共查询到20条相似文献，搜索用时 15 毫秒
1.
Christopher R. Middaugh Brin Kessinger Daniel D. Magoulick 《Ecology of Freshwater Fish》2018,27(1):19-29
Temperature increases due to climate change over the coming century will likely affect smallmouth bass (Micropterus dolomieu) growth in lotic systems at the southern extent of their native range. However, the thermal response of a stream to warming climate conditions could be affected by the flow regime of each stream, mitigating the effects on smallmouth bass populations. We developed bioenergetics models to compare change in smallmouth bass growth rate potential (GRP) from present to future projected monthly stream temperatures across two flow regimes: runoff and groundwater‐dominated. Seasonal differences in GRP between stream types were then compared. The models were developed for fourteen streams within the Ozark–Ouachita Interior Highlands in Arkansas, Oklahoma and Missouri, USA, which contain smallmouth bass. In our simulations, smallmouth bass mean GRP during summer months decreased by 0.005 g g?1 day?1 in runoff streams and 0.002 g g?1 day?1 in groundwater streams by the end of century. Mean GRP during winter, fall and early spring increased under future climate conditions within both stream types (e.g., 0.00019 g g?1 day?1 in runoff and 0.0014 g g?1 day?1 in groundwater streams in spring months). We found significant differences in change in GRP between runoff and groundwater streams in three seasons in end‐of‐century simulations (spring, summer and fall). Potential differences in stream temperature across flow regimes could be an important habitat component to consider when investigating effects of climate change as fishes from various flow regimes that are relatively close geographically could be affected differently by warming climate conditions. 相似文献
2.
D. P. Coulter M. S. Sepúlveda C. D. Troy T. O. Höök 《Fisheries Management and Ecology》2014,21(3):196-210
Water temperature strongly affects aquatic ectotherms, as even slight temperature changes can have dramatic effects on physiological rates. Water bodies receiving industrial thermal discharges can undergo dramatic spatial and temporal changes in water temperature. To quantify effects on aquatic ectotherms, thermal habitat quality (bioenergetic growth rate potential; GRP) for zebra mussel, Dreissena polymorpha (Pallas), rusty crayfish, Orconectes rusticus (Girard), walleye, Sander vitreus (Mitchill) and smallmouth bass, Micropterus dolomieu (Lacepède) was estimated near two power plant thermal discharges on the Ohio River, USA, from 2010 to 2012 using bioenergetics models. These results were then compared with GRP under increased base temperatures representing climate warming. Growth rate potential for all species was low near the discharges during summer and highest in winter, with increasing prey consumption minimising the negative effects of increased temperatures. In their immediate vicinity, thermal discharges had a more adverse effect on GRP than plausible climate warming but primarily affected GRP over a small spatial area, particularly within 400 m downstream from the power plants. Examining thermal habitat suitability will become increasingly important as rising energy demand and climate change collectively affect aquatic organisms and their habitats. 相似文献
3.
大口黑鲈选育效果的初步分析 总被引：5，自引：0，他引：5
通过选择培育获得大口黑鲈群体选育子三代,对其选育效果进行初步评价。实验数据分析表明,经过三代的选育,大口黑鲈2个选育组在体长、体高和体重上均大于对照组,且差异极显著（P〈0.01）,选育组1和2的日增重率分别比对照组提高了25.32%和23.42%,平均每代的选育效应分别为8.44%和7.81%,而体重变异系数分别是26.8%和20.2%,相比对照组分别降低了9.8%和21.1%。试验结果表明,大口黑鲈的选育效果明显,F3代的生长性能有了显著性的提高,个体之间的生长速度更加趋于一致,同时,F3代仍具有较大的选育潜力,可继续对其进行选育。该研究为进一步通过选择育种培育大口黑鲈优良品种（系）奠定了基础。 相似文献
4.
Thomas M. Detmer Kyle J. Broadway Joseph J. Parkos Matthew J. Diana David H. Wahl 《Fisheries Management and Ecology》2020,27(5):540-543
Tournament fishing has risen in popularity over the last half a century. As such, social and financial incentives combined with technological advancements are expected to drive changes in angler's capacity to exploit tournament‐eligible fish stocks, as has been observed in commercial fisheries. The aim of this study was to quantify temporal trends in angler efficiency and their ability to exploit a given fish stock relative to effort in largemouth bass fishing tournaments. A collective analysis across seven Illinois reservoirs comparing change through time in angler catch rates and relative population abundances indicated that angler efficiency has generally improved through time. For the decade from 2005 to 2015, a greater than threefold increase in the efficiency of anglers to exploit a static population of largemouth bass was estimated. Anglers have become more efficient at exploiting populations, which is likely to influence management decisions in the future, particularly in harvest‐orientated fisheries and those reliant upon fishery‐dependent surveys. 相似文献
5.
