Veterinaria Italiana, 2011, 47 (2), 205‐218 Quality of surface fresh waters needing protection or improvement in order to be support fish life: 12 years of monitoring pursuant to European Union Directive 78/659/EEC Carla Giansante, Giampiero Scortichini, Valeria Melai, Sandro Pelini & Nicola Ferri Summary has upheld in other legislation, such as To implement European Union Directive Directive 78/659/EEC (8), which specifically 78/659/EEC concerning the quality of fresh relates to the quality of fresh waters that waters that require protection or improvement require protection or improvement in order to in order to support fish life, the Abruzzo support fish life. In Italy, this Directive was Regional Council commissioned the Istituto transposed firstly by Legislative Decree Zooprofilattico Sperimentale dell’Abruzzo e No. 130/1992 (3) and secondly by Legislative del Molise ‘G. Caporale’ (by Regional Law Decree No. 152/1999 (5) (both of which have No. 50 of 10 August 1994, to conduct a census since been repealed) and, finally, by of the surface freshwaters in the region, and to Legislative Decree No. 152/2006 (6), without classify them. The authors describe the undergoing any major changes. freshwater classifications obtained through Safeguarding freshwater fish is a major monitoring campaigns conducted over a conservation priority because numerous period of twelve years (1996 to 2008). The species are endangered and establishing the results indicate slight improvements in the causes of this situation is essential to prevent quality of the water over time in terms of irreparable events, such as the extinction of contamination by chemicals for which they certain species (7, 17, 23, 24). were monitored; however, 14 stretches do not comply with the requirements of the European This is largely due to inefficient management Union Directive. of the surface and groundwater networks and Keywords destruction of natural habitats (by channels, Abruzzo, Cyprinid, Freshwater, Fish, Italy, dams, weirs, excavations in river beds, water Monitoring, Salmonid. pollution and introduction of alien species), combined with fragmentation of respons‐ Introduction ibilities and resources and the late application or non‐application of international directives, Effective protection of aquatic ecosystems especially water framework Directive must not only take into account ecological 2000/60/EC (10) and habitat Directive processes that guarantee functionality (14), but 92/43/EEC (9), in regarding to which Italy has should also give due consideration to the been reprimanded or fined several times by environmental values that the European Union the European Union. Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale dell’Abruzzo e del Molise ‘G. Caporale’, via Campo Boario, 64100 Teramo, Italy [email protected] © Istituto G. Caporale 2011 www.izs.it/vet_italiana Vol. 47 (2), Vet Ital 205 Quality of surface fresh waters needing protection or improvement Carla Giansante, Giampiero Scortichini, Valeria Melai, in order to be support fish life: 12 years of monitoring Sandro Pelini & Nicola Ferri pursuant to European Union Directive 78/659/EEC The premise for the Directive is that ‘it is Materials and methods necessary from the ecological and economic viewpoint to safeguard fish populations from Pursuant to Regional Law No. 50 of 10 August various harmful consequences, resulting from 1994 (4), the Istituto Zooprofilattico the discharge of pollutant substances into the Sperimentale dell’Abruzzo e del Molise waters, such as, in particular, the reduction in ‘G. Caporale’ (Istituto G. Caporale) was number of fish belonging to a certain species commissioned to conduct a census of the and even in some cases the disappearance of a surface fresh waters in the region that required number of these species’. The aim of the protection or improvement in order to support Directive is to protect or improve the quality of fish life, and to classify them. For the first those running or standing fresh waters which designation, pursuant to section 5 of support or which, if pollution were reduced or Legislative Decree No. 130/1992, priority was eliminated, would become capable of given to the watercourses that run through supporting fish belonging to indigenous national parks and nature reserves, and species, thereby offering a natural diversity, or regional parks and nature reserves. When the the presence of species judged desirable for project was prepared, the heads of the Ecology water management purposes by the competent Sector of the Abruzzo Provincial Council were authorities of member states (sections 1 and 3). contacted to obtain information, such as land registry maps of discharges and publications The Directive states that each member state relating to fishery maps