ITALY

by

C.M. de Angelis
National Correspondent
Director
Laboratorio Centrale di Idrobiologia
Viale del Caravaggio 107
00147 Roma

I FISHERY BIOLOGY AND MANAGEMENT

The Italian (natural and artificial) lakes employed for fisheries, are about 150; 107 of which have an area larger than 20 ha.

In the last ten years, production was increasing and at present, is around 10 000 tons. About three-quarters of production belongs to the seventeen main lakes of North and Central Italy, with a total area of about 1 169 Km² and an annual average yield of around 0.6 quintal/hectar.

More than 50% of total yield is represented by eel (Anguilla anguilla), pike (Esox lucius) and perch (Perca fluviatilis); 35% by ciprinids as carp (Cyprinus carpio), tenc (Tinca tinca) etc.; while the remaining 15% by trouts (Salmo gairdneri, S. trutta fario) and whitefish (Coregonus sp.).

Fish stock assessment and others methods of fisheries management are not developed in the inland waters.

Restocking is usual, but it isn't always a practice properly planned. Sometimes, in fact, the biology of each species and/or the environmental characteristics is neglected before sowing and selecting right size or proper amount of specimens.

However, the interest for a modern and proper fisheries management is increasing.

From the legislative point of view, fisheries in inland waters is governed by national old laws (1914, 1931) only fragmentarilly integrated. Since 1977 the administrative and legislative functions have been transferred to Regions. However, the State continues to have the control and coordination through the Ministry of Agriculture and Forests.

II FISH CULTURE AND DISEASES

1.1 Fish culture

Inland waters aquaculture is carried out mainly with intensive and semi-intensive methods.

Trout, eel, cat-fish and carp are the most important species. The fish farms are about 500, with a total area of about 1 500 ha.

Among these fish farms, the most expanded is trout-culture, with a production of about 25 000 tons. Moreover, about 5 000 tons are exported every year. Trout farms are located mainly in North Italy, here being the better hydrological conditions. The most important commercial species is Salmo gairdneri.

The production of carp (Cyprinus carpio) has reached 500 tons. Certain number of factors -first of which is the demand of sport-fishermen, so then necessity to avoid importation and to integrate this culture with traditional agriculture- could make this field rich of prospects. Studies on genetic structure of wild and among different cultived stocks are also carried out.

Generally, fishes or commercial crustacea genetics, have proved to be of great importance in fisheries management, so research is carrying out.

The artificial reproduction of herbivourus carp (Ctenopharingodon idella) has been recently experimented. Moreover research has dealt with this and others asiatic ciprinid species for policulture. The principal species, C. carpio, is flancked from time to time according to the environmental characteristics with each asiatic species. Mullet too (Mugil cephalus and Liza ramada) may be mixed with carp in particular conditions with good results.

In the last few years interest in fish-cat (Ictalurus melas) culture is increasing. The recent production has reached 1 900 tons. Artificial reproduction is not practised, considering the success of natural ones. Nutrition researches is carrying out on I. melas, using feeds diversified in proteic content. Some studies are carried out on I. punctatus too; artificial reproduction has been experimented.

Intensive method for eel (Anguilla anguilla) is greatly developed in Italy, with a production of about 2 500 tons, as welle as the extensive ones in brackish waters. The last production is about of 2 000 tons.

2. Crayfish

Native species are Astacus astacus and Austropotamobius pallipes italicus. The first one has a marginal distribution in North-eastern Italy. The second one is a widespread species, but changing in abundance in several places during the last twenty years. Somewhere the species has been extinguished. Water pollution, man-made environmental alterations, overfishing, diseases are, probably, the main reasons of these changes.

In the last ten years, Astacus leptodactylus has been imported from Turkey; more recently a second species, Procambarus clarkii has been introduced from Kenya and Spain.

Culture of A. p. italicus and A. leptodactylus is for restocking, but it is a limitaded activity.

Fishery of all species is controlled; a minimum legal size is 7 cm. In several places fishery of A.p. italicus is forbidden.

Research is carrying out on genetic structure of different population of A.p. italicus and of A. leptodactylus.

3. Diseases

Different researches have been carried out on this subject, regarding mainly trout-farms.

Dangerous viral fish diseases such as VHS and IPN still remain a problem. In trout-culture, the first causes a loss of 30%.

