Predictive models of macroinvertebrate density for use in instream flow studies and regulated flow management
No abstract available.
Canadian Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences↗
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Effects of turbidity on predation vulnerability of juvenile humpback chub to rainbow and brown trout
Predation on juvenile native fish by introduced rainbow trout Oncorhynchus mykiss and brown trout Salmo trutta is considered a significant threat to the persistence of endangered humpback chub Gila cypha in the Colorado River in Grand Canyon. Diet studies of rainbow and brown trout in Glen and Grand canyons indicate that these species eat native fish, but impacts are difficult to assess because predation vulnerability is highly variable depending on the physical conditions under which the predation interactions take place. We conducted laboratory experiments to evaluate how short-term predation vulnerability of juvenile humpback chub changes in response to changes in turbidity. In overnight laboratory trials, we exposed hatchery-reared juvenile humpback chub and bonytail Gila elegans (a surrogate for humpback chub) to adult rainbow and brown trout at turbidities ranging from 0 to 1,000 formazin nephlometric units. We found that turbidity as low as 25 formazin nephlometric units significantly reduced predation vulnerability of bonytail to rainbow trout and led to a 36% mean increase in survival (24–60%, 95% CI) compared to trials conducted in clear water. Predation vulnerability of bonytail to brown trout at 25 formazin nephlometric units also decreased with increasing turbidity and resulted in a 25% increase in survival on average (17–32%, 95% CI). Understanding the effects of predation by trout on endangered humpback chub is important when evaluating management options aimed at preservation of native fishes in Grand Canyon National Park. This research suggests that relatively small changes in turbidity may be sufficient to alter predation dynamics of trout on humpback chub in the mainstem Colorado River and that turbidity manipulation may warrant further investigation as a fisheries management tool.
Journal of Fish and Wildlife Management↗
An empirically based simulation model to inform flow management for endangered species conservation
Increasing water demand, water development, and ongoing climate change have driven extensive changes to the hydrology, geomorphology and biology of arid-land rivers globally, driving an increasing need to understand how annual hydrologic conditions affect the distribution and abundance of imperiled desert fish populations. We analyzed the relationship between annual hydrologic conditions and the endangered Rio Grande silvery minnow ( Hybognathus amarus ) in the Middle Rio Grande, New Mexico, USA, using hurdle models to predict both presence and density as a function of integrated annual hydrologic metrics. Both presence and density were positively related to spring high flow magnitude and duration and negatively related to summer drying, as indicated by an integrated flow metric. Simulations suggest hydrologic conditions near the wettest observed in the data set would be required to meet recovery goals in a single year in all reaches. We demonstrate how the models developed herein can be used to examine alternative water management strategies, including strategies that may currently be socially and logistically infeasible to implement, to identify strategies minimizing trade-offs between conservation and other management goals.
New Mexico↗
Improved understanding and prediction of freshwater fish communities through the use of joint species distribution models
Two primary goals in fisheries research are to ( i ) understand how habitat and environmental conditions influence the distribution of fishes across the landscape and ( ii ) make predictions about how fish communities will respond to environmental and anthropogenic change. In inland, freshwater ecosystems, quantitative approaches traditionally used to accomplish these goals largely ignore the effects of species interactions (competition, predation, mutualism) on shaping community structure, potentially leading to erroneous conclusions regarding habitat associations and unrealistic predictions about species distributions. Using two contrasting case studies, we highlight how joint species distribution models (JSDMs) can address the aforementioned deficiencies by simultaneously quantifying the effects of abiotic habitat variables and species dependencies. In particular, we show that conditional predictions of species occurrence from JSDMs can better predict species presence or absence compared with predictions that ignore species dependencies. JSDMs also allow for the estimation of site-specific probabilities of species co-occurrence, which can be informative for generating hypotheses about species interactions. JSDMs provide a flexible framework that can be used to address a variety of questions in fisheries science and management.
