece and Montenegro
The aims of the project are: (1) to collect, evaluate and exploit the results of ichthyological research on the inland water systems of the Western Balkans,(2) to promote the mutual trasfer of technology between Greece and Montenegro, on issues of environmental protection of surface waters, (3) to enhance the scientific cooperation between the two countries and (4) to facilitate the reduction of the inequalities within the European regions, on methodological issues of environmental protection.

To achieve these aims, a series of actions of Scientific Cooperation and Technology Transfer for the Development of a Fish-based Assessment Method of Surface Waters Ecological Status according to current European Union policies (EU Water Framework Directive 200/60), will be mutually planned and implemented by scientists of the Hellenic Centre for Marine Research and scientists of the University of Montenegro.

The actions of this pilot project are the following: (1) Collection, evaluation and dissemination of all available biotic and abiotic data on the water systems of the Western Balkans (data collection and classification, data evaluation in terms of their compatibility to EU Water Framework Directive provisions, data deficiencies recording) (2) Development of methodological tools to collect new data (development of sampling techniques, development of locally adapted field protocols) (3) Pilot implementation of the sampling techniques and protocols in water systems of Greece and Montenegro (field implementation in the river Arachthos system, Greece and in the river Moraca system, Montenegro, general assessment of the stages of a fish-based assessment tool development).