Monitoring of Zoobenthos as the Basis of the Food Supply for Fish in the Area of Production Activities of the Sredne-Timan Bauxite Mine

Two cycles of hydrobiological observations were conducted on the salmon-spawning Vym River and its tributaries in the area of the Sredne-Timan bauxite mine (Komi Republic) in the period from 2000 to 2022. The identified taxa of benthic invertebrates are common in the Timan rivers. Macrozoobenthos dominated the communities in the monitoring areas: chironomid larvae, mayflies, stoneflies, caddisflies, and, in some places, oligochaetes and mollusks; in some years, a high number of meiobenthic groups was noted. Fluctuations in the number and biomass of benthos in both study periods were within the limits of interannual variation. According to the fishery classification, the studied watercourses of the Vym River basin are classified as water bodies with an average level of food availability for benthophagous fish, and the value of total fish productivity in the studied areas remains stable.