EVALUATION OF FISHERY VIABILITY OF RIVER NESTOS ESTUARINE WETLANDS

This paper evaluates fishery production fluctuations that occurred during the last decades in the main lagoons of the river Nestos delta, as the lagoons Vassova, Eratino,Agiasma and Keramoti. All that area represents one of the most important wetlands of Greece and Europe, because of the size and the variety of biotopes and protected by the Ramsar Convension. The fishery management plan follows the general fishery management for the coastal lakes in Northern Greece, with semi-intensive methods of aquaculture. Data include annual total fisheries data since 1950 and their analysis through ARIMA time series models generates short-term forecasts and specifies the effects of the environmental changes in the fisheries and implies an effective model for fishery management, well adapted with the natural environmental conditions of the ecosystem, also aiming in the upgrade of fisheries production for local profit and environmental protection.