J. M. Harris C. P. Paukert S. C. Bush M. J. Allen M. J. Siepker 《Fisheries Management and Ecology》2018,25(2):107-115
Largemouth bass Micropterus salmoides (Lacepède) use of installed habitat structure was evaluated in a large Midwestern USA reservoir to determine whether or not these structures were used in similar proportion to natural habitats. Seventy largemouth bass (>380 mm total length) were surgically implanted with radio transmitters and a subset was relocated monthly during day and night for one year. The top habitat selection models (based on Akaike's information criterion) suggest largemouth bass select 2–4 m depths during night and 4–7 m during day, whereas littoral structure selection was similar across diel periods. Largemouth bass selected boat docks at twice the rate of other structures. Installed woody structure was selected at similar rates to naturally occurring complex woody structure, whereas both were selected at a higher rate than simple woody structure. The results suggest the addition of woody structure may concentrate largemouth bass and mitigate the loss of woody habitat in a large reservoir. 相似文献
6.
Herbert Quintero Luke A. Roy Jeonghwan Park Anita M. Kelly David Heikes 《Journal of the World Aquaculture Society》2019,50(3):622-632
This study evaluated three different pond‐based production systems for raising largemouth bass, Micropterus salmoides, for the food fish market, using nine 0.04‐ha ponds. Treatments included traditional ponds (TP), intensively aerated ponds (IAP), and split‐pond systems (SPS). TP and SPS ponds were aerated at 9.3 kW/ha, while IAP was aerated at 18.6 kW/ha. TP was stocked at 7,500 fish per ha (three replicates per treatment), and the other two production systems (SPS, IAP) were stocked with 12,500 fish per ha. Feed‐habituated advanced fingerlings (128 ± 47.6 g mean individual weight) were cultured for 157 days. Fish were fed a formulated diet (42% protein, 16% lipid) four times a day, feeding with a maximum allowance of 3% of total body weight and readjusted to the initial body weight biweekly. Fish raised in the SPS displayed a significantly lower specific growth rate, lower individual final weight, and lower weight gain, but the biomass gained was significantly higher than TP but not IAP. Final biomass gained was 50% higher in the SPS and IAP than in the TP. Survival rate and feed conversion ratio were not significantly different among treatments and ranged from 71 to 79% and 1.64 to 2.14, respectively. 相似文献
7.
Abstract – We used prepositioned area electrofishers (PAEs, 10×1.5 m) to assess diel differences in distribution of age-0 largemouth bass, Micropterus salmoides , in August 1992–1993 in a paired sampling design. PAEs were placed parallel to shore in an embayment of an unvegetated reservoir (B. E. Jordan Lake, North Carolina, USA). The catch per unit effort (CPUE=fish/PAE) was significantly higher at night than during the day in both years, indicating that age-0 largemouth bass exhibit nocturnal inshore movements. Age-0 largemouth bass captured inshore during day were smaller than those captured at night, indicating that movement patterns may change ontogenetically. Inshore-offshore movements of age-0 largemouth bass were significantly reduced in the presence of cover, suggesting that diel movements were influenced by specific habitat components. Diel movements likely were related to foraging, resting and predator avoidance behavior and could affect population dynamics and introduce bias in assessment programs. Note 相似文献
8.
David L. Straus Cynthia K. Ledbetter David L. Heikes 《Journal of the World Aquaculture Society》2020,51(1):214-223
This study determined the effectiveness of copper sulfate (CuSO4) to inhibit fungal growth (caused by Saprolegnia spp.) on largemouth bass (LMB) eggs spawned on/in fiber mats in very high-alkalinity/-hardness waters; experiments also determined the toxicity of CuSO4 to LMB fry and juveniles. An untreated control and three CuSO4 concentrations (10, 20, and 40 mg/L) were tested under a flow-through scenario in the effectiveness experiment. Eggs were treated daily until hatching began. Fungal load at the time of hatch had a total area > 3.0 cm2 in the untreated controls, total area 1.0 to <2.0 cm2 in the 10 and 20 mg/L CuSO4 treatments, and total area > 1.0 cm2 in the 40 mg/L CuSO4 treatments. Fungus samples were identified as Saprolegnia australis. The 24-hr median lethal concentration (LC50) values on the LMB yolk-sac and swim-up fry were 32.0 and 4.6 mg/L CuSO4, respectively; the No Observed Effect Concentrations (NOEC) were 16.0 and 0.125 mg/L CuSO4, respectively. Juvenile LMB were extremely tolerant to CuSO4, and their 24-hr LC50 value was 185.5 mg/L; the NOEC was 64 mg/L. This study indicates that CuSO4 can be an important resource for hatcheries to control egg fungus, especially in high-alkalinity/-hardness waters. 相似文献
9.
