Principal lines of research:

– Hydrobiology – Investigating basic mechanisms of functioning of fresh-water ecosystems with the purpose of controlling their state, water quality and bioproductivity;

– Radioecology – Studying processes of migration, transformation and biological impact of radioactive and chemical reservoir pollution on hydrobionts;

– Ichthyology – Developing scientific principles for estimating and forecasting the ichthyofauna state under the impact of natural and antropogeneous factors, as well as methods of their directed formation in reservoirs of different types, with a view to preserving the gene pool of important and endangered fish species, their diversity and increasing fish productivity;

– Biotechnology – Developing ecological and biological fundamentals of cultivating hydrobionts.

Scientific schools of the institute:

– Physiology of water animals (Founder – Romanenko V. D., NAS academician, professor, doctor of biological sciences);

– Sanitary hydrobiology (Founder – Topachevsky O. V., NAS academician, professor, doctor of the biological sciences);

– Radioecology (Founder – Kuzmenko M. I., professor, doctor of biological sciences).

The Institute of Hydrobiology is the leading organisation of the country in hydrobiology and ichthyology problems.

Radioecological research plays an important role in the activities of the Institute. It gained momentum after the accident at the Chornobyl power plant. Since the very first days after the Chornobyl catastrophe, researchers of the Institute have ensured radioecological monitoring.

Research results of the Institute proposed for implementation:

– a technology of the year-round polycyclic reproduction and cultivation of economically valuable species of fish and other hydrobionts, with the application of directed effect of biotic factors on metabolic processes in their organisms.

– a method to determine the suitability of reservoirs (lakes and ponds) for fishery usage on the basis of studying the features of radionuclide pollution of water ecosystems.

– engineering-and-hydrobiologycal technologies aimed at controlling water quality and bioproductivity of river sites of the Dnieper reservoirs.

– regulatory documents concerning ecological assessment of the status of different-type water ecosystems, normalization of water-quality parameters in water bodies, with the purpose of substantiating permissible limits of polluting-substances reception and legislatively fixed improvement of water objects.