Effects of seining effort and site length on variability of small‐bodied fish catch‐rates in a sand‐bed river

Archdeacon, Thomas P.; Reale, Justin K.; Gonzales, Eric J.; Grant, Joshua D.

doi:10.1002/rra.3666

Cited by 11 publications

(11 citation statements)

References 38 publications

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“…Comparisons to randomly selected sites indicated similar fish assemblages and RGS Minnow catch rates (Archdeacon et al 2015). At each site, 18–20 seine hauls (2.5 × 1.0 m; mesh size: ~5 mm) were performed in standardized, discrete mesohabitats to ensure that all habitats available were sampled with enough effort to obtain an adequate representation of the site (Archdeacon et al 2020). Sampling effort was measured by multiplying the length of each seine haul by the width of the seine (typically 2.5 m).…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Hatchery supplementation increases potential spawning stock of Rio Grande Silvery Minnow after population bottlenecks

Archdeacon

Dudley²,

Remshardt

et al. 2023

Trans Am Fish Soc

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Objective: Supplementation of imperiled wild fish stocks with captively raised fish is a commonly used conservation tool. Programs designed to maintain or improve fish populations through supplementation should be evaluated to determine whether they are meeting conservation objectives. The Rio Grande Silvery Minnow Hybognathus amarus is a small-bodied, endangered minnow endemic to the Rio Grande basin of the southwestern United States. The wild population of Rio Grande Silvery Minnow has been supplemented with captive-reared fish since 2002. Our objective was to determine whether supplementation measurably increases the number of spawning fish after years of population bottlenecks; this objective was simplified because nearly all hatchery-released fish have been given identifying markings. Methods:We leveraged a long-term fish sampling data set (18 years) covering the species' contemporary range and a single-season, high spatial coverage fish sampling data set to determine whether the number of potential spawners was increased by the addition of hatchery fish.Result: Hatchery-reared fish increased the catch rates of spawners by up to an order of magnitude in some years. We also observed that most hatchery-reared fish were recaptured near the point of release. We were able to determine that supplementation with hatchery fish