Putting publication into practice: A summary of the impact of selected articles published in Aquatic Conservation: Marine and Freshwater Ecosystems

1. This article introduces a special issue of Aquatic Conservation: Marine and Freshwater Ecosystems (AQC) whose contributions demonstrate examples of the practical impact of the authors' previous AQC articles on the conservation of aquatic ecosystems.
2. The submitting authors of all articles published in AQC since 2009 were invited to express their interest in writing an article for the special issue. The 20 articles selected for publication discuss 33 AQC articles published from 2004 to 2019, spanning a wide range of geographical locations, habitat types, species groups, and impacts on aquatic conservation.
3. The two impacts reported most frequently are ‘Undertaking practical management of habitats and species’ and ‘Establishing partnerships’, closely followed by ‘Restoring habitats/reintroducing or translocating species’. Many authors demonstrate the importance of their articles in raising awareness across an extensive range of organizations.
4. Some impacts occur soon after publication (e.g. introduction of conservation guidelines), whereas others (e.g. influencing policy) take far longer. Authors report a wide range of methods for disseminating research results appropriate for different audiences, such as technical handbooks, seminars, magazine articles, media broadcasts, and field workshops.
5. To assess whether ‘conventional’ measures of impact match authors' perceptions, three metrics were calculated for the 33 AQC articles discussed in this issue: the number of citations, the number of downloads, and the Altmetric Attention Score. These metrics were not significantly higher for the 33 articles than the corresponding median metrics of the articles in the issues in which the 33 were published.
6. The goal of AQC is to continue to encourage scientists to recognize and promote the application of their research to practical conservation and management. Given the growing threats to aquatic ecosystems, much remains to be done to make this process even more effective.

     

Demonstrating the practical impact of publications in Aquatic Conservation – The case of crucian carp Carassius carassius in the East of England

1. The contribution of nearly three decades of research, much of it published in Aquatic Conservation: Marine and Freshwater Ecosystems (AQC), to the conservation of the crucian carp Carassius carassius in the East of England, including work coordinated by the Norfolk Crucian Project, is summarized.
2. Although recent genetic studies indicate that this species was probably introduced to England about the same time as common carp Cyprinus carpio, the crucian carp is considered a cultural heritage species worthy of conservation in eastern England.
3. This research covers the environmental biology of the species in the East of England, documentation of the species' decline in the county of Norfolk, and the pond management practices implemented in Norfolk to rehabilitate existing and fully terrestrialized pond habitat specifically for crucian carp conservation.
4. The AQC papers that contributed to this line of research showed that England offers a particularly favourable environment for crucian carp growth and reproduction. These AQC articles provided the evidence base to complement crucian carp conservation initiatives in the London area (mainly the counties of Essex and Hertfordshire), as well as forming the basis for the designation of crucian carp as a Biodiversity Action Priority species in the county of Norfolk.
5. The broader impact of the work in the East of England was to inspire the recently‐formed English National Crucian Conservation Project, which aims to promote the conservation of crucian carp and its habitat, and to encourage the development of well‐managed crucian fisheries.
6. These evidence‐based conservation initiatives, perhaps the first throughout Europe, have witnessed a reversal of the species' fortunes in England, which is effectively an ideal geographical region in which to promote the conservation of this species within a wider, European context.

     

Integrating fishing and conservation in a risk framework: A stochastic population model to guide the proactive management of a threatened freshwater crayfish

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Freshwater turtle bycatch research supports science‐based fisheries management