and any biological shall designate fresh waters needing protection monitoring (extended biological index) or improvement in order to support fish life, performed on the watercourses. and then classify the said waters as salmonid, cyprinid, or non‐conforming to the specified In regard to regional parks and nature parameters (article 4). reserves, specific publications published up by environmental associations were consulted. Member states shall also establish programmes A useful contribution to locating these areas to reduce pollution and to ensure that was given by the staff of the Parks and designated waters conform within five years Reserves Sector of the Abruzzo Regional following designation (article 5). Council who supplied the list of sites of Salmonid waters means waters which support community interest (SCIs), identified in or become capable of supporting fish accordance with the selection criteria specified belonging to the Salmonids (Salmonidae), with by Directive 92/43/EEC on the conservation of species such as salmon (Salmo salar), trout natural habitats and of wild fauna and flora. (Salmo trutta), grayling (Thymallus thymallus) The search for the primary sites required a and whitefish (Coregonus); cyprinid waters study of the Regional Countryside Plan, in means waters which support or become particular of zone A1‐2 that features full and capable of supporting fish belonging to the partial conservation. Cyprinids (Cyprinidae), such as pike (Esox lucius), perch (Perca fluviatilis) and eel (Anguilla The Regional Freshwater Commission anguilla) (sections 1 and 4). approved the list of sampling points for the designation and subsequent classification of Directive 78/659/EEC was repealed by freshwaters pursuant to Legislative Decree No. Directive 2006/44/EC which places greater 130/1992 at its meeting on 21 June 1996. emphasis on guide limit values than For each designated watercourse, a stretch was mandatory limit values and no longer requires chosen and was identified by its geographic waters to be tested for metals, apart from zinc coordinates; at the most downstream point of and copper. the stretch, two monitoring campaigns were The Abruzzo Regional Council suspended conducted from 1996 to 2007 to classify the monitoring funds relating to Directive fresh waters in Abruzzo that required 2006/44/EC in 2007, and is still in default. protection or improvement to support fish life. 206 Vol. 47 (2), Vet Ital www.izs.it/vet_italiana © Istituto G. Caporale 2011 Carla Giansante, Giampiero Scortichini, Valeria Melai, Quality of surface fresh waters needing protection or improvement Sandro Pelini & Nicola Ferri in order to be support fish life: 12 years of monitoring pursuant to European Union Directive 78/659/EEC By processing the results of the monitoring . arsenic programme, the waters were classified as . cadmium ‘salmonid’, ‘cyprinid’ or ‘non‐conforming’, in . chromium accordance with the criteria established by . mercury Legislative Decree No. 130/92, as amended. nickel Following this classification, the Abruzzo . lead Regional Council, in its regional improvement . copper plans, must implement specific programmes to . total zinc. maintain and/or improve the quality of the The methods used to determine these designated and classified waters so that they parameters are presented in Table II. comply with the reference values reported in schedule I to Legislative Decree No. 130/92 as required by section 4.2, as amended. Criteria adopted for The designated and classified surface classification of waters watercourses are listed with the geographic The designated and classified waters are coordinates at the beginning and end of the considered able to support fish life when the stretch in question. weekly samples (temperature) and monthly Sampling for the purposes of the monitoring samples (chemical tests) taken at the same programme required by the project was sampling point for a period of 12 months performed at the point furthest downstream, present quality parameter values that conform indicated as the ‘end’ of the designated stretch. with the mandatory limits set out in Table I/B, Table I gives the list of designated surface Section B of Legislative Decree no. 152/2006, in waters in the Abruzzo Region. regard to the following: For the purposes of classification of salmonid . 95% of the samples taken, in terms of the and cyprinid waters, monitoring lasted one parameters pH, BOD5, undissociated year in compliance with the relevant ammonia, total ammonia, nitrites, total standards. The watercourses in one of the four residual chlorine, total zinc, dissolved provinces of Abruzzo have been monitored copper and classified about once a year since 1996. By . values specified for the parameters December 2007, each regional