Canadian Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences↗
Migratory behavior of Chinook salmon microjacks reared in artificial and natural environments
Emigration was evaluated for hatchery Chinook salmon ( Oncorhynchus tshawytscha ) microjacks (age-1 mature males) and immature parr (age-1 juveniles, both sexes) released from both a hatchery and a natural stream (fish released as fry). In the hatchery, volitional releases (∼14 to 15 months post-fertilization) to an adjacent river occurred during October–November. The hatchery release was monitored by using an experimental volitional release that diverted fish to a neighboring raceway. Fish captured during the experimental release (range 361–4,321 volitional migrants) were made up of microjacks and immature parr. Microjacks were found only in the migrant samples, averaged 18% (range 0–52%) of all migrants, and were rarely found in non-migrant samples. In comparison, immature parr were common in both the migrant and non-migrant samples. Microjacks were significantly longer (9%), heavier (36%), and had a greater condition factor (16%) than migrant immature parr (P<0.01). In addition, they differed significantly (P<0.01) from non-migrant immature parr; 10% longer, 44% heavier and 14% greater condition factor. In natural streams, microjacks were captured significantly earlier (P<0.01) than immature parr during the late-summer/fall migration and comprised 9–89% of all fish captured. Microjacks have the potential to contribute to natural spawning populations but can also represent a loss of productivity to hatchery programs or create negative effects by introducing non-native genes to wild populations and should be monitored by fishery managers.
Journal of Fish and Wildlife Management↗
Modeling White Sucker (Catostomus commersonii) populations to assess commercial harvest influence on age structure
Commercial harvest of White Suckers Catostomus commersonii for bait in the American Lobster Homarus americanus industry is minimally regulated in Maine and there are concerns as to the influence of increasing harvest. We built a population model using parameters (i.e. age-specific mortality, age at maturity, and size-specific fecundity) from literature and field studies to investigate the theoretical effects of harvest mortality on age structure. Because stock-recruitment relations are poorly characterized for this species, we explored the influence of both Beverton-Holt and Ricker recruitment processes. Our base model closely resembled the empirical age structures reported from three unfished lakes in Maine, with four percent of fish in the modeled spawning run being age-10 or older. We assessed the additive effects of harvest mortality on age structure using the full range of possible mortalities. As expected, increased harvest mortality in the model resulted in a decline and disappearance of older age-classes such that few fish greater than age-10 remained in the population under a realistic harvest mortality scenario. This age-truncation was qualitatively comparable to data from aggregate age distributions reported from three commercially harvested lakes in Maine. Because the loss of older fish may compromise population viability, this model is a valuable guidance tool for managers to craft regulation of this growing fishery.
Maine↗
Connecting habitat to species abundance: The role of light and temperature on the abundance of walleye in lakes
Walleye ( Sander vitreus) are an ecologically important species managed for recreational, tribal, and commercial harvest. Walleye prefer cool water and low light conditions, and therefore changing water temperature and clarity potentially impacts walleye habitat and populations across the landscape. Using survey data collected from 1993 to 2018 from 312 lakes in Minnesota, we evaluated the relationship between thermal-optical habitat and the relative abundance of small (0–300 mm), medium (300–450 mm), and large (450 + mm) walleye. Thermal-optical habitat was positively correlated with the relative abundance of small and medium walleye but not large walleye. Walleye were more abundant in larger, naturally reproducing lakes opposed to smaller, stocked lakes. Thermal-optical habitat changed in 59% of lakes since 1980 (26% increasing and 33% decreasing) and appears to be driven primarily by changes in water clarity and thus optical habitat area. Our study provides important insights into local and regional drivers that influence walleye populations that can be used to assist fisheries managers in setting population goals and managing harvest.
Minnesota↗
Rainbow trout movement behavior and habitat occupancy are influenced by sex and Pacific salmon presence in an Alaska river system
We used spatially continuous field-measured and remotely-sensed aquatic habitat characteristics paired with weekly ground-based telemetry tracking and snorkel surveys to describe movements and habitat occupancy of adult rainbow trout (N = 82) in a runoff-fed, salmon-influenced southcentral Alaska river system. We found that during the ice-free feeding season (June through September) rainbow trout occurrence was associated more with fine-scale (channel unit) characteristics relative to coarse-scale (stream reach) variables. The presence of Pacific salmon (which provide an important seasonal food subsidy), and habitat size were particularly useful predictors. Weekly movement distance differed between pre- and post- spawning salmon arrival, but did not vary by sex. Habitat quality, season, and the arrival of spawning salmon influenced the likelihood of rainbow trout movement, and fish moved farther to seek out higher quality habitats. Because rainbow trout respond to habitat factors at multiple scales and seek out salmon-derived subsidies, it will be important to take a multiscale approach in protecting trout and salmon populations and managing the associated fisheries.