1. Although it is sometimes difficult for researchers to ensure that their work is used by resource managers to make informed decisions, an example where this knowledge–action gap has been breached is in research published in Aquatic Conservation: Marine and Freshwater Ecosystems (AQC) – among other journals – that has assisted fisheries managers in identifying strategies for reducing freshwater turtle bycatch in commercial hoop net fisheries in Ontario, Canada.
2. Research published in AQC has provided evidence towards a simple and effective method for preventing turtle bycatch mortality in hoop nets, which could be adopted by the fishers. Other research published in AQC evaluated the effect of bycatch mortality on the probability of persistence of turtle populations with population viability analyses, and outlined the need to minimize bycatch mortality to prevent local extirpation. Nine other papers have been published on freshwater turtle bycatch in Ontario, furthering our knowledge on this issue including seasonality and temperature effects on catches, other net modifications, post‐release effects and assisted recovery, and the perspectives of fishers.
3. The research results were presented to local resource managers with further discussions involving industry and stakeholders to minimize turtle bycatch mortality. Over several years, researchers have provided information to resource managers; however, when an incident of high turtle mortality caught the public eye, the research was readily available and changes in regulations were quick to occur.
4. Reasonably good communication among researchers, resource managers, industry, stakeholders, and the broader public allowed the rapid implementation of regulations to mitigate freshwater turtle bycatch mortality and bridged the knowledge–action gap between researchers and resource managers.
5. Both articles published in AQC had practical conservation impacts and were influential in providing local resource managers with feasible solutions, and the impetus to change regulations. These impacts extended to other jurisdictions and their monitoring programmes, where methods to reduce turtle bycatch mortality were also implemented.

     

Demonstrating the practical impact of studies on biotic interactions and adaptation of a threatened unionoid mussel (Margaritifera margaritifera) to its host fish (Salmo trutta)

1. To understand the ecological factors behind the decline of functionally important threatened species with complex life cycles, many different life‐cycle stages need to be investigated. The highly threatened unionoid freshwater mussels, with their complex life cycle, including a parasitic stage on host fish, often have a large influence on biodiversity and ecosystem functioning.
2. The overall aim of the present article is to summarize and discuss the impact of two articles published in Aquatic Conservation: Marine and Freshwater Ecosystems (AQC) on biotic interactions and adaptation of a threatened unionoid mussel (Margaritifera margaritifera) to its host fish (Salmo trutta).
3. The two AQC publications described research on the influence of population size and density of mussels and host fish, and host–parasite interactions between mussels and their host fish, on the recruitment of juvenile mussels.
4. The results from these publications filled gaps in knowledge and resulted in recommendations and incentives for conservation. The results and method development have been used in practical conservation work with threatened mussel species and have been implemented and cited in management handbooks. The outcome of the publications has been implemented in large conservation and restoration projects, and in several recent scientific publications.
5. Specifically, the results from one publication showed that ecological parameters such as mussel and host fish density and population size influenced recruitment of the threatened freshwater pearl mussel. The results from the second publication showed that understanding host–parasite interactions is important for comparing the suitability of host fish strains, and that host fish strains differ in their suitability for mussel infestations. In combination, the articles show that integrating ecological parameters of threatened mussels and their host fish with host–parasite interaction experiments can be an important influence on conservation recommendations, adaptive management and national management programmes for threatened species.

     

Integrating freshwater wetland science into planning for Great Barrier Reef sustainability

1. The paper ‘Biodiversity values of remnant freshwater floodplain lagoons in agricultural catchments: evidence for fish of the Wet Tropics bioregion, northern Australia’, published in Aquatic Conservation: Marine and Freshwater Ecosystems in 2015, has contributed in several ways to the integration of freshwater wetland science within new catchment management policies and practices for Great Barrier Reef (GBR) sustainability.
2. The Tully–Murray biodiversity study developed novel protocols to sample larval, juvenile, and adult fish life‐history stages in floodplain lagoons using a combination of boat‐based backpack electrofishing and fyke netting. In addition, hydrological and hydrodynamic models were applied in a completely new way to quantify the timing, extent, and duration of water connectivity across floodplain streams, cane drains, and wetlands. Combining the two novel approaches enabled an analysis of lagoon fish assemblage patterns in relation to environmental gradients, especially floodplain hydrology, connectivity patterns, and measures related to agricultural land use.
3. In demonstrating the importance of different levels of connectivity for different biodiversity outcomes in freshwater floodplain lagoons of the Tully–Murray catchment, the subject paper established that floodplain connectivity needs to be taken into consideration in wetland management practices.
4. The timing of the subject publication was fortuitous. It coincided with the preparation of the evidence‐based 2017 Scientific Consensus Statement on land‐based water quality impacts on the GBR. As one of the few freshwater wetland ecology publications for the catchments of the GBR at that time, this paper played an important role in demonstrating freshwater wetland values, fish conservation options, and management imperatives to sustain wetland ecological health and services in GBR catchments.
5. By advancing the understanding of factors driving biodiversity patterns, and the importance of connectivity and ecohydrological processes in freshwater floodplain wetlands of the GBR catchment, the Tully–Murray study helped to drive new policy directives for the protection and restoration of catchment, floodplain, and estuary functions, and connectivity, now embedded in the Reef 2050 Long‐Term Sustainability Plan 2018, an overarching strategy for managing the GBR over the next 35 years, and complementary Queensland environmental legislation.

