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To inform aquatic conservation policy and management decisions, translocated freshwater fish species, i.e. those native to part but not all of Great Britain (GB), were assessed with the Aquatic Species Invasiveness Screening Kit (AS-ISK) at two spatial levels (River Basin District [RBD] and GB overall), the outcome scores calibrated and analysed to determine the relevance of geographical scale (GB, RBD and freshwater ecoregion) on AS-ISK outcome score rankings. The 16 species assessed received scores that showed limited among-RBD variation, with all but only one species (silver bream Blicca bjoerkna) receiving the same risk ranking across all RBDs for which they were assessed. A trend of increasing AS-ISK score with decreasing RBD latitudinal location was observed, with two species (bleak Alburnus alburnus and tench Tinca tinca) found to have significantly higher AS-ISK scores in west-coast RBDs than in RBDs to the north and east, and one species (bleak Alburnus alburnus) to have significantly higher AS-ISK scores in southern RBDs than in northern RBDs. The Water Framework Directive classification of Scotland was found to be inconsistent with the latitudinal gradients in that country's environmental conditions, which are better reflected in the distinction of northern and southern freshwater ecoregions. The ramifications of these legislative classifications for aquatic conservation are discussed.

The Velika Morava River is the greatest national Serbian river and the significant tributary of the Danube River. The major problems in the Velika Morava River Basin (VMRB) represent untreated industrial and municipal wastewaters. In this study, the level of genotoxic potential at the sites along the VMRB was evaluated by parallel in vitro and in situ approach. Within in vitro testing, genotoxicity of native water samples collected from the sites in VMRB was evaluated by SOS/umuC test on Salmonella typhimurium TA1535/pSK1002 and by the comet assay on HepG2 cells. DNA damage in situ was assessed in bleak (Alburnus alburnus) erythrocytes by the comet (alkaline and Fpg-modified comet) and micronucleus assays. Additionally, the concentration of heavy metals in fish tissue was measured and this data, compiled with the data of the physico-chemical parameters measured in water, was used as a measure of the pollution pressure at the sites. Results showed that applied in vitro tests with native water samples are less sensitive in comparison with in situ tests and should be taken with precaution when making predictions on the status of the ecosystem. Within applied battery of in situ assays differential sensitivity of assays was observed where alkaline comet assay showed the highest potential in differentiation of the sites based on genotoxic potential. Integrated biomarker response showed that usage of the battery of bioassays provides better insight in a genotoxic effects in animals, and consequently, that the holistic approach is more suitable for this type of study.

Concentration of trace metals (Al, Mn, Fe, Co, Ni, Cu, Zn, Cd, Pb and As) in the muscle of six fish species was analyzed to determine the variation with fish size and fish species in an Iberian river with moderate metal pollution. Al, Fe and Zn were the most abundant metals across sites. Fish size and sampling site explained more variation than fish species, and a high intraspecific variability (among individuals) in metal loads was also observed. Considering the most spread species, concentrations were highest in bleak (Alburnus alburnus) and lowest in gudgeon (Gobio occitaniae) for all the elements. Metal loads were comparable with literature data from contaminated sites, often exceeding recommended European Environmental Quality Standards. The relationships between metal concentration and fish size varied markedly among sites, elements, and fish species. The slopes of these relationships were often significantly heterogeneous, a fact barely acknowledged in the literature, and were often negative, probably due to size-specific metabolic rates related to fish growth. © 2014 Elsevier Inc. This research was supported by Spanish Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness through the project SCARCE (Consolider- Ingenio2010CSD200900065) and the University of Girona (ProjectSING12/09).RM held a doctoral fellowship from the Spanish Ministry of Education (AP2010-4025)