Koroleva I.M. Institute of the North Industrial Ecology Problems of Kola Science Centre

184209, Apatity, Akademgorodok St., 14a
koroleva@inep.ksc.ru

Lapland state natural biosphere reserve, established in 1930, is located in the centre of the Kola Peninsula. The reserve occupying an area of 2.784 km² (including 86 km² of inland water). Waterways and watercourses occupy 4% of the reserve area, including eight lake-river systems. The first studies of lakes and rivers were conducted by O. I. Semenov - Tyan-Shansky. He gave hydrological characteristics of water bodies, amounted bathymetric maps almost 20 lakes, determined their absolute height, described the major rivers.
The reserve is practically the only place on the Kola Peninsula, home to the freshwater pearl mussel Margaritifera margaritifera, listed in the Red book of Russia. Altogether 15 fish species have been recorded in the waters of the reserve, to the family Salmonidae belong brown trout Salmo trutta and charr Salvelinus alpinus. The most commonly occurring species in the lakes are pike (Esox lucius), perch (Perca fluviatilis) and whitefish (Coregonus lavaretus). Species included in the Red data book of the Murmansk region in the reserve are absent. The status of bionizer have brown trout, charr and whitefish.
The most severe repercussion on the fish fauna had the abolished of the reserve in 1951. Fishing on reservoirs was carried out uncontrollably. The catch of fish to the spawning grounds led to a sharp reduction in its reserves. In some waters the fish have disappeared almost completely. In others there has been a marked change in species composition, reduction of the size-weight characteristics. Suffered particularly valuable species – bull trout, whitefish, grayling.
Following a negative factor for aquatic ecosystems of the reserve is the activity of company "Kolenergo". Building hydraulic engineering construction led to changes in the water level regime of a same of reservoirs. Drawdown of water level leads to drainage of the most productive areas of the littoral zone and the freezing of the soil in winter-spring period, which adversely affects the reproduction of fish as well as leads to the death of benthic animals. There is no doubt that this activity also poses a direct threat to the biodiversity of aquatic ecosystems of the reserve. Currently hydrobiological, including ichthyological studies in the reserve are not carried out. There is not information about the composition of the phytoplankton community. Data on the qualitative and quantitative composition of zooplankton and zoobenthos cover a small number of lakes. Not long ago conducted an inventory of the species composition of fish. There is no information on the impact of long-term air pollution and going in many reservoirs of biological contamination.