Can accidental introductions of non‐native species be prevented by fish stocking audits?

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Hole‐in‐the‐head disease in discus fish,Symphysodon (Heckel, 1840): Is it a consequence of a dietary Ca/P imbalance?

Hole‐in‐the‐head (HITH) disease‐affected fish develop characteristic lesions in the skin above sensory pores of the head and the trunk. This study investigated whether an unfavourable Ca/P ratio in the diet could provoke lesions consistent with HITH disease in discus fish Symphysodon (Heckel, 1840) as a comparable condition to secondary hyperparathyroidism of tetrapod species. Two groups of five fish were fed a plain beef heart diet (Ca/P of 0.03), whereas two other groups were kept on commercial discus feed (Ca/P of 2.73). Each feeding group was submitted to two different water hardness regimes (35.66–71.39 mg/L CaCO₃ and 124.94–196.33 mg/L CaCO₃, respectively). All fish were observed for the development of the characteristic lesions for 16 weeks. At the end of the study, histological, bacteriological and parasitological examinations were conducted and plasma Ca, P and Mg values were determined. Diplomonad flagellates were detected in two fish. Isolated bacteria of all groups mostly belonged to Aeromonadales and Pseudomonadales. No significant difference of plasma mineral values between the groups was observed. Compared to the results of other authors, Ca stayed mainly in the range and P exceeded the reference values. Histological examinations did not indicate HITH disease, and no fish developed signs of the disease during the study. Clinical trial registration number GZ 68.205/0135‐WF/V/36/2014.     

Behavioural thermoregulation in cold-water freshwater fish: Innate resilience to climate warming?

Behavioural thermoregulation enables ectotherms to access habitats providing conditions within their temperature optima, especially in periods of extreme thermal conditions, through adjustments to their behaviours that provide a “whole-body” response to temperature changes. Although freshwater fish have been detected as moving in response to temperature changes to access habitats that provide their thermal optima, there is a lack of integrative studies synthesising the extent to which this is driven by behaviour across different species and spatial scales. A quantitative global synthesis of behavioural thermoregulation in freshwater fish revealed that across 77 studies, behavioural thermoregulatory movements by fish were detected both vertically and horizontally, and from warm to cool waters and, occasionally, the converse. When fish moved from warm to cooler habitats, the extent of the temperature difference between these habitats decreased with increasing latitude, with juvenile and non-migratory fishes tolerating greater temperature differences than adult and anadromous individuals. With most studies focused on assessing movements of cold-water salmonids during summer periods, there remains an outstanding need for work on climatically vulnerable, non-salmonid fishes to understand how these innate thermoregulatory behaviours could facilitate population persistence in warming conditions.     

The aquarium hobby: can sinners become saints in freshwater fish conservation?

The aquarium hobby is popular worldwide, but it has positives and negatives for freshwater fish conservation. The most damaging impacts of the aquarium trade on ecosystems are overharvesting and invasive species. Consequently, many conservationists and academics have the perception that aquarium hobbyists are generally harmful to species conservation. Without overlooking these major drawbacks of the aquarium hobby, we aim to establish common ground between hobbyists and conservationists by correcting some misconceptions and showing the benefits of serious aquarium hobbyists in the conservation of freshwater fishes and their habitats. Our overview illustrates that the aquarium hobby is not insensitive to the pernicious effects of this enduring hobby on natural systems and that serious aquarists and their associations can directly assist and fund scientific research, increase conservation awareness among the general public and even participate in ex situ and in situ conservation programmes for native fish species at national or international levels. Whilst the relationship between conservationists and the aquarium hobby has often been antagonistic in recent years, ultimately most biologists and aquarists share a love of the species they study or maintain, and this common interest could be the basis for a more positive and productive relationship.     

Effects of sedimentation on an endangered benthic fish,Cobitis shikokuensis: is sediment‐free habitat a requirement or a preference?

A negative correlation between the degree of fine sediment deposition and the abundance of stream benthic fishes has often been reported, although the causal mechanisms for this effect are not fully understood. To better understand the influence of sedimentation, it is important to clarify whether it alters the habitat required by fish, or merely preferred by them. We conducted two enclosure experiments in the field to examine (i) whether an endangered benthic fish, Cobitis shikokuensis, prefers sediment‐free substrate and (ii) whether fine sediment deposition has negative effects on the physiological condition of C. shikokuensis. The first experiment, which used three types of substrates, ‘cobble’, ‘pebble’ and ‘mixture of fine sediment and pebbles’, showed that C. shikokuensis avoided the mixture. The second experiment, which compared the physiological condition of fish reared in enclosures with either a pebble or mixture substrate, showed that the condition of the fish in the latter group declined more quickly. These results suggest that, for C. shikokuensis, sediment‐free substrate is a habitat requirement, not merely a preference, and that excessive input of fine sediment due to human activities can cause a decline in the population of this species.     

