The Krivaja ( sr-cyrl, Криваја) is a

river A river is a natural flowing watercourse, usually freshwater, flowing towards an ocean, sea, lake or another river. In some cases, a river flows into the ground and becomes dry at the end of its course without reaching another body of wate ...

in central-northern parts of

Bosnia and Herzegovina Bosnia and Herzegovina ( sh, / , ), abbreviated BiH () or B&H, sometimes called Bosnia–Herzegovina and often known informally as Bosnia, is a country at the crossroads of south and southeast Europe, located in the Balkans. Bosnia and H ...

, and a right tributary of the Bosna River. Its source is confluence of the

Stupčanica The Stupčanica ( sr-cyrl, Ступчаница) is a small river in central-northern part of Bosnia and Herzegovina. The Stupčanica meets with the Bioštica at the small town of Olovo Olovo ( sr-cyrl, Олово) is a town and municipality lo ...

and the

Bioštica The Bioštica ( sr-cyrl, Биоштица) is a small river in central-northern part of Bosnia and Herzegovina. The Bioštica meets the Stupčanica at the small town of Olovo Olovo ( sr-cyrl, Олово) is a town and municipality located in th ...

rivers at the western outskirts of town of

Olovo Olovo ( sr-cyrl, Олово) is a town and municipality located in the Zenica-Doboj Canton of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina, an entity of Bosnia and Herzegovina. It is situated about 50 kilometers northeast of the capital city of S ...

. From there the Krivaja flows through the scenic gorge between mountains of Zvijezda and Konjuh (mountain), with lot of small mountain streams and small rivers inflow from both sides. Finally, the Krivaja meets the Bosna River at the vicinity of town of

Zavidovići Zavidovići ( sr-cyrl, Завидовићи) is a town and municipality located in Zenica-Doboj Canton of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina, an entity of Bosnia and Herzegovina. It is situated in central Bosnia and Herzegovina, located be ...

. The river is well known for

rafting Rafting and whitewater rafting are recreational outdoor activities which use an inflatable raft to navigate a river or other body of water. This is often done on whitewater or different degrees of rough water. Dealing with risk is often a ...

canoeing Canoeing is an activity which involves paddling a canoe with a single-bladed paddle. Common meanings of the term are limited to when the canoeing is the central purpose of the activity. Broader meanings include when it is combined with other acti ...

and freshwater

fishing Fishing is the activity of trying to catch fish. Fish are often caught as wildlife from the natural environment, but may also be caught from stocked bodies of water such as ponds, canals, park wetlands and reservoirs. Fishing techniques inclu ...

. The Krivaja basin is known for an abundant ichthyo-fauna, rich in species, some of which are critically endangered, such as

hucho ''Hucho'' is a genus of large piscivorous salmonid fish known as taimens (from Finnish through Russian ), and is closely related to Pacific trout and lenoks (all belonging to the same tribe in the subfamily Salmoninae). Native to the cold riv ...

(also known as ''Danube Salmon'' or ''Danube Taimen'') (Lat. ''Hucho hucho''). All the Krivaja tributaries and especially its headwaters are important spawning grounds for both Danube Taimen and its prey,

Common nase The common nase (''Chondrostoma nasus'') is a European potamodromous Fish migration is mass relocation by fish from one area or body of water to another. Many types of fish migrate on a regular basis, on time scales ranging from daily to ann ...

(''Chondrostoma nasus'') and Grayling (''Thymallus thymallus''). The Kaljina, its

parent A parent is a caregiver of the offspring in their own species. In humans, a parent is the caretaker of a child (where "child" refers to offspring, not necessarily age). A ''biological parent'' is a person whose gamete resulted in a child, a male t ...

the

, and the

are main source of the Krivaja waters, and all three are unspoiled in sense of water quality, their hydromorphology, natural surrounding and river biodiversity. Rich pool of indigenous

salmonids Salmonidae is a family of ray-finned fish that constitutes the only currently extant family in the order Salmoniformes . It includes salmon (both Atlantic and Pacific species), trout (both ocean-going and landlocked), chars, freshwater whit ...

such as Danube

brown trout The brown trout (''Salmo trutta'') is a European species of salmonid fish that has been widely introduced into suitable environments globally. It includes purely freshwater populations, referred to as the riverine ecotype, ''Salmo trutta'' morph ...

(''Salo truta fario'', Danube lineage), spawning grounds for hucho and nase, can only be maintained through statutory protection, and preservation of the Krivaja basin streams and rivers uninterrupted flows from construction of

dams A dam is a barrier that stops or restricts the flow of surface water or underground streams. Reservoirs created by dams not only suppress floods but also provide water for activities such as irrigation, human consumption, industrial use, ...

. However, plans for

hydropower Hydropower (from el, ὕδωρ, "water"), also known as water power, is the use of falling or fast-running water to Electricity generation, produce electricity or to power machines. This is achieved by energy transformation, converting the Pot ...

development exist, and represent real risk for the unspoiled natural environment of the region.

References

External links

bistrobih.ba - rijeka Krivajaoutdooractive.com - Bosnia and Herzegovina - Krivaja canyon
Rivers of Bosnia and Herzegovina Zavidovići Olovo Municipality Vareš Municipality Rafting in Bosnia and Herzegovina Recreational fishing in Bosnia and Herzegovina Water sports in Bosnia and Herzegovina Hucho habitats in Bosnia and Herzegovina {{BosniaHerzegovina-river-stub

References

Further reading

External links