     

From scientific obscurity to conservation priority: Research on angler catch rates is the catalyst for saving the hump‐backed mahseer Tor remadevii from extinction

1. The mahseer (Tor spp.) fishes of South and Southeast Asia are iconic megafaunal species that are highly valued by recreational anglers. Knowledge on their populations is limited owing to the challenges associated with sampling these large‐bodied fishes (>50 kg) in remote monsoonal rivers.
2. Despite its global iconic status among recreational anglers, the hump‐backed mahseer of the Cauvery River (South India) lacked a valid scientific name and was on a trajectory towards extinction until its rapidly declining population status was established by analyses of angler catch records.
3. Angling records from 1998 to 2012 showed that mahseer catch rates had increased in this period. The resulting publication in Aquatic Conservation (AQC) highlighted the positive role of catch‐and‐release angling in providing information on data‐poor species. However, further analyses showed that these catches comprised not one but two distinct phenotypes.
4. Before 1993, all mahseer captured were hump‐backed; since then, a blue‐fin phenotype appeared in catches and subsequently dominated them. These results triggered further studies indicating that the hump‐backed mahseer was the endemic Tor remadevii and that the blue‐fin was the invasive Tor khudree, introduced in 1976 and then stocked periodically from hatcheries.
5. The initial AQC publication successfully demonstrated the high value of organized angling as a monitoring tool for data‐poor fishes and its application to assessing the temporal population patterns of large‐bodied fishes in monsoonal rivers. It was also the catalyst for initiating subsequent studies on T. remadevii that, together, enabled its recent assessment as ‘Critically Endangered’ on the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List. In the absence of the AQC paper, and the subsequent studies that it triggered, it is highly probable that the species would have remained on a trajectory towards rapid extinction. Instead, the first major steps to safeguarding its future have been taken.

     

From a research study to a conservation partnership: Developing approaches to restoring common scoter populations

• 1. Like many sea‐duck populations, the British breeding population of common scoters Melanitta nigra has declined markedly. In 2009, a study was established to measure factors affecting lake use by breeding scoters, to inform conservation measures. That study, published in Aquatic Conservation: Marine and Freshwater Ecosystems (AQC) in 2016, showed that lakes used by scoters had relatively more shallow water and large invertebrates. Furthermore, lakes with abundant large invertebrates had relatively few brown trout Salmo trutta. These results probably reflect the importance of foraging habitat (shallow water), prey abundance (large invertebrates), and competition for prey (trout abundance) in influencing scoter lake use.
• 2. To develop this study, additional research, and scoter conservation measures, we formed a long‐term partnership, comprising nature conservation non‐governmental organizations, statutory agencies, fisheries managers and the regional hydropower company. The partnership meets regularly to coordinate and review research and develop conservation measures, building on the earlier lake‐use study.
• 3. At key scoter lakes managed for hydropower, the partnership negotiated a revised water level management regime, favouring shallow water availability in the breeding season. This regime was informed by additional research, showing the value of certain islands for nesting scoters, and water level requirements to maintain these as islands.
• 4. In a different key scoter area — an extensive near‐natural peatland where recreational angling takes place — the partnership established a trial of increased brown trout angling, with increased fish removal, to determine whether this would increase invertebrate prey abundance and benefit breeding scoters. Both conservation interventions are currently being evaluated by detailed monitoring.
• 5. Overall, the earlier study published in AQC, was important in strengthening and informing our researcher–practitioner partnership, as we collaborated within an adaptive management framework to reverse scoter declines. Long‐term interdisciplinary partnerships are likely to have an important role to play in general, for the successful conservation of aquatic biodiversity.

