Conservation of freshwater fish in the British Isles: the status of fish in national nature reserves

Abstract

I .To consider fully the conservation management of freshwater fish, it was important to know which fish were already in the protected environment of National Nature Reserves (NNRs) -the principal sites for nature conservation in Great Britain. For this reason, 235 NNRs declared by the Nature Conservancy Council (NCC) were surveyed for freshwater fish between 1987 and 1990 by questionnaires to the wardens, by compiling data from other sources, and, where necessary, by field sampling. The presence of fresh waters (as lakes, ponds, rivers and streams) was also recorded. The survey was organized to follow the country and regional structure by which nature conservation was administered by the NCC so that the results could be considered accordingly.2. Seventy five percent of NNRs contain fresh waters and, of these, just over 20% have no fish. Of the 51 fish species available 37 (73%) were recorded in NNRs. NCC regions with most fish species are: SW Scotland, West Midlands and East Anglia, but NW Scotland has the highest total of species occurrences in NNRs. In terms of both the numbers of species and their frequency of occurrence, NW and NE England are notably the lowest. The most common fish in NNRs are Eels, Brown Trout and Three-spined Sticklebacks.3. The results for species and for sites (NNRs) are discussed from the viewpoint of fish conservation. The majority of fish in NNRs are those most common in Great Britain. Two of the species recorded (Powan and Smelt) are currently important for conservation, but several of those most threatened do not occur in NNRs. A number of NNRs have diverse fish communities, but only six have significant fish conservation value, of which Loch Lomond NNR is outstanding.4. There is considerable scope through NNR management to improve fish conservation and it is suggested that the acquisition of new reserves for threatened species should be considered.

National parks as protected areas for U.S. freshwater fish diversity

“…While some regional U.S. assessments of aquatic resources have been completed (e.g., USGS Aquatic GAP program), national scale empirical information on freshwater resources within terrestrial protected areas is lacking. Of the few national studies that have inventoried freshwater species contained within existing protected areas (Lyle & Maitland 1992—UK; Keith 2000—France; Tognelli et al . 2008—Chile), none have considered the current and future anthropogenic threats or the management challenges that may jeopardize the long‐term conservation of biodiversity within those protected areas.…”

Status and conservation of euryhaline fish in Irish waters

“…This lack of basic information is of particular concern considering that 35% of our euryhaline species are threatened. Lyle (1991, 1992) and Lyle and Maitland (1992) recently reviewed the status, biology, conservation and management options for several species of threatened freshwater fish in the British Isles, including some data on threatened euryhaline fish in Ireland. Their conservation and management options included: habitat protection and restoration, stock translocation, captive breeding and cryopreservation of fish sperm, legislation, monitoring, research and education.…”

Conservation of freshwater fish in the British Isles: Proposals for management

“…Of the 235 National Nature Reserves (NNRs) in Great Britain (Nature Conservancy Council, 1990), 75% contain fresh waters but just over 20% of these have no fish (Lyle and Maitland, 1992). Thirty seven of the 55 freshwater fish species on the British list are found in NNRs.…”