Preliminary checklist of ichthyofauna and marine mammals of Bosnia and Herzegovina’s coastal waters: A baseline for conservation, monitoring, and one health approaches

Abstract

Bosnia and Herzegovina’s (B&H) limited coastal zone along
the Adriatic Sea represents a unique and understudied marine
ecosystem. This study presents the first structured preliminary
inventory of marine fish and mammal species in the country’s
territorial waters, compiling 110 species (106 fish, 4 marine
mammals) from historical records, grey literature, and local
knowledge sources. Using a standardized Observation Quality
Index (OQI), species were categorized into high, medium, or
low confidence tiers based on data quality criteria. The checklist
identified 21 bony fish and three marine mammals with highconfidence
presence, while most elasmobranchs (13 species) and
bony fish (69 species) fell into the medium-confidence category,
reflecting regional data scarcity and underreporting. The findings
offer a critical biodiversity baseline for future research, marine
conservation, and environmental management in the region.
Moreover, the study highlights the value of integrating data
quality assessment and the One Health approach, recognizing
the interconnectedness of marine ecosystem health, biodiversity
conservation, and human well-being. This inventory supports
national and regional efforts to meet international biodiversity
monitoring commitments and underscores the need for
continued marine research and cross-border collaboration in the
Adriatic Sea.