Abstract
The CEN (2005) methodology for fish monitoring of mesotrophic to eutrophic Mediterranean lakes was evaluated. The contribution of gillnet (benthic and pelagic) and electrofishing catches on species richness was examined. Additionally, the contribution of benthic gillnet sampling effort on species richness and precision of catch‐per‐unit‐effort (CPUE) estimates, considering both number of specimens (ΝPUE) and biomass (BPUE), was assessed. Subsequently, the impact of reduction in sampling effort on the parameters mentioned above was estimated and the effort needed to acquire the desired precision level considering different NPUE values was modelled. The use of different sampling gears was found to contribute to species richness assessment, while sampling effort could be reduced in the deepest zones of the lakes. The resultant model can reliably guide assessment of the sampling effort required in the Mediterranean and central European lakes with high fish densities.