COMPARATIVE ANALYSIS OF FISH COMMUNITY COMPOSITION USING DIFFERENT SAMPLING METHODOLOGIES

Sampling with electrofishing and gillnets was carried out on the Danube and the Sava in 2024 to compare the composition of the fish community obtained using these methods. Greater diversity, evenness, and a number of benthic fish species in the community were recorded based on samples taken with gillnets than electrofishing, where smaller pelagic species dominated. The mean length and weight of individuals sampled with gillnets were higher on both rivers compared to electrofishing (t-test, p < 0.05). As pelagic species are predominantly collected by electrofishing, and netting enables more efficient sampling of benthic species, employing both methods, i.e., the data thus obtained, provides a more complete insight into the biodiversity and ecology of the fish community.