为评估饲料中氯化胆碱添加量对大口黑鲈生长、饲料利用及形体指标的影响,在池塘网箱中用氯化胆碱添加量分别为0(对照组)、3 000、6 000 mg/kg的膨化饲料投喂初始体质量为(44.87±0.15)g的大口黑鲈,试验时长为60 d。试验结果显示,各组间大口黑鲈摄食率无显著差异(P＞0.05)。随着氯化胆碱添加量的增加,大口黑鲈的增重率和特定生长率随之提高,其中6 000 mg/kg添加组的增重率和特定生长率均为最高(P＜0.05);而饲料系数随之有下降的趋势,但组间差异不显著(P＞0.05);大口黑鲈的白肝比例亦随之有下降趋势,但差异不显著(P＞0.05)。与对照组相比,2个氯化胆碱添加组的大口黑鲈脏体比和肝体比均有所下降,但无显著差异(P＞0.05)。结果表明,在本试验条件下,以生长性能和肝脏健康为指标,大口黑鲈(规格为40~160 g)饲料中氯化胆碱的适宜添加量为6 000 mg/kg。 相似文献
10.
维生素C对大口黑鲈生长与非特异性免疫的影响 总被引：3，自引：1，他引：3
以不同维生素C水平(添加量分别为0、500、1000、2000和4000mg·kg-1)的5种饲料喂养初始体重为19g左右的大口黑鲈1个月,每个处理50尾鱼,各处理3个重复,研究维生素C对大口黑鲈生长及非特异性免疫的影响。结果显示:饲料中添加维生素C能显著促进大口黑鲈的生长和脾体指数(P<0·05),然而对大口黑鲈的成活率以及肝体指数等不产生影响(P>0·05);饲料中添加维生素C能显著促进大口黑鲈血清中超氧化物歧化酶活力和溶菌酶活力(P<0·05);随着饲料中维生素C添加水平的提高,大口黑鲈肝脏中维生素C的积累量显著升高(P<0·05)。实验证明,Vc作为免疫刺激剂能有效地提高大口黑鲈的生长与非特异性免疫能力。 相似文献
11.
Abstract – Spatial models of fish growth rate potential have been used to characterize a variety of environments including estuaries, the North American Great Lakes, small lakes and rivers. Growth rate potential models capture a snapshot of the environment but do not include the effects of habitat selection or competition for food in their measures of environment quality. Here, we test the ability of spatial models of fish growth rate potential to describe the quality of an environment for a fish population in which individual fish may select habitats and local competition may affect per capita intake. We compare growth rate potential measurements to simulated fish growth and distributions of model fish from a spatially explicit individual-based model of fish foraging in the same model environment. We base the model environment on data from Lake Ontario and base the model fish population on alewife in the lake. The results from a simulation experiment show that changes in the model environment that caused changes in the average growth rate potential correlated extremely highly ( r 2 ≥0.97) with changes in simulated fish growth. Unfortunately, growth rate potential was not a reliable quantitative predictor of simulated fish growth nor of the fish spatial distribution. The inability of the growth rate potential model to quantitatively predict simulated fish growth and fish distributions results from the fact that growth rate potential does not consider the effects of habitat selection or of competition on fish growth or distribution, processes that operate in our individual-based model and presumably also operate in nature. The results, however, do support the use of growth rate potential models to describe the relative quality of habitats and environments for fish populations. 相似文献
12.
