Browse

The present study is aimed to assess the status of Black Sea fish species harvested by the Bulgarian fishing fleet, according to the three criteria of Descriptor D3 under the Marine Strategy Framework Directive (MSFD). Achieving healthy fish populations depends on the adverse impact on species as a result of fishing activity. Descriptor D3 of MSFD addresses the commercial fish stocks status by applying indicators assessing the exploited fish sustainability, reproductive capacity and recruitment, and the age and si...

The study aims to assess the diversity, density, and heterogeneity of seafloor litter, distributed in the Bulgarian Black Sea’s shelf area. The indicators for assessment follow the national monitoring program under Descriptor D10 of the Marine Strategy Framework Directive. The survey campaign took place between 19.10 – 14.11.2017. Marine debris was gathered by 53 trawl hauls distributed in four regions at depths between 30 and 100m. During the survey, all litter items were collected and classified into seven categ...

Transitional (brackish) water bodies host extremely vulnerable ecosystems. They are highly sensitive to pollution, changes in the water currents, nutrient levels, etc. Over the course of the 20th century in Bulgaria, many of them were purposely drained or strongly altered. Today, these fragile ecosystems account for just 0.1% of Bulgaria’s area, and hence they are listed among the country’s top priority nature conservation sites. The long-term preservation and survival of numerous rare or threatened hydrobionts de...

High-resolution imagery guarantees excellent quality of coastal topographic surveys. Alongside the rapid progress of remote sensing, digital photogrammetry and image processing in recent years using unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) provide outstanding opportunities for mapping the coastal zone, including the coverage of difficult-to-access areas, as is the Northern Bulgarian coast. Both spatial planning and integrated coastal zone management require highly accurate and up-to-date geodata, being among the main reaso...

The article presents some case studies of negative impact of human activities on underwater cultural heritage from Black Sea. A serious problem is the pollution and the litter disposal in the historical harbours. The resulting conditions often endanger some impressive and well-preserved underwater cultural heritage sites. An advanced methodology for litter registering and assessment was developed and applied using remote sensing with side scan sonar, subbottom profiler and orthophotography using a drone. The surve...

Over 30% of the Bulgarian Black Sea shoreline is characterized as a depositional type of coast. A significant portion of it represents well-formed sandy beaches and dune fields, falling under the protection of the European ecological network NATURA 2000. The coastal sector of the Lower Kamchia Depression hosts the longest beach-dune system on the Bulgarian Black Sea coast called Kamchia-Shkorpilovtsi beach. The main task of the project "Mapping and monitoring of depositional areas along the Northern Bulgarian Blac...