     

The ecology of the endemic quillwort Isoëtes malinverniana: From basic research to legal and in situ conservation

1. Scientific publications on the conservation of threatened species can drive practical conservation solutions for endangered species. Yet, a posteriori assessment of the impact of such publications is rarely seen in the scientific literature.
2. The impact of two articles published in Aquatic Conservation: Marine and Freshwater Ecosystems (AQC) on the conservation of the endangered quillwort Isoëtes malinverniana is assessed. The articles were the result of a 10‐year study on the focal species that eventually led to the first reintroduction of I. malinverniana. The first article described the development of a cost‐effective model for the selection of suitable reintroduction sites for the species. The second article provided a summary of the techniques used to reintroduce the species and included techniques of ex situ propagation, recipient site preparation, planting methods, and monitoring.
3. This article reviews the practical conservation actions for I. malinverniana that followed the publication of two AQC papers and how they may affect research and conservation for other quillworts and aquatic macrophytes.
4. The results were surprising and went well beyond the initial expectations of the authors. Both AQC publications stimulated the conservation of I. malinverniana from different points of view. They contributed by informing scientists and policymakers of the risk of extinction of this species, leading to the establishment of a new protected area in Piedmont (northern Italy).
5. Our published data represent a sound starting point for funding opportunities in the context of the European Union LIFE programme. Further impacts include an expansion of knowledge on oligotrophic habitat management, the assessment of conservation status, and the education of the general public, with the last of these greatly enhanced by the two ex situ collections created in the botanic gardens of Tourin and Pavia. Interestingly, other authors are now using our approach in research and conservation on other endemic and endangered quillworts worldwide.

     

Signal crayfish (Pacifastacus leniusculus) predation upon Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar) eggs

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Characterizing tourism benefits associated with top‐predator conservation in coastal British Columbia

1. Facing public concern over costs related to top‐predator reintroductions and conservation, ecosystem services such as ecotourism are often used to evoke benefits that outweigh or offset those costs. Quantifying these benefits using rigorous scientific methods can provide confidence to policymakers and other stakeholders that predators can in fact deliver positive outcomes to people living alongside them. The evaluation of these benefits is often anecdotal or qualitative, however, and empirical quantifications are rare.
2. In coastal marine ecosystems, sea otter reintroduction is seen as a conservation success to some but a bane to others. The contribution of sea otters (Enyhdra lutris) to tourism revenue is touted as a crucial ecosystem service benefit to offset the loss of shellfish harvesting and associated revenue, but remains unquantified, weakening the favourable reception of conservation action.
3. The potential economic benefits of sea otters associated with tourism and the extent to which benefits are realized were evaluated based on: (i) choice‐experiment surveys of tourists; and (ii) interviews with tourism operators in British Columbia.
4. Sea otters were a strong factor in people's choices regarding wildlife viewing, and sea otters could have large benefits for local economies. Alongside socio‐economic characteristics, tourism experience influences tourists’ preferences. Tourism operators did not perceive sea otters as strongly influencing tourist choice, highlighting the gap that can occur between the perception and the reality of tourist preferences, leading to missed opportunities for the alignment of economic development with conservation actions.

     

Predation by invasive signal crayfish on early life stages of European barbel may be limited

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Aquatic conservation: reflections on the first 25 years

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Morphological diversity and phenotypic plasticity in the threatened British white‐clawed crayfish (Austropotamobius pallipes)

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Science for conserving Amazon freshwater ecosystems

1. The Amazon Basin is being degraded at unprecedented rates, yet conservation efforts have implemented protected areas to curb deforestation, leaving freshwater ecosystems vulnerable to degradation. Amazon freshwater ecosystems are largely unprotected because a terrestrial bias has limited the ability of science to affect policy.
2. Overcoming this bias requires increasing exchange of information among stakeholders across the basin to raise awareness of threats to Amazon freshwater ecosystems and promote discussions and access to conservation solutions. To help address this need, this Special Issue collates 15 synthetic articles that advance knowledge and identify conservation solutions.
3. Three articles highlight the importance of considering the hydrological and limnological processes that control the integrity of these freshwater ecosystems and offer new insights on how to extrapolate them across the basin.
4. Three articles on crocodilians, aquatic mammals, and migratory fishes document threats and knowledge gaps, and identify the missing role of governments as an impediment to conservation of their populations.
5. Three articles evaluate the multi-faceted effects of hydropower dams on fish, birds, and floodplain trees. They reinforce perceptions that dams are key environmental threats and offer guidance for improving protocols for dam site selection and impact assessment.
6. Three articles assessing the effectiveness of protected areas to safeguard fish and aquatic invertebrates show there is an urgent need to redesign the Amazon protected area network to adequately protect freshwater biota.
7. Three forward-looking articles show that: (i) conservation initiatives by local communities are ‘bright spots’ for freshwater conservation; (ii) microchemistry analyses of the ear bones of fishes could boost the knowledge base needed to conserve them; and (iii) strengthening the Amazon conservation framework requires a reversal of Brazil's current governmental priorities, remobilization of stakeholders, investments in capacity building, and expanding protections to terrestrial and freshwater ecosystems.

