Project Workshop

The first project workshop was held in Sofia in the period 26-30 July 2010. The workshop was attended by participants from Bulgaria, Macedonia and USA.
See: Worкshop Agenda

A series of sessions were convened during the first two days of the workshop (26-27 July 2010), that focused on providing updates on different workpackages and project accomplishments to date. T. Trichkova led a session that provided summarized results on the impact of Dreissena invasions on aquatic ecosystems included in WP3. The following results were presented and discussed: potential impact on water quality (by Eng. I. Botev), on bacterioplankton, phytoplankton, chlorophyll-a, phaeopigments and plankton pigments (Dr R. Kalchev), zooplankton (Dr D. Kozuharov), epilithic diatoms (Dr N. Ognjanova), benthic macroinvertebrates (V. Tyufekchieva), native unionids and fish (T. Trichkova).
Drs. Martin Schultz and Burton Suedel and Mr. Dan Kelner led a brainstorming session of the project team on how a multi-criteria risk-based decision framework could be incorporated into WP4. WP4, titled "Developing a Risk Management Plan and Guidelines," includes implementing a multi-criteria decision analysis process to develop a structured and risk-based decision making process to identify the best alternative to manage invasive mussels in Bulgarian water bodies. The session included discussions of how risk assessment and decision analysis can be applied to Dreissena invasions.
A session led by Dr A. Kotsev was held at the Faculty of Geology and Geography, Sofia University, and focused on the Geographic Information Systems as a tool for risk assessment and management of Dreissena invasions. The WP2 results were presented and discussed.

An open session was held on 28 July 2010. Welcome and congratulatory address to the participants was read by Dr R. Kalchev. T. Trichkova made an introduction into the research issues addressed by the project and presented the project objectives, project structure and participants, as well as research activities planned and implemented within different workpackages. The workpackage leaders (Dr R. Kalchev, Dr D. Kozuharov, Dr A. Kotsev, S. Cheshmedjiev) reported on the progress of the activities and research results achieved within each workpackage. Dr Martin Schultz and Dr Burton Suedel talked about risk analysis and decision analysis for invasive species management and development of multi-criteria risk-based invasive mussel decision model. Mr D. Kelner shared his experience about Winged Mapleleaf management in response to the zebra mussel threat in the St Croix River Basin, Minnesota and Wisconsin, U.S.A. T. Trichkova presented the results on the genetic diversity of populations of D. polymorpha in Bulgaria and D. bugensis in the Lower Danube.
The open session was attended by representatives of the Ministry of Environment and Water of Bulgaria, the Bulgarian Agency of Fisheries and Aquaculture, Ministry of Agriculture and Food, scientists from the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences, Sofia University, students, representatives of environmental NGOs.

On 29 July 2010 the project participants visited the "Maritsa-East 2" Thermoelectric Power Plant and infested Ovcharitsa Cooling-Reservoir. They had a meeting with managers and workers from Technical Control Department, Ecological Department, Chemical Department and Chemical Laboratory. Mr S. Cheshmedjiev made a presentation about the economic impact of Dreissena invasions in Bulgaria. Eng. I. Statev explained about the technological and financial problems at the TPP caused by the zebra mussel infestation of the Ovcharitsa Cooling-Reservoir. The application and efficiency of different methods for zebra mussel control were discussed.
On 30 July 2010 the project participants visited infested reservoirs in the Struma River basin and the Iskar Reservoir used for drinking water supply for Sofia city, which is potentially threatened by Dreissena invasion.