为探究大口黑鲈仔鱼维生素C最适需求量,实验通过研究不同饲料维生素C (VC)含量对大口黑鲈仔鱼生长、免疫和抗氧化能力的影响,共设计5个实验组,即VC添加量分别为0 (VC0)、200 (VC200)、400 (VC400)、800 (VC800)和1 600 (VC1600) mg/kg。以出膜后11日[体重(1.2±0.3) mg]的大口黑鲈仔鱼为对象,在工厂化循环水系统进行为期3周的投喂实验。结果显示,大口黑鲈仔鱼的终末体重、增重率、特定生长率均随饲料中维生素C添加水平的提高先升高,其中VC400组数值最高。通过折线模型分析维生素C添加水平与增重率的关系,大口黑鲈仔鱼饲料中维生素C最适添加水平为421.2 mg/kg。各组生长激素和类胰岛素生长因子1的mRNA表达水平的变化趋势和生长性能基本一致。各维生素C添加组的补体浓度无显著差异,但都显著高于VC0组,补体C3与补体C4浓度均在VC1600组达到最大值。在溶菌酶含量中,VC400组、VC800组与VC1600组含量无显著差异,显著高于VC0组与VC200组。各组过氧化氢酶活性、谷胱甘肽含量、超氧化物歧化酶活性均随添加水平的提高先升高,均在VC400组取得最大值。各组的碱性磷酸酶活性和体内维生素C含量随饲料维生素C添加量的升高而升高,丙二醛含量随饲料维生素C添加量的升高而降低。研究表明,饲料中添加420 mg/kg维生素C可以有效提高大口黑鲈仔鱼的生长性能、免疫性能和抗氧化性。本研究为维生素C在大口黑鲈仔鱼饲料中的应用提供科学依据。 相似文献
13.
An 8‐week feeding test was conducted to quantify the dietary arginine requirement of juvenile largemouth bass (LMB) (25 ± 0.4 g). Six isonitrogenous and isolipidic (459 g crude protein and 122 g crude lipid kg?1 dry diet) diets were formulated to contain graded levels of arginine (17.0–30.1 g kg?1 dry diet). Zein‐coated crystalline amino acid mixtures were supplemented to simulate, except for arginine, the amino acid profile of the muscle protein of LMB. Each diet was randomly assigned to quadruplicate tanks of 35 fish reared in a flow‐through system. Fish were fed to apparent satiation twice daily. Weight gain (WG) was significantly affected by dietary arginine level. Nitrogen retention was significantly lower in fish fed D17.0. Arginine retention significantly decreased with dietary arginine increased. Threonine, leucine and lysine concentrations in whole body were significantly affected by dietary arginine level. Serum lysozyme activity, serum protein and respiratory burst of head kidney leucocytes were significantly affected, while complement activity (CH50) showed no difference among treatments. Based on broken‐line analysis for WG against dietary digestible arginine level, the arginine requirement of LMB was 19.1 g kg?1 of dry diet (41.6 g kg?1 of crude protein). 相似文献
14.
Growth and body composition of juvenile largemouth bass Micropterus salmoides in response to dietary protein and energy levels 总被引：2，自引：0，他引：2
To determine the dietary protein and energy requirements of juvenile largemouth bass, 1350 feed‐conditioned fishes (average weight 14.46 ± 0.81 g) were stocked in ninety 60‐L cages, set up in 1000‐L tanks at three cages/tank, and fed for 64 days with a dry, extruded feed containing six levels of crude protein (CP) (340–540 g kg–1, with increases of 40 g kg–1) and five levels of energy (150.7–171.7 kJ g–1 feed, with increases of 5.2 kJ). The trial was set up in a 6 × 5 factorial, completely randomized design (n=3). Weight gain (WG), daily feed consumption (DFC), feed conversion rate (FCR), protein efficiency ratio (PER), specific growth rate (SGR), protein and energy retention were recorded and evaluated. There was no interaction between feed energy and protein levels with all parameters evaluated. Data analysis by the broken line method showed that the minimum dietary requirement for maximum daily weight gain of 8.0 g kg–1 is 435.9 g kg–1 CP; the best feed conversion ratio (1.04:1) was attained with a minimum of 448.2 g kg–1 CP; a minimum of 162.1 kJ g–1; DFC was reduced as dietary protein and energy levels increased; dietary levels of 460–500 g kg–1 CP led to best PER (1.665); best values for protein (33.14 g 100 g–1) and energy (26.87 g 100 g–1) retention were observed for fish feeding on the 420 g kg–1 CP ration. Limits of energy to protein ratio to feed largemouth bass are 25.01 and 26.89 mg protein kJ–1, enabling feed conversion ratios of 0.96–1.10. 相似文献
15.
