VDI 4230 Blatt 5:2018-12

This standard describes methods for documenting the chronic effect of stressors on fish as indicators for the quality of water bodies. Sampling is of crucial importance to this process and requires standardisation in many areas to avoid artefacts, minimise the loss of biological information, minimise the high variability of biological samples, and to thus ensure the reproducibility and comparability of the samples and data that are obtained. Standards are defined for reproducible and representative sampling, and a set of endpoints (test parameters) is recommended for potential questions in the field of effect studies. This is designed to provide a description of the health of fish as an indicator for the condition of the water bodies and environment that is as comprehensive as possible. Methods that are not yet sufficiently well established in biomonitoring with fish are not considered here.