| 1. |
- Degerman, Erik, et al.
(author)
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Occurrence and habitat use of European eel (Anguilla anguilla) in running waters : lessons for improved monitoring, habitat restoration and stocking
- 2019
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In: Aquatic Ecology. - : Springer. - 1386-2588 .- 1573-5125. ; 53:4, s. 639-650
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- To improve the management of the European eel (Anguilla anguilla) in freshwater, it is essential to define important lotic habitats. Electrofishing data from 289 wadeable, hard-bottom sites in 69 Swedish coastal rivers and streams, originally surveyed for salmonid monitoring, were used to evaluate the effects of sampling- and habitat-related factors on eel occurrence. Probability of eel occurrence, as influenced by sampling procedure (sampled area, number of consecutive runs and ambient water temperature) and habitat characteristics (size of catchment, dominating bottom substrate, shade, water velocity, mean depth), was evaluated for small (total length <= 150 mm) and large (>150 mm) yellow eels. Data were analysed in a mixed presence/absence generalized linear model with dispersal (distance to mouth from sampled site), habitat and sampling-related variables as covariates. The two models explained variation in occurrence to 81.5% for small eel and 76.2% for large eel. Probability of eel occurrence decreased with distance from the river mouth, and increased with sampled area, number of runs, water temperature, coarser substrate and size of river. We suggest that future eel habitat restoration should focus on lower reaches of larger rivers with suitable coarse bottom habitats. Stocking of young eel should be carried out in comparable accessible habitats in the upper reaches where eel densities are low. The results also strongly indicate that eel may be sampled together with young salmonids with DC electrofishing in wadeable habitats.
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| 2. |
- Donadi, Serena, et al.
(author)
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Country-wide analysis of large wood as a driver of fish abundance in Swedish streams : Which species benefit and where?
- 2019
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In: Aquatic conservation. - : John Wiley & Sons. - 1052-7613 .- 1099-0755. ; 29:5, s. 706-716
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Rivers are heavily affected by human impacts that threaten many fish species. Among restoration measures, the addition of large wood (LW) in streams has been shown to increase fish abundance, yet which species benefit from LW, to what extent relative to other drivers, and which factors influence LW quantity is not clear, and these uncertainties limit our ability to use LW as an effective restoration measure. Here, a time series (from 1993 to 2016) of electrofishing data, including 3641 streams across Sweden, was used to investigate the beneficial effects of LW on the abundance of juvenile brown trout, Salmo trutta, juvenile Atlantic salmon, Salmo salar, and juvenile and adult sculpins, Cottus gobio and Cottus poecilopus, while accounting for other abiotic and biotic factors, and the drivers of LW abundance at a country-wide scale. Large wood benefitted brown trout, and the effects were greater with decreasing shaded stream surface. LW effects were comparable in magnitude to the positive effects of average annual air temperature and the negative effects of stream depth and predator abundance - factors where the influence was second only to the negative effects of stream width. LW did not benefit salmon abundance, which was correlated positively with stream width and negatively with altitude, nor did it benefit sculpin abundances, which mainly decreased with annual average air temperature and altitude. The quantity of LW strongly diminished with stream width, and, to a lesser extent, with stream depth, altitude, annual average air temperature, and forest age, whereas it increased with stream velocity, slope, and forest cover. The results suggest that LW can be used as an effective restoration tool for brown trout in shallow and narrow streams, especially in areas with little shade. Here, the addition of LW may help to alleviate the impacts of forest clearance and climate change.
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| 3. |
- Göthe, Emma, et al.
(author)
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Flow restoration and the impacts of multiple stressors on fish communities in regulated rivers
- 2019
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In: Journal of Applied Ecology. - : John Wiley & Sons. - 0021-8901 .- 1365-2664. ; 56:7, s. 1687-1702
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- River regulation for hydropower is undertaken worldwide, causing profound alterations to hydrological regimes and running water habitats. Regulated catchments are often subjected to additional stressors, arising inter alia from agriculture, forestry and industry, which are likely to interact with impacts of river regulation on fish and other biota. Such interactions are poorly understood, hindering planning of effective mitigation and restoration. We investigated fish responses to increased discharge (as a restoration measure) in regulated rivers in Sweden. We compiled electrofishing data from river channels downstream of hydropower dams, each of which either has or lacks a mandated minimum discharge corresponding to c. 5% of pre-regulation discharge. We further analysed interactions between flow restoration and co-occurring local and regional stressors. River channels without a mandated minimum discharge were characterized by a low diversity of fish species with traits favouring persistence under unpredictable environmental conditions, including omnivory, short life cycles and small size. Additional stressors further reduced diversity and increased dominance by broad-niched, opportunistic species. Both the presence and magnitude of a mandated minimum discharge were positively related to fish diversity and density, and the relative density of three economically and recreationally valuable species. However, the size of these relationships frequently varied with the presence of additional stressors. Increasing levels of hydrological degradation and reduced connectivity at the catchment scale reduced positive flow-ecology relationships and hindered the restoration of fish communities towards reference conditions. However, application of a mandated minimum discharge also assisted in mitigating impacts of some co-occurring stressors, especially reduced riparian integrity. Synthesis and applications. Additional stressors can strongly influence the outcomes of flow restoration for fish community diversity and composition. Our approach combining fish species and trait data from multiple flow restoration projects with information on additional stressors yielded valuable insights into factors affecting flow restoration success, useful for (a) identifying the systems most likely to benefit from mandated minimum flows, (b) modelling influences of multiple stressors on flow-ecology relationships, (c) prioritizing additional measures to manage co-occurring stressors and enhance outcomes from flow restoration.
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| 4. |
- Tamario, Carl, et al.