Pinxian Yang Weining Yang Ming He Xiaoqin Li Xiang‐Jun Leng 《Aquaculture Nutrition》2020,26(2):590-600
This study investigated the effect of dietary synbiotics on the growth, feed utilization and intestinal histology of largemouth bass (Micropterus salmoides). A commercial synbiotic product containing dried powder of yeast, Bacillus subtilis and mannan oligosaccharides was supplemented in basal diet with 0 g/kg (control), 1.0, 2.0, 4.0 and 6.0 g/kg, respectively, and then, the five diets were fed to largemouth bass with body weight of 4.5 ± 0.1 g for 8 weeks. The results showed that the supplementation of 2.0, 4.0 and 6.0 g/kg synbiotics increased weight gain by 20.6%, 17.7% and 11.8% (p < .05) and decreased feed conversion ratio by 0.20, 0.18 and 0.12 (p < .05), respectively, when compared to the control. The protein retention, lipid retention, apparent digestibility coefficient of dry matter and crude protein, and the intestinal villus height and width of 2.0 and 4.0 g/kg synbiotic groups were significantly higher than those of the control (p < .05). The intestinal protease activity and serum lysozyme activity were increased by the addition of 2.0 and 4.0 g/kg synbiotics (p < .05). In conclusion, dietary synbiotics improved the growth, feed utilization and intestinal structure of juvenile largemouth bass, and the recommended inclusion level was 2.0–4.0 g/kg. 相似文献
16.
Smallmouth bass (Micropterus dolomieu, SMB) is a broadly distributed, economically important species in the USA and Canada. Although previous research has suggested that projected climate warming may allow SMB to thrive beyond their current northern distribution, little research has been devoted to the population‐level effects of climate change on warm‐water fishes, including SMB. We modelled the impacts of projected climate change on growth of stream‐dwelling SMB along a north–south gradient in the central USA. Using downscaled regional projections from three global climate models, we generated scenarios for thermal habitat change for four populations (in Oklahoma, Missouri, Iowa and Minnesota) and used bioenergetics simulations to estimate prey consumption and growth under future projections. Bioenergetics simulations showed that prey consumption is expected to increase in all populations with moderate stream warming (2–3 °C). Growth potential is predicted to increase by 3–17% if not limited by food availability with stream warming by 2060 and was most pronounced for southern populations. For each 1 °C increase in stream temperature, SMB consumption would be expected to increase by about 27% and growth would increase by about 6%. Due to implications for species interactions, population performance and regulation of local fisheries, a better understanding of how SMB populations will respond to climate change is recommended for effective management and conservation. 相似文献
17.
为确定大口黑鲈幼鱼对饲料中锰的需求量,在含锰5.2 mg/kg的半精制饲料中分别添加0、4、8、16、32和64 mg/kg锰(以MnSO4·H2O形式),制成6种不同锰水平的饲料(5.2、9.6、13.5、20.7、 38.3和67.9 mg/kg),投喂初始体重(16.00±0.07) g的大口黑鲈幼鱼10周。结果显示,在基础饲料中添加锰,可显著提高大口黑鲈幼鱼的增重率,降低饲料系数,各组增重率与饲料系数在锰含量达到13.5 mg/kg后基本稳定。随饲料中锰含量的增加,血清T-SOD、Mn-SOD活性和全鱼、脊椎骨中的锰含量上升,并在饲料锰含量达到20.7mg/kg后趋于稳定,而血清丙二醛含量则表现为下降的趋势。全鱼铁、骨铁、骨锌和全鱼锰沉积率随饲料锰含量的增加而下降。研究表明,在半精制饲料中补充锰可以促进大口黑鲈幼鱼生长、提高饲料利用率、血清抗氧化能力、全鱼和骨锰的沉积。以增重率、饲料系数、全鱼锰和骨锰为评价指标,经折线回归分析,大口黑鲈幼鱼对饲料中锰的需求量分别为18.3、20.5、21.1和23.4 mg/kg干物质。 相似文献
18.