Foruncolosis (Aeromonas salmonicida) was replaced by vibriosis (Vibrio anguillarum) that, at present, is the main disease for rainbow trout.

4. Introduction of exotic species

No introductions of new fish species have been made during the few last years.

The Italian laws forbid the introduction of exotic species, but give to local fishery commission the autorithy to allow this. Recently, also this matter concerns Regions.

It doesn't exist till now an overall national planned philosophy holding different aspects of introduction. But the general attempt is making attention to the biological, ecological and environmental as well as sanitary point of view. The last, in fact, has been stressed comparing with the first.

The problem of specific identity of “italian” whitefishes is under study.

5. Research

In the last few years the Ministry of Agriculture and Forests has greatly shared in the expantion of research in aquaculture field. The main contribution came from the “Project of scientific and technical research for the development of national aquaculture”, planned and coordinated by the Laboratorio Centrale di Idrobiologia depending on the Ministry. The Project is concerned with four main goals which have been individuated after a preliminary evaluation of the sector's requirements.

The Project is subdivided in the following sections:

Mariculture

Shell fish aquaculture

Fresh water aquaculture

Ecology and fish production in aquatic environments.

III FISH AND POLLUTED WATERS

Available data on the nature and extent of water pollution, in Italy, are not sufficient. Regional programms to collect these data, in fact, are just beginning, as well as the drafting of fishmaps. The data available come mainly from local experimental studies, or national researches concerning the most important lakes or rivers.

Monitoring water quality is for men-use of water resources, and it is making mainly with a controll of discharges with chemical criteria. Biological surveillance isn't a common practice.

According to CEE monitoring programms of water quality, shortly will came true in Italy the Directive 78/659. The Region, in fact, will classified the inland waters to protect or improve their quality in relation to fishes life.

Researches concerning bioaccumulation of toxic substance in fish has been carried out. A research project on the effects of chlorobenzenes on aquatic organisms is outstanding. Some studies are carrying out on Salmo gairdneri, demostrating that in the early life stages bioaccumulation is more intense.

The application of toxicological and physiological methods in evaluating the effects and the bioaccumulation of heavy metals is also outstanding. Fishes from known polluted rivers (for example the river Po in North Italy) are tested as well as fishes under laboratory conditions.

Sometimes it has risen the problem of eutrophication caused by the fish farms effluents (trout culture in particular). The real extent of effects is unknown; some researches are going to study this problem.

IV STATISTICS OF PRODUCTION

The data available, coming from different sources, are the following:

• Fishery

• Aquaculture

* Average price (ISTAT)

References

Cataudella S., P. Melotti. L'acquacoltura negli ambienti lacustri. In l'Acquacoltura, edited by Laboratorio Centrale Idrobiologia (M.A.F.). Rome, 1982. 148pp.

Giorgetti G., G. Ceschia. Troticultura. In l'Acquacoltura, edited by Laboratorio Centrale di Idrobiologia (M.A.F.). Rome, 1982.

IRVAM, 1980. Indagine sulle suscettività produttive socioeconomiche e di mercato dell'acquacoltura.

Istituto Centrale di Statistica, 1982. Annuario statistico della Zootecnia, Pesca e Caccia. Vol.XXII.

Melotti P., S. Cataudella. L'aalevamento della carpa. In l'Acquacoltura, edited by Laboratorio Centrale di Idrobiologia (M.A.F.). Rome, 1982. 148pp.

Melotti P., S. Cataudella. L'aalevamento del pesce gatto. In l'Acquacoltura, edited by Laboratorio Centrale di Idrobiologia (M.A.F.). Rome, 1982. 148pp.

Panella S., in press. Prime valutazioni sui risultati del Progetto di ricerche scientifiche e tecnologiche per lo sviluppo dell'acquacoltura nazionale (L. 984/77) del Ministero Agricoltura e Foreste. Atti del XIV Convegno Nazionale sui Problemi della Pesca, Cesenatico (Italy) 22.VI.1985.

Panella S., G. Della Seta and V. Hull. Acquacoltura, situazione attuale e prospettive in Italia. In l'Acquacoltura, edited by Laboratorio Centrale di Idrobiologia (M.A.F.). Rome, 1982. 148pp.