Do intracoelomic telemetry transmitters alter the post‐release behaviour of migratory fish?

Electronic tags have become a common tool in fish research, enhancing our understanding of how fish interact with their environment and move among different habitats, for estimating mortality and recording internal physiological states. An often‐untested assumption of electronic tagging studies is that tagged fish are representative of untagged conspecifics and thus show ‘normal’ behaviour (e.g. movement rates, swimming activity, feeding). Here, we use a unique data set for potamadromous walleye (Sander vitreus) in Lake Huron and Lake Erie tributaries to assess whether the lack of appropriate controls in electronic tagging could seriously affect behavioural data. We used fish tagged in previous years and compared their migratory behaviour during the spawning season to fish tagged in a current year at the same location. The objective of the study was to determine whether intracoelomic acoustic tag implantation altered downstream movement of walleye after spawning. Fish tagged in a given season travelled slower downstream from two river spawning sites than fish tagged in previous years. Fish tagged one or two years earlier showed no differences between each other in downstream travel time, in contrast to fish tagged in a given year. Our results support notions that standard collection and intracoelomic tagging procedures can alter short‐term behaviour (i.e. days, weeks, months), and as such, researchers should use caution when interpreting data collected over such time periods. Further, whenever possible, researchers should also explicitly evaluate post‐tagging effects on behaviour as part of their experimental objectives.     

Is it good or bad to fish with FADs? What are the real impacts of the use of drifting FADs on pelagic marine ecosystems?

The use of fish aggregating devices (FADs) by purse seine fisheries has come under increasing criticism for its potential deleterious impacts on tuna stocks, for high levels of by‐catch and threats to the biodiversity of tropical pelagic ecosystems. Here, we review the current state of scientific knowledge of this fishing technique and current management strategies. Our intent is to encourage objective discussion of the topic and highlight areas worthy of future research. We show that catching juvenile tuna around FADs does not necessarily result in overfishing of stocks, although more selective fishing techniques would likely help obtain higher yield. Levels of non‐tuna by‐catch are comparable to or less than in other commercial tuna fisheries and are primarily comprised of species that are not considered threatened. Accordingly, to minimize impacts on ecosystem balance, there is merit in considering that all species captured in purse seine fisheries (excluding vulnerable species such as turtles and sharks) should be retained, but the consequences of such a measure should be carefully examined before implementation. The take of vulnerable species could be further reduced by introduction of additional mitigation measures, but their potential benefits would be limited without parallel efforts with other gears. Finally, there is no unequivocal empirical evidence that FADs represent an ‘ecological trap’ that inherently disrupts tuna biology although further research should focus on this issue. We encourage RFMOs to expand and improve their FAD management plans. Under appropriate management regimes, FAD fishing could be an ecologically and economically sensible fishing method.     

Effects of fish species composition on Diphyllobothrium spp. infections in brown trout – is three‐spined stickleback a key species?

Subarctic populations of brown trout (Salmo trutta) are often heavily infected with cestodes of the genus Diphyllobothrium, assumedly because of their piscivorous behaviour. This study explores possible associations between availability of fish prey and Diphyllobothrium spp. infections in lacustrine trout populations. Trout in (i) allopatry (group T); (ii) sympatry with Arctic charr (Salvelinus alpinus) (group TC); and (iii) sympatry with charr and three‐spined stickleback (Gasterosteus aculeatus) (group TCS) were contrasted. Mean abundance and intensity of Diphyllobothrium spp. were higher in group TCS compared to groups TC and T. Prevalence, however, was similarly higher in groups TCS and TC compared to group T. Zero‐altered negative binomial modelling identified the lowest probability of infection in group T and similar probabilities of infection in groups TC and TCS, whereas the highest intensity was predicted in group TCS. The most infected trout were from the group co‐occurring with stickleback (TCS), possibly due to a higher availability of fish prey. In conclusion, our study demonstrates elevated Diphyllobothrium spp. infections in lacustrine trout populations where fish prey are available and suggests that highly available and easily caught stickleback prey may play a key role in the transmission of Diphyllobothrium spp. parasite larvae.     

To sea or not to sea? Multiple lines of evidence reveal the contribution of non‐diadromous recruitment for supporting endemic fish populations within New Zealand's longest river

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Does motor noise from recreational boats alter parental care behaviour of a nesting freshwater fish?

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Forgotten fishes: What is the future for small threatened freshwater fish? Population risk assessment for southern pygmy perch,Nannoperca australis

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Are circle hooks an effective tool for conserving marine and freshwater recreational catch‐and‐release fisheries?

