OSCE-supported research on Dniester River shows water quality issues and alarming decline in fish species

Research on water quality and fish fauna in the Dniester River, supported by the OSCE Office of the Co-ordinator of Economic and Environmental Activities in partnership with the UN Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE) and the UN Environment Programme (UNEP), was published on 27 March 2012. The research points to declining water quality towards the mouth of the Dniester, while fish species have halved over the past decade.

While the research objectives were collection of information on the quality of water and bottom sediments, and the state of the fish fauna, the initiative also sought to improve transboundary co-operation.

A joint Moldovan-Ukrainian hydrochemical expedition along the Dniester River was conducted from May to October 2011, for the first time in 14 years.

The research shows that the lower course of the Dniester is more polluted than the upper one. The water quality of the Dniester can be defined as “very good” and “good” only along the first 150 km from the source. Water quality declines significantly in the lower course and especially along last 200 to 250 km and in the Dniester liman, threatening water ecosystems and sustainability of water use in the lower part of the basin.

A bilateral field research of fish fauna in the Lower Dniester was conducted between May and October 2011 for the first time since 1992 also by an initiative of the two countries.

The principal findings include a 50-percent drop in the number of fish species over the last 10 years, and a decrease in the number of commercial fish species by a factor of 1.5. They also show degradation of the ecosystem, and the need to revise and expand the national lists of rare and endangered fish species.

The expeditions are a part of an OSCE / UNECE / UNEP project “Transboundary Cooperation and Sustainable Management in the Dniester River Basin: Phase III – Implementation of the Action Programme” (Dniester-III) implemented in the framework of Environment and Security Initiative (ENVSEC).

The full Russian-language reports with recommendations are available on www.dniester.org.