Fishing for conservation of freshwater tropical fishes in the Anthropocene

1. The ecosystem services provided by freshwater biodiversity are threatened by development and environmental and climate change in the Anthropocene.
2. Here, case studies are described to show that a focus on the shared dependence on freshwater ecosystem functioning can mutually benefit fisheries and conservation agendas in the Anthropocene.
3. Meeting the threat to fish biodiversity and fisher livelihood is pertinent in developing regions where there is often a convergence between high biodiversity, high dependency on aquatic biota and rapid economic development (see Kafue River, Logone floodplain, Tonle Sap, and Rio Negro case studies).
4. These case studies serve as evidence that biodiversity conservation goals can be achieved by emphasizing a sustainable fisheries agenda with partnerships, shared knowledge and innovation in fisheries management (see Kafue River and Kenai River case studies).
5. In all case studies, aquatic biodiversity conservation and fisheries agendas are better served if efforts focused on creating synergies between fishing activities with ecosystem functioning yield long‐term livelihood and food security narratives.
6. A unified voice from conservation and fisheries communities has more socio‐economic and political capital to advocate for biodiversity and social interests in freshwater governance decisions.

     

Country‐wide analysis of large wood as a driver of fish abundance in Swedish streams: Which species benefit and where?

1. 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.
2. 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.
3. 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.
4. 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.
5. 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.

     

Occurrence patterns of African manatees,conflicts with humans,and local perception in the Southern Korup Area,Cameroon

1. The African manatee has been poorly studied throughout its range and is heavily hunted. This study aimed at discerning patterns in manatee sightings and emerging conflicts with humans, as well as the local perception of manatees, outside the southern periphery of Korup National Park, Cameroon.
2. The study investigated whether patterns in manatee sightings and manatee‐related conflicts differ between aquatic systems in southern Korup, and which demographic variables determine perceptions of the manatee in the study area. For this purpose, the study used a three‐stage stratified random sampling design with a structured questionnaire to survey 101 local fishers.
3. The reported patterns of manatee sightings and manatee‐related conflicts were as follows: in the Nyangorobe River during the wet season only, where crop raiding and net destruction by manatees were reported; in the Ndian River and the mangrove estuary only during the dry season, where fish theft and net damage were reported; and in the Moko River during both seasons, where crop raiding, fish theft, and net destruction were reported. Reducing these conflicts is likely to increase local support for the conservation of manatees, because fishermen kill them in response to net destruction and fish loss.
4. Most reported sightings were at waterway intersections and river bends, suggesting that waterway connectivity is important to manatees for dispersal, foraging, and escape from danger.
5. The log‐odds probability of negative perception decreased significantly with awareness of manatee protected status but increased with age and primary or higher education level. These findings have implications for community outreach focused on raising awareness of the importance of manatee conservation by schoolchildren and the public.

     

Food resources and cyprinid diet in permanent and temporary Mediterranean rivers with natural and regulated flow

This study addresses the differences in food availability, diet and feeding activity of the Iberian barbel, between permanent and temporary nonregulated rivers, and the effect of flow regulation on feeding parameters. A total of 267 adult barbels were seasonally collected in four nonregulated and regulated rivers from permanent and temporary basins, and their gut content was analysed. Locally available food sources were evaluated across sites and seasons. Barbels from the permanent nonregulated river exhibit a more variable and diversified diet in which invertebrates assumed a large importance, especially during high flows. Barbels from the temporary nonregulated river presented a more uniform diet composed of plant material and detritus, particularly in drought seasons. Flow regulation affected different flow components in both systems, but the effects on food resources and barbels' diet were similar, resulting in an intra‐annual stabilisation of resource availability and fish diet, with a higher consumption of plants and detritus. Changes in fish diet and feeding activity in both nonregulated and regulated rivers were strongly associated with the seasonal variability of streamflow components, particularly between low‐ and high‐flow periods, and with the reduction in flow variability in the case of dam regulation. Results from this study can be used to improve guidelines for flow requirement implementation.     