Canadian Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences↗
Olfactory-mediated stream-finding behavior of migratory adult sea lamprey (Petromyzon marinus)
Stream-finding behavior of adult sea lamprey (Petromyzon marinus), an anadromous fish that relies on pheromones to locate spawning streams, was documented in the vicinity of an important spawning river in the Great Lakes. Untreated and anosmic migrating sea lampreys were implanted with acoustic transmitters and then released outside the Ocqueoc River. Lampreys swam only at night and then actively. When outside of the river plume, lampreys pursued relatively straight bearings parallel to the shoreline while making frequent vertical excursions. In contrast, when within the plume, lampreys made large turns and exhibited a weak bias towards the river mouth, which one-third of them entered. The behavior of anosmic lampreys resembled that of untreated lampreys outside of the plume, except they pursued a more northerly compass bearing. To locate streams, sea lampreys appear to employ a three-phase odor-mediated strategy that involves an initial search along shorelines while casting vertically, followed by river-water-induced turning that brings them close to the river's mouth, which they then enter using rheotaxis. This novel strategy differs from that of salmonids and appears to offer this poor swimmer adaptive flexibility and suggests ways that pheromonal odors might be used to manage this invasive species.
Canadian Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences↗
Evaluating regional length limits in freshwater fisheries
Length limits are often used in recreational fisheries management to prevent overharvest and manipulate fish size distributions. These regulations are ideally customized to meet water-specific stock dynamics and fishery objectives. However, in districts with numerous discrete waters, fisheries are commonly managed with a universal regional regulation. Evaluating alternative regional length limits requires consideration of management objectives that may not be important at the single-system level but that emerge as relevant at the regional scale, such as uniformity of regional harvest, diversity of average catch sizes, and opportunity to harvest. We developed a flexible tool for evaluating regional length limits. The tool joins the well-established Beverton–Holt yield-per-recruit model with elements of decision-support methods. The model quantifies regional management objectives as utility functions that are weighted and summed into a single value used to evaluate alternative length limits. The flexibility of the tool stems from its capacity to consider a mixture of stock parameters and associated uncertainty to evaluate multiple length limits, weighting an array of regional fishery objectives quantified by various performance metrics. This adjustability affords flexibility to consider a diversity of options that can stimulate innovation in setting regional length limits. We demonstrate the model by evaluating varying length limits on fishery objectives related to the management of hypothetical yellow perch ( Perca flavescens ) populations and real black crappie ( Pomoxis nigromaculatus ) populations.
Canadian Journal Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences↗
Sampling the stream landscape: Improving the applicability of an ecoregion-level capture probability model for stream fishes
Temporal and spatial variability in streams result in heterogeneous gear capture probability (i.e., the proportion of available individuals identified) that confounds interpretation of data used to monitor fish abundance. We modeled tow-barge electrofishing capture probability at multiple spatial scales for nine Ozark Highland stream fishes. In addition to fish size, we identified seven reach-scale environmental characteristics associated with variable capture probability: stream discharge, water depth, conductivity, water clarity, emergent vegetation, wetted width–depth ratio, and proportion of riffle habitat. The magnitude of the relationship between capture probability and both discharge and depth varied among stream fishes. We also identified lithological characteristics among stream segments as a coarse-scale source of variable capture probability. The resulting capture probability model can be used to adjust catch data and derive reach-scale absolute abundance estimates across a wide range of sampling conditions with similar effort as used in more traditional fisheries surveys (i.e., catch per unit effort). Adjusting catch data based on variable capture probability improves the comparability of data sets, thus promoting both well-informed conservation and management decisions and advances in stream-fish ecology.
Arkansas, Missouri, Oklahoma↗
Prey size and availability limits maximum size of rainbow trout in a large tailwater: insights from a drift-foraging bioenergetics model
The cold and clear water conditions present below many large dams create ideal conditions for the development of economically important salmonid fisheries. Many of these tailwater fisheries have experienced declines in the abundance and condition of large trout species, yet the causes of these declines remain uncertain. Here, we develop, assess, and apply a drift-foraging bioenergetics model to identify the factors limiting rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss) growth in a large tailwater. We explored the relative importance of temperature, prey quantity, and prey size by constructing scenarios where these variables, both singly and in combination, were altered. Predicted growth matched empirical mass-at-age estimates, particularly for younger ages, demonstrating that the model accurately describes how current temperature and prey conditions interact to determine rainbow trout growth. Modeling scenarios that artificially inflated prey size and abundance demonstrate that rainbow trout growth is limited by the scarcity of large prey items and overall prey availability. For example, shifting 10% of the prey biomass to the 13 mm (large) length class, without increasing overall prey biomass, increased lifetime maximum mass of rainbow trout by 88%. Additionally, warmer temperatures resulted in lower predicted growth at current and lower levels of prey availability; however, growth was similar across all temperatures at higher levels of prey availability. Climate change will likely alter flow and temperature regimes in large rivers with corresponding changes to invertebrate prey resources used by fish. Broader application of drift-foraging bioenergetics models to build a mechanistic understanding of how changes to habitat conditions and prey resources affect growth of salmonids will benefit management of tailwater fisheries.
