Ichthyoplankton Complexes of the Coastal Waters of Southeastern Crimea

Abstract This article analyzes retrospective literature data and the results of our own research on ichthyoplankton in the coastal waters of southeastern Crimea (the waters of the Karadag Nature Reserve) over the period 1950–2024. Samples were collected in the coastal zone using vertical and horizontal surface fishing methods. Information on taxonomic composition, structure, and abundance dynamics of ichthyoplankton are presented. During a 70-year research period, eggs and larvae of 66 fish species from 33 families are identified. The recovery of ichthyoplankton abundance and species composition after the collapse of the Black Sea ecosystem in the 1990s occurred against the background of climatic changes that significantly impacted the hydrological regime and thermohaline structure of waters in the Azov–Black Sea Basin. In recent years, there has been an increase in the number of species, including Mediterranean species, and a change in the dominance and subdominance of species has occurred.