Advances in Conservation and Management of the Alligator Gar: A Synthesis of Current Knowledge and Introduction to a Special Section

Smith, Nate G.; Daugherty, Daniel J.; Brinkman, Eric L.; Wegener, Matthew G.; Kreiser, Brian R.; Ferrara, Allyse; Kimmel, K; David, Solomon R.

doi:10.1002/nafm.10369

Cited by 29 publications

(29 citation statements)

References 84 publications

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“…Alligator Gar Atractosteus spatula were once persecuted and reduced to the brink of extinction throughout their native range (Buckmeier et al 2016; Figure 4). However, interest in the species has exploded, especially as a catch‐and‐release opportunity (Smith et al 2020). In Texas, Alligator Gar fishing was unregulated, but increasing popularity in locations like the Trinity River led to implementation of a statewide one fish/day bag limit.…”

Section: Ecosystem Servicesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Goodbye to “Rough Fish”: Paradigm Shift in the Conservation of Native Fishes

et al. 2021

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Perspectives of white males have overwhelmingly dominated fisheries science and management in the USA. This dynamic is exemplified by bias against "rough fish"-a pejorative ascribing low-to-zero value for countless native fishes. One product of this bias is that biologists have ironically worked against conservation of diverse fishes for over a century, and these problems persist today. Nearly all U.S. states retain bag limits and other policies that are regressive and encourage overfishing and decline of native species. Multiple lines of evidence point towards the need for a paradigm shift. These include: (1) native species deliver critical ecosystem services; (2) little demonstration that native fish removals deliver intended benefits; (3) many native fishes are long-lived and vulnerable to overfishing and decline; and (4) fisher values and demographics shifting towards native fish conservation. Overall, existing native fish policies are unacceptable and run counter to the public trust doctrine where government agencies manage natural resources for public use. We encourage agencies to revisit their policies regarding native fishes and provide suggestions for developing more holistic, protective, and inclusive conservation policy.

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Section: Ecosystem Servicesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Goodbye to “Rough Fish”: Paradigm Shift in the Conservation of Native Fishes

et al. 2021

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“…Population persistence of periodic strategists is predicated upon occasional strong recruiting cohorts to support long-lived and highly fecund adult age classes; however, elevated rates of adult mortality and diminished recruitment have increased the extinction risk in these types of fishes (Olden, Hogan & Vander Zanden, 2007;Haxton & Cano, 2016). Management actions are often unable to reverse these populations' declines, largely as a result of limited understanding of factors that affect population growth rates (Hutchings & Reynolds, 2004;Sadovy, 2005;Smith et al, 2020). This is particularly true when reintroducing extirpated populations to modified systems via hatchery augmentation because the reproductive ecology of wild fish in these systems is often unknown and the relative reproductive success of stocked individuals can be difficult to gauge.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Periodic strategists typically maintain resilience through long lifespans and highly fecund adults that can achieve lifetime reproductive success despite long periods of relatively high offspring mortality (Hixon, Johnson & Sogard, 2014). However, limited or non-existent recruitment and relatively low adult survival may preclude the accumulation of adults necessary to attain population persistence (Rinne & Minckley, 1991;Winemiller, 2005), necessitating augmentation (Duke et al, 1999;Winemiller & Dailey, 2002;Smith et al, 2020). For managers charged with the recovery of periodic strategists, the relative contribution of spawning adults over space and time could arguably be the critical measure in assessing population resilience (Berkeley et al, 2004;Kreiser et al, 2020).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Effective number of breeders and reconstructed sibships reveal low reproductive output by a reintroduced population of endangered fish