Arizona↗
To manage inland fisheries is to manage at the social-ecological watershed scale
Approaches to managing inland fisheries vary between systems and regions but are often based on large-scale marine fisheries principles and thus limited and outdated. Rarely do they adopt holistic approaches that consider the complex interplay among humans, fish, and the environment. We argue that there is an urgent need for a shift in inland fisheries management towards holistic and transdisciplinary approaches that embrace the principles of social-ecological systems at the watershed scale. The interconnectedness of inland fisheries with their associated watershed (biotic, abiotic, and humans) make them extremely complex and challenging to manage and protect. For this reason, the watershed is a logical management unit. To assist management at this scale, we propose a framework that integrates disparate concepts and management paradigms to facilitate inland fisheries management and sustainability. We contend that inland fisheries need to be managed as social-ecological watershed system (SEWS). The framework supports watershed-scale and transboundary governance to manage inland fisheries, and transdisciplinary projects and teams to ensure relevant and applicable monitoring and research. We discuss concepts of social-ecological feedback and interactions of multiple stressors and factors within/between the social-ecological systems. Moreover, we emphasize that management, monitoring, and research on inland fisheries at the watershed scale are needed to ensure long-term sustainable and resilient fisheries.
Journal of Environmental Management↗
Evaluating the effects of a multi-modal deterrent on upstream passage by invasive carp and native species
Invasive carp, including Silver Carp ( Hypophthalmichthys molitrix ) and Grass Carp ( Ctenopharyngodon idella ), are increasing their range within the Mississippi River Basin, threatening native fishes and ecosystem function. We conducted a 3-year field test of a multi-modal deterrent that uses sound, bubbles, and light to test its ability to impede upstream passage by invasive carp. The test was performed at a lock and dam on the Cumberland River, Kentucky, USA, using acoustic telemetry to track the movements of Silver Carp, Grass Carp, and several native fish species. When the deterrent was operating, the estimated probability of upstream lock passage was 53% lower (95% CI: 41%–63%) for Silver Carp but 74% higher (95% CI: 3%–190%) for Grass Carp compared to times when the deterrent was not operating. Paddlefish ( Polyodon spathula ) passage was reduced by 43% (95% CI: 71% reduction to 9% increase), although this was not statistically significant. We detected no significant effects on Freshwater Drum ( Aplodinotus grunniens ) or Smallmouth Buffalo ( Ictiobus bubalus ). However, sample sizes were small for these native species, limiting our ability to identify effects. Water temperature, tailwater elevation, and vessel lockages affected passage rates, although this varied among species.
Kentucky↗
Species succession and fishery exploitation in the Great Lakes
The species composition of fish in the Great Lakes has undergone continual change since the earliest records. Some changes were caused by enrichment of the environment, but others primarily by an intensive and selective fishery for certain species. Major changes related to the fishery were less frequent before the late 1930's than in recent years and involved few species. Lake sturgeon (Acipenser fulvescens) were overexploited knowingly during the late 1800's because they interfered with fishing for preferred species; sturgeon were greatly reduced in all lakes by the early 1900's. Heavy exploitation accompanied sharp declines of lake herring (Leucichthys artedi) in Lake Erie during the 1920's and lake whitefish (Coregonus clupeaformis) in Lake Huron during the 1930's. A rapid succession of fish species in Lakes Huron, Michigan, and Superior that started about 1940 has been caused by selective predation by the sea lamprey (Petromyzon marinus) on native predatory species, and the resultant shifting emphasis of the fishery and species interaction as various species declined. Lake trout (Salvelinus namaycush) and burbot (Lota lota), the deepwater predators, were depleted first; this favored their prey, the chubs (Leucichthys spp.). The seven species of chubs were influenced differently according to differences in size. Fishing emphasis and predation by sea lampreys were selective for the largest species of chubs as lake trout and burbot declined. A single slow-growing chub, the bloater, was favored and increased, but as the large chubs declined the bloater was exploited by a new trawl fishery. The growth rate and size of the bloater increased, making it more vulnerable to conventional gillnet fishery and lamprey predation. This situation in Lakes Michigan and Huron favored the small alewife (Alosa pseudoharengus) which had recently become established in the upper Great Lakes, and the alewife increased rapidly and dominated the fish stocks of the lakes. The successive collapses of various stocks after periods of stable production may give some indication of their sustainable yield. The sea lamprey is being brought under control in Lakes Superior, Michigan, and Huron; lake trout are being established; and chinook salmon (Oncorhynchus tshawytscha), coho salmon (O. kisutch), kokanee salmon (O. nerka), and the splake, a hybrid of lake trout and brook trout (Salvelinus fontinalis), are being introduced to reestablish a new species balance. Fish stocks are in a state of extreme instability in these lakes. Careful control of stocking programs and fisheries, and coordination of management among the various states of the United States and the province of Canada (Ontario) which manage the fish stocks, will be required to restore and maintain a useful fishery balance.