• 1. Circle hooks have rapidly become popular among recreational anglers, based largely on the assumption that their use aids in the conservation of fisheries resources by reducing gut hooking, and hence mortality. In addition, circle hooks are intended to facilitate jaw hooking. Unfortunately, these assumptions have been perpetuated by anecdotal reports with very little rigorous scientific information to support these assertions.
• 2. A number of recently published, forthcoming, and grey literature reports provide an opportunity to review briefly and synthesize research conducted on circle hooks. We surveyed literature databases and also used questionnaires to solicit information from unpublished or in‐progress circle hook research.
• 3. Although among studies the results have been quite disparate, overall the mortality rates were consistently lower for circle hooks than J‐style hooks. In addition, circle hooks were more frequently hooked in the jaw, and less frequently hooked in the gut than conventional hook types. There is no doubt that in some marine fisheries, such as tuna, billfish, and striped bass, capture efficiency remains high and injury and mortality rates are drastically reduced. However, in other species (e.g. bluegill), injury can actually be more severe from circle hooks relative to some other hook types. In other species, such as largemouth bass, circle hooks have minimal conservation benefit, but have reduced capture efficiency relative to conventional hook designs.
• 4. Factors such as hook size, fishing style, fish feeding mode, and mouth morphology all appear to affect the effectiveness of circle hooks. For these reasons, it is difficult to promote the adoption of the use of circle hooks as a panacea for all fish and fisheries. Instead, we recommend that management agencies focus on recommending circle hooks only for instances for which appropriate scientific data exist.
• 5. The recent interest in circle hooks has been beneficial for stimulating interest and research on the role of hook designs in reducing hooking‐related injury and mortality. We encourage tackle manufacturers to continue to develop new hook designs that have the potential to provide conservation benefit to caught and released fish. This paper provides direction to management agencies and outdoor media for disseminating responsible information to anglers regarding the application of circle hooks for conserving fisheries resources.

Copyright © 2004 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

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

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Do protected areas mitigate the effects of fisheries‐induced evolution on parental care behaviour of a teleost fish?

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Beyond marine paper parks? Regulation theory to assess and address environmental non‐compliance

1. Many marine protected areas (MPAs) around the world are ‘paper parks’. A key factor contributing to their ineffectiveness is non‐compliance with the rules in place. 2. This paper contributes to the existing academic discussion on ‘paper parks’ by drawing on critical regulation scholarship to develop a theoretical framework to assess and address compliance gaps in MPAs. 3. The theoretical insights are then explored using a case study of the second largest Italian MPA (the ‘Penisola del Sinis‐Isola di Mal di Ventre’), employing a multidisciplinary perspective built on both biological and socio‐legal expertise. 4. The biological study consists of a review including existing unpublished data on biological resources in the MPA coupled with new analyses on the effects of sea urchin harvesting restrictions. The socio‐legal research consists of the analysis of primary qualitative research in the form of semi‐structured interviews conducted with key stakeholders at the local and regional level in 2014, followed by two workshops (one with stakeholders and one with the general public) in 2015 to discuss the research findings collectively. 5. The results show that the Sinis MPA is not achieving its conservation goals, primarily because of actors' non‐compliance with the rules. The interviews with key stakeholders reveal a number of interlinked social, normative and calculative motivations at the basis of non‐compliance. Policy solutions are then offered. 6. This study offers a novel analysis on ‘paper parks’ that may be applicable to other MPAs experiencing similar compliance issues. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Non‐salmonids in a salmonid fishway: what do 50 years of data tell us about past and future fish passage?

Abstract  Salmonid fishways have been used in many countries for non-salmonid fishes, including Australia, but generally with poor results. Trapping the entrance and exit of a 1:9 gradient salmonid fishway on the Murray River confirmed very poor passage of native fish, with <1% of the most abundant species ascending. Fifty years of fish passage monitoring showed the numbers of three native species declining by 95–100% and non-native fish becoming dominant. Fishways are now being designed for native fish and being quantitatively assessed, but daily flow management also needs to be addressed. The ecological model for passage of potamodromous fishes has changed from passing adults of a few species to one that incorporates the whole fish community, specifically: immature fish of large-bodied species that dominate numbers migrating upstream; a diverse range of movement strategies; and small-bodied species, crustaceans and low numbers of less-mobile species.     

Genetic improvement of marine fish – which method for industry?

Aquaculture industries and research organizations usually fail to exploit genetics as a tool for enhancing productivity and competitiveness. Yet, there is now some awareness among aquaculturists of the benefits from genetics. There remains little consensus about the types of genetic approaches that are most beneficial for the aquaculture industry. Discord arises because genetics comprises many subdisciplines, each with advocates promoting one field or another as the best method to develop commercially valuable strains. Here, I examine retrospectively the various genetic approaches in aquaculture to assess their commercial benefit.