Diver

Mussmann

Durst

et al. 2021

Aquatic Conservation

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1. Fishes with periodic life histories are long-lived, slow to mature, and have intermittent periods of successful recruitment, limiting the ability of managers to recover their populations rapidly.2. Endangered razorback sucker (Xyrauchen texanus) in the Colorado River Basin, USA, is a periodic strategist whose persistence is largely dependent on hatchery augmentation. Stocking efforts have increased population sizes in the basin; however, natural recruitment remains extremely limited. 3. Annual reproductive output of a reintroduced population of razorback sucker was evaluated over a 10-year period in a Colorado River tributary by estimating the effective number of breeders (N b ) and numbers of repeat spawning adults through genetic analysis of wild-spawned larval cohorts. Comparative estimates were also obtained for a self-sustaining sympatric periodic strategist, flannelmouth sucker (Catostomus latipinnis). 4. Given known trade-offs between delayed maturation and long lifespan, population size and age-structure of razorback sucker was quantified to assess potential demographic constraints to reproductive output. 5. The results showed consistently low annual N b estimates for razorback sucker (x h = 127), compared with flannelmouth sucker (x h = 3,022) and within the same period (2013-2018) an order of magnitude more repeat spawning individual razorback sucker (n = 41) were detected compared with flannelmouth sucker (n = 4). Given the relatively young age structure of the razorback sucker population (median = age 4), the results indicate that successful recruitment may be limited by the number of spawning adults.6. These results highlight the importance of understanding how life history characteristics may affect the rate and success of reintroductions and where life-stage specific bottlenecks to reproduction and recruitment may occur. Given the increasing necessity of stocking for most reintroductions, management of periodic strategists may need to aim at increasing the relative age-structure of adults to bolster reproductive output in addition to increasing juvenile survival.

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“…Alligator gar stocks have experienced a significant increase in recreational fishing pressure across much of their current distribution in recent years. In response, agencies have increased efforts to monitor these fisheries (Smith et al 2020). Population assessment using direct sampling rarely yields numbers sufficient for robust statistical analyses or data trends because catch rates are typically low and variable, even in healthy populations (e.g., 5 fish/hr of gill-net effort; Bodine et al 2015).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Effects of Training on Side-Scan Sonar Use as a Fish Survey Tool: A Case Study of Alligator Gar

Daugherty

Fleming

2021

Journal of Fish and Wildlife Management

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Consumer-grade side-scan sonar has become a versatile fisheries management tool. First applied to assess habitat, its use has expanded to surveying fishes in recent years. However, an important consideration is the skill and experience of users, which can impact both the accuracy and comparability of surveys. To this end, we characterized the ability of a small sample of novice users (N = 8) to identify alligator gar Atractosteus spatula in imagery, as well as the effect of a two-hour training exercise on user performance. Prior to training, mean accuracy (expressed as the difference between observed and expected counts) among participants ranged from -2.6 to 1.3 fish and precision ranged from ± 1.2 to 2.4 fish, with the majority of participants underestimating the number of alligator gar present in the imagery. False positives (i.e., identifying alligator gar in imagery when none were present) were common among participants. Post-training mean accuracy ranged from -3.1 to 0 among participants and precision ranged from ± 1.6 to 3.2 fish. The frequency of false positives was significantly reduced following training, and participants reported significant increases in confidence associated with image interpretation. The relatively high accuracy and precision we observed prior to training indicated that side-scan sonar can be easily incorporated into large-scale fishery monitoring efforts for alligator gar. However, our results also suggested that a rather minimal investment in training can further improve consistency and reduce uncertainty among novice users.

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Advances in Conservation and Management of the Alligator Gar: A Synthesis of Current Knowledge and Introduction to a Special Section

Cited by 29 publications

References 84 publications

Goodbye to “Rough Fish”: Paradigm Shift in the Conservation of Native Fishes

Goodbye to “Rough Fish”: Paradigm Shift in the Conservation of Native Fishes

Effective number of breeders and reconstructed sibships reveal low reproductive output by a reintroduced population of endangered fish

Effects of Training on Side-Scan Sonar Use as a Fish Survey Tool: A Case Study of Alligator Gar

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