Journal of the Fisheries Research Board of Canada↗
Drivers and uncertainties of forecasted range shifts for warm-water fishes under climate and land cover change
Land cover is an important determinant of aquatic habitat and is projected to shift with climate changes, yet climate-driven land cover changes are rarely factored into climate assessments. To quantify impacts and uncertainty of coupled climate and land cover change on warm-water fish species’ distributions, we used an ensemble model approach to project distributions of 14 species. For each species, current range projections were compared to 27 scenario-based projections and aggregated to visualize uncertainty. Multiple regression and model selection techniques were used to identify drivers of range change. Novel, or no-analogue, climates were assessed to evaluate transferability of models. Changes in total probability of occurrence ranged widely across species, from a 63% increase to a 65% decrease. Distributional gains and losses were largely driven by temperature and flow variables and underscore the importance of habitat heterogeneity and connectivity to facilitate adaptation to changing conditions. Finally, novel climate conditions were driven by mean annual maximum temperature, which stresses the importance of understanding the role of temperature on fish physiology and the role of temperature-mitigating management practices.
Canadian Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences↗
Lake Michigan offshore ecosystem structure and food web changes from 1987 to 2008
Ecosystems undergo dynamic changes owing to species invasions, fisheries management decisions, landscape modifications, and nutrient inputs. At Lake Michigan, new invaders (e.g., dreissenid mussels ( Dreissena spp.), spiny water flea ( Bythotrephes longimanus ), round goby ( Neogobius melanostomus )) have proliferated and altered energy transfer pathways, while nutrient concentrations and stocking rates to support fisheries have changed. We developed an ecosystem model to describe food web structure in 1987 and ran simulations through 2008 to evaluate changes in biomass of functional groups, predator consumption, and effects of recently invading species. Keystone functional groups from 1987 were identified as Mysis , burbot ( Lota lota ), phytoplankton, alewife ( Alosa pseudoharengus ), nonpredatory cladocerans, and Chinook salmon (Oncorhynchus tshawytscha ). Simulations predicted biomass reductions across all trophic levels and predicted biomasses fit observed trends for most functional groups. The effects of invasive species (e.g., dreissenid grazing) increased across simulation years, but were difficult to disentangle from other changes (e.g., declining offshore nutrient concentrations). In total, our model effectively represented recent changes to the Lake Michigan ecosystem and provides an ecosystem-based tool for exploring future resource management scenarios.
Lake Michigan↗
Interspecific interactions, habitat use, and management of double-crested cormorants ( Phalacrocorax auritus ) in the Laurentian Great Lakes: An introduction
The collection of seven papers in this journal issue represents a subset of the presentations from a special session at the 44th Annual Conference of the International Association for Great Lakes Research. The session, 'Management of the Double-crested Cormorant in the Laurentian Great Lakes Region,' was held on 12 June 2001 and contained 18 presentations. Topics included cormorant-fish interactions, effects of cormorant nesting on colonies of other waterbirds, cormorant population dynamics, habitat use by foraging cormorants, evaluation of management techniques, and policy and conflict assessment on cormorant-related issues. The collection is organized into four basic topics: management of populations, effects of cormorants on other colonial waterbirds, foraging habitats of cormorants, and effects of cormorants on fisheries. A primary objective of this collection is to provide information and useful tools for managing cormorants in the Great Lakes.
Journal of Great Lakes Research↗