Polymorphic mountain whitefish (Prosopium williamsoni) in a coastal riverscape: size class assemblages,distribution, and habitat associations

We compared the assemblage structure, spatial distributions, and habitat associations of mountain whitefish (Prosopium williamsoni) morphotypes and size classes. We hypothesised that morphotypes would have different spatial distributions and would be associated with different habitat features based on feeding behaviour and diet. Spatially continuous sampling was conducted over a broad extent (29 km) in the Calawah River, WA (USA). Whitefish were enumerated via snorkelling in three size classes: small (10–29 cm), medium (30–49 cm), and large (≥50 cm). We identified morphotypes based on head and snout morphology: a pinocchio form that had an elongated snout and a normal form with a blunted snout. Large size classes of both morphotypes were distributed downstream of small and medium size classes, and normal whitefish were distributed downstream of pinocchio whitefish. Ordination of whitefish assemblages with nonmetric multidimensional scaling revealed that normal whitefish size classes were associated with higher gradient and depth, whereas pinocchio whitefish size classes were positively associated with pool area, distance upstream, and depth. Reach‐scale generalised additive models indicated that normal whitefish relative density was associated with larger substrate size in downstream reaches (R² = 0.64), and pinocchio whitefish were associated with greater stream depth in the reaches farther upstream (R² = 0.87). These results suggest broad‐scale spatial segregation (1–10 km), particularly between larger and more phenotypically extreme individuals. These results provide the first perspective on spatial distributions and habitat relationships of polymorphic mountain whitefish.     

近36年藏东“三江”流域农业气候资源变化特征

为了解藏东"三江"流域农业气候资源的变化特征,为政府部门合理利用气候资源提供科学依据。利用藏东"三江"流域1980—2015年逐日气温、降水量、日照时数等资料,应用线性倾向估计、M-K突变检验等方法,分析近36年藏东"三江"流域热量、光照、降水资源的变化趋势及对农业生产的影响。结果表明:近36年,藏东"三江"流域年平均气温、日照时数、降水量呈增加趋势,气候倾向率分别为0.38℃/10 a、22.2 h/10 a、9.4 mm/10 a;流域内各站气温年、季变化趋势一致,日照时数与降水量年、季变化趋势差异较大;降水相对变率春季最大,夏季最小;≥0℃的初日提早、终日推迟,持续日数延长,积温增长。农业气候资源的变化将对藏东"三江"流域农业的发展产生巨大影响。     

原位生物处理技术改善城市断头河水质研究

在水网密布、河涌众多的地区,存在着大量断头河道和盲肠河道,因无水源补给、水体长期滞留,大多呈富营养化状态,生态环境及景观功能丧失。以扬州市断头河富营养化水体净化为例,设计了人工曝气、生态净水砖和生物浮床等原位生物处理技术。工程效果显示：对COD的平均去除率为45%,去除范围35%～56%;对NH3-N的平均去除率为33%,去除范围17%～44%;对TN的平均去除率为28%,去除范围15%～39%;对TP的平均去除率为35%,去除范围25%～44%。说明原位生物处理技术对改善城市断头河富营养化水体水质效果显著。     

长江中游监利江段鱼卵及仔稚鱼时空分布

2010年5-7月对长江中游监利江段鱼卵和仔稚鱼的时空分布进行调查,共采集到鱼卵样品9494粒,仔稚鱼样品328422尾,分属8目15科43属51种.结果显示:5-7月鱼卵的平均密度为13.3 ind./100m3,最大密度值87.8 ind./100 m3,主要集中在5月;5-7月仔稚鱼平均密度为61.8 ind./...     

环境管制政策的实施效果评价——以九龙江流域"限猪令"为例

环境管制一直是我国环境污染治理所采取的主要政策之一,对我国的环境保护起到了一定的积极作用,同时也存在一些弊端,致使其成效不甚显著甚至背离初始目标.在此情况下,如何评价环境管制政策绩效具有重要的理论和实际意义.本文以九龙江流域"限猪令"政策为例,选取政策目标实现度、主要环保指标实现、环保投入效益、公众参与及满意度四个方面...     

黄河三角洲台田间渗水池塘的水质变动规律分析

以黄河三角洲地区台田间渗水池塘为研究对象,分析了渗水池塘的水质因子变动规律。结果表明:不同池塘间水质因子差异较大,但均表现出水体盐度较高、氮磷等营养物质含量较低、K+离子含量相对较低、Ca2+离子和Na+离子含量相对较高及K+/Na+显著低于正常海水等特点。结果说明,黄河三角洲地区台田间渗水池塘的水质条件不适合直接进行水产养殖,应对水质调整后才可做养殖之用。