Biomanipulating the drinking water reservoir of Estonia's capital city: Prospects for success

The possibility of utilizing biomanipulation to improve the water quality of Tallinn's drinking water reservoir (Lake Ulemiste) was analysed on the basis of water quality data, test fishing by different methods, and earlier studies on aquatic plants, light climate and sediments. Eutrophic, polymictic Lake Ulemiste is characterized by a prevalence of high filamentous cyanobacteria biomass, rotifers in the zooplankton community, mature bream in the fish biomass, and a high density of planktivores (YOY perch). Several prerequisites for being a potential target for biomanipulation were identified, including (i) decreased external total phosphorus (TP) loading; and (ii) a sufficient stock of pis…