Since 2006, as part of the national implementation of the Water Framework Directive (WFD), the Office National de l'Eau et des Milieux Aquatiques (ONEMA) has been responsible for monitoring the pisciculture of water bodies included in the surveillance control networks (RCS) and operational control networks (RCO).
The Serre-Ponçon reservoir was surveyed from September 19 to 23, 2011, as part of the RCS network (monitoring carried out every 6 years): these five days were used to carry out sampling designed to characterize the fish population present (specific richness, relative abundance of species and size and age classes), according to a standardized protocol meeting the objectives of the WFD.
The S.M.A.D.E.S.E.P. assisted with the survey operations, which were carried out using two types of gill nets - benthic and pelagic - set on the "Durance" and "Ubaye" arms of the reservoir, and enabled a water depth ranging from the surface to 75 meters to be surveyed. The nets were set each evening - randomly for benthic fish and on fixed anchors for pelagic fish - and retrieved each morning by ONEMA technical teams. The nets were unshackled each morning at Les Eygoires with the help of volunteers from a variety of backgrounds, enabling us to inventory the many species present in Serre-Ponçon, such as Perch, Ablettes, Gudgeon, Roach, Toxostome, Whitefish, Trout, Pike and Bream... in a wide range of ages and sizes.
Complemented by analysis of other biological and physico-chemical parameters, these monitoring surveys should enable us to characterize the overall condition of the Serre-Ponçon reservoir.