     

Colonization history and human translocations explain the population genetic structure of the noble crayfish (Astacus astacus) in Fennoscandia: Implications for the management of a critically endangered species

1. The noble crayfish (Astacus astacus) is an endangered freshwater species in Europe. The main threat is from lethal crayfish plague, caused by the oomycete Aphanomyces astaci that has been spread over Europe by introduced North American crayfish species, acting as chronic carriers of the disease.
2. Most of the remaining noble crayfish populations are found in the Baltic Sea area, and there is an urgent need to implement conservation actions to slow down or halt the extinction rate in this region. However, limited knowledge about the genetic structure of populations in this area has so far precluded the development of conservation strategies that take genetic aspects into consideration.
3. Key objectives of this large-scale genetic study, covering 77 locations mainly from northern Europe, were to describe the contemporary population genetic structure of the noble crayfish in the Fennoscandian peninsula (Sweden, Norway, and Finland), taking postglacial colonization history into account, and to evaluate how human activities such as stocking have affected the genetic structure of the populations.
4. Analyses of 15 microsatellite markers revealed three main genetic clusters corresponding to populations in northern, middle, and southern Fennoscandia, with measures of genetic diversity being markedly higher within populations in the southern cluster. The observed genetic structure probably mirrors two main colonizations of the Baltic Sea basin after the last glaciation period. At the same time, several deviations from this pattern were observed, reflecting past human translocations of noble crayfish.
5. The results are discussed in relation to the conservation and management of this critically endangered species. In particular, we recommend increased efforts to protect the few remaining noble crayfish populations in southern Fennoscandia and the use of genetic information when planning stocking activities, such as reintroductions following local extinctions.

     

Conservation of fish communities: Extending the ‘research life cycle’ by achieving practical effects

1. This article highlights the practical impact of our 2018 Aquatic Conservation: Marine and Freshwater Ecosystems publication, ‘Importance of peripheral basins: Implications for the conservation of fish assemblages’, which described fish communities in a Polish river.
2. Data on the fish assemblages of the Dniester River (Black Sea basin) are scarce; however, evidence indicates that the assemblages have declined. In our 2018 study, we hypothesized that the peripheral basin (the small basin on the edge) of the larger Upper Dniester River basin (the Strwi?? River) could maintain good ecological status and contained unique fish assemblages.
3. To examine the influence of historical factors and assess the role of peripheral basins on fish conservation, data from the Strwi?? basin were compared with the adjacent but unconnected Wiar basin (the Vistula basin; Baltic Sea basin). The Strwi?? River fish assemblages featured higher species richness and a greater number of native Ponto–Caspian species that function near the edge of their ranges.
4. This article focuses on four impacts of the 2018 publication: increasing awareness by various groups and organizations of the unique character of the surveyed river basin; highlighting important issues in assessing the ecological status of European rivers; driving the red‐listing of species and the development of stream fish conservation strategies; and identifying possible future impacts.
5. Our 2018 publication demonstrated the value of studying peripheral basins, which may affect conservation strategy development and encourage study of the importance of other peripheral basins and their role in aquatic resources conservation. Our article influenced the interpretation of fish‐based biotic indices and the conduct of monitoring work and its evaluation. It also strongly emphasized the native origin of the racer goby (Babka gymnotrachelus) in the Strwi?? River, which was important for subsequent works seeking to change the legal status of the species in Poland.

     

Niche‐based species distribution models and conservation planning for endangered freshwater crayfish in south‐western Germany

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The decline of endangered stone crayfish (Austropotamobius torrentium) in southern Germany is related to the spread of invasive alien species and land‐use change

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