(author)
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Coastal river connectivity and the distribution of ascending juvenile European eel (Anguilla anguilla L.) : Implications for conservation strategies regarding fish-passage solutions
- 2019
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In: Aquatic conservation. - : John Wiley & Sons. - 1052-7613 .- 1099-0755. ; 29:4, s. 612-622
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Many diadromous fish populations are declining and at risk of collapse. Lack of river connectivity is a major contributor to these declines, as free migration routes between marine and freshwater habitats are crucial for life-history completion. For the conservation and ultimately recovery of such species, it is imperative that remedial measures aimed at increasing connectivity are effective. This study investigated the distribution patterns of ascending juvenile European eel (Anguilla anguilla L.) in rivers in south-western Sweden, with a focus on the effects of barriers and measures that aim to reduce the impact of barriers, i.e. fish-passage solutions (FPSs). Eel occurrence data were spatially and temporally integrated with the national databases of dams and FPSs in a Geographic Information System (GIS) environment to evaluate their effect on ascending eel distribution. The types of barriers assessed were: (i) dams with nature-like fishways; (ii) dams with eel ramps; (iii) dams with technical fishways; and (iv) dams without FPSs. Dams fitted with eel ramps or technical fishways, as well as dams without FPSs, produced a significant negative effect on the probability of eel occurrence upstream. This negative effect was not found for dams fitted with nature-like fishways, indicating that these solutions may function better than the other FPS types in this study. The probability of eel occurrence decreased with distance from the sea and increased with area sampled, number of electrofishing runs, water temperature, and with the size of the bottom substrate. We suggest that future conservation strategies for improving the natural immigration of juvenile eels should include optimizing FPS function (e.g. placement and design), the continued maintenance of FPSs, the construction of nature-like fishways, and preferably the removal of dams, which will also benefit the downstream migration of maturing eels as well as restoring other ecosystem services.
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| 5. |
- Tamario, Carl, et al.
(author)
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Ecological and Evolutionary Consequences of Environmental Change and Management Actions for Migrating Fish
- 2019
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In: Frontiers in Ecology and Evolution. - : Frontiers Media S.A.. - 2296-701X. ; 7, s. 1-24
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Research review (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Migration strategies in fishes comprise a rich, ecologically important, and socioeconomically valuable example of biological diversity. The variation and flexibility in migration is evident between and within individuals, populations, and species, and thereby provides a useful model system that continues to inform how ecological and evolutionary processes mold biodiversity and how biological systems respond to environmental heterogeneity and change. Migrating fishes are targeted by commercial and recreational fishing and impact the functioning of aquatic ecosystems. Sadly, many species of migrating fish are under increasing threat by exploitation, pollution, habitat destruction, dispersal barriers, overfishing, and ongoing climate change that brings modified, novel, more variable and extreme conditions and selection regimes. All this calls for protection, sustainable utilization and adaptive management. However, the situation for migrating fishes is complicated further by actions aimed at mitigating the devastating effects of such threats. Changes in river connectivity associated with removal of dispersal barriers such as dams and construction of fishways, together with compensatory breeding, and supplemental stocking can impact on gene flow and selection. How this in turn affects the dynamics, genetic structure, genetic diversity, evolutionary potential, and viability of spawning migrating fish populations remains largely unknown. In this narrative review we describe and discuss patterns, causes, and consequences of variation and flexibility in fish migration that are scientifically interesting and concern key issues within the framework of evolution and maintenance of biological diversity. We showcase how the evolutionary solutions to key questions that define migrating fish-whether or not to migrate, why to migrate, where to migrate, and when to migrate-may depend on individual characteristics and ecological conditions. We explore links between environmental change and migration strategies, and discuss whether and how threats associated with overexploitation, environmental makeovers, and management actions may differently influence vulnerability of individuals, populations, and species depending on the variation and flexibility of their migration strategies. Our goal is to provide a broad overview of knowledge in this emerging area, spur future research, and development of informed management, and ultimately promote sustainable utilization and protection of migrating fish and their ecosystems.
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| 6. |
- Watz, Johan, 1977-
(author)
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Climbing the ladder : an evaluation of three different anguillid eel climbing substrata and placement of upstream passage solutions at migration barriers
- 2019
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In: Animal Conservation. - : John Wiley & Sons. - 1367-9430 .- 1469-1795. ; 22:5, s. 452-462
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Conservation programmes for endangered, long-lived and migratory species often have to target multiple life stages. The bottlenecks associated with the survival of juvenile anguillid eels migrating into inland waters, the survival and growth of the freshwater life stage, as well as the recruitment and survival of silver eels, migrating back to the ocean to spawn, must be resolved. In this study, we focus on the efficiency of passage solutions for upstream migrating juveniles. Such solutions can consist of inclined ramps lined with wetted climbing substrata. We evaluated different commonly used substrata in a controlled experiment, recorded eel behaviour at the entrance of the ramp with infrared videography and validated the experimental results at a hydropower dam, where we also investigated the effects of ramp placement on performance. In the experiment on eel substratum selection, 40 % of the eels passed in lanes with studded substratum, whereas only 21 and 5 % passed using open weave and bristle substrata, respectively. Video analysis revealed that the studded substratum attracted more approaches and initiated climbs than the other substrata, but once a climb had been initiated, passage success rates did not differ between substrata. Eels using the studded substratum climbed 26 % faster than those using the bristle substratum and almost four times as fast as those climbing in the open weave. The superior performance of the studded substratum was supported by data from the field validation. Moreover, ramps positioned by the bank with low water velocities caught the most eels, but proximity to the dam had no effect on performance. To strengthen the European eel population, more juveniles need to reach their freshwater feeding grounds. A critical step to achieve this increase is to equip upstream passage solutions with suitable substrata and to optimize ramp placement at migration obstacles.
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