Ming He Yifeng Yu Xiaoqin Li Lumpan Poolsawat Pinxian Yang Yuhao Bian Zihao Guo Xiangjun Leng 《Aquaculture Research》2020,51(10):4302-4314
A 56‐day feeding trial was conducted to investigate the effects of replacing fish meal (FM) with soybean meal (SBM) and fermented soybean meal (FSBM) on growth performance, nutrition utilization and intestinal histology of largemouth bass. The basal diet contained 350 g/kg FM (control), and then, FM was replaced with SBM or FSBM of 15%, 30%, 45% and 60% respectively. The results showed that the specific growth rate of fish fed FSBM‐60, SBM‐45 and SBM‐60 diets significantly decreased, and the feed conversion ratio of SBM‐30, SBM‐45, SBM‐60, FSBM‐45 and FSBM‐60 groups increased when compared to the control group (p < .05). The apparent digestibility coefficients of dry matter and crude protein of SBM‐45, SBM‐60 and FSBM‐60 groups were significantly lower than those of the control group (p < .05), and the substitution of FM with SBM and FSBM (45% and 60%) significantly reduced the protein retention (p < .05). Serum total protein contents of SBM‐60 and FSBM‐60 groups and serum cholesterol contents of SBM‐45, SBM‐60 and FSBM‐60 groups were significantly lower than those of the control group (p < .05). The SBM‐30 and SBM‐60 groups showed significantly higher alanine aminotransferase activity than the control group (p < .05). The intestinal histology analysis resulted that the villus length of the SBM‐60 group and the villus width of the SBM‐45, SBM‐60 and FSBM‐60 groups decreased when compared to the control (p < .05). In conclusion, FSBM could replace 30% FM in diet of largemouth bass containing 350 g/kg FM, while the substitution level of FM with SBM was only 15%. 相似文献
19.
We compared performance (growth, survival, condition, and health indices) of largemouth bass, Micropterus salmoides, fingerlings (10.3 g [SE ± 0.5 g] and 92 mm [SE ± 1 mm] total length) fed one of four commercial grower feeds: Purina Aquamax Grower 400 (PAG; PMI Nutrition International LLC), Bio-Oregon BioDiet Grower (BDG; Bio-Oregon), Silver Cup Steelhead (SCS; Silver Cup), and Richloam Bass Fry Diet 12 (RBF; Silver Cup). Sixteen 833-L circular tanks, connected in parallel to a recirculation system, were initially stocked with 2.25 kg of fish (219 fish each, 0.32 fish/L) with four replicates per feed treatment. Water temperature was 25°C, and photoperiod was 15 h light:9 h dark. Feed sizes (2.4–3.0 mm) were comparable, and protein compositions ranged from 49% to 61%. Fish were fed to satiation multiple times per day (trial duration = 100 days). Overall, performance was best for fish fed RBF, followed by PAG and BDG, and then SCS. The SCS feed resulted in significantly lower growth and survival (P ≤ 0.05). The PAG and BDG feeds resulted in significantly lower growth than the RBF feed (P ≤ 0.05); however, survival did not differ (P > 0.05). Performance measures were positively correlated with protein, and protein to energy ratio and negatively correlated with fat and carbohydrate compositions. The four commercial grower feeds resulted in highly varied growth, survival, and health indices, and this research should facilitate feed choice for various largemouth bass production strategies as well as increase contribution of stocked fish. 相似文献
20.
Aaron J. Zolderdo Alice E.I. Abrams Connor H. Reid Cory D. Suski Jon D. Midwood Steven J. Cooke 《水产资源保护:海洋与淡水生态系统》2019,29(7):1106-1122
- Research has identified numerous conservation benefits attributed to the use of marine protected areas (MPAs), yet comparatively less is known about the effectiveness of freshwater protected areas (FPAs).
- This study assessed multiple long‐standing (>70 years active) intra‐lake FPAs in three lakes in eastern Ontario, Canada, to evaluate their potential conservation benefits. These FPAs were intended initially to protect exploited populations of largemouth bass (Micropterus salmoides (Lacépède, 1802)), but since their establishment no empirical data have been collected to evaluate the effectiveness of FPAs for protecting bass or the broader fish community.
- A comparative biological census of fish species abundance, biomass and species richness was conducted using snorkelling surveys within FPAs, along the bordering transition zones, and in more distant non‐protected areas of the lake that had similar habitats to the FPAs.
- In general, the FPAs yielded benefits that were most obvious (in terms of abundance and biomass) for the focal protected species (i.e. largemouth bass) as well as several shiner species. Largemouth bass and shiner abundance and biomass were highest in the FPA, lowest in the distant non‐protected areas, and intermediate in the transition zone. Species richness was also highest in the FPAs in two of the three lakes.
- Collectively, these results support the use of FPAs as a viable and effective conservation strategy that extends beyond simply limiting the exploitation of a target species. Beyond the benefits afforded to fish within the FPA, evidence of spillover in adjacent areas was also observed, which is promising. Additional research is needed on the effectiveness of FPAs in a variety of regions and water‐body types facing various threats in an effort to understand when, where and how to best use FPAs to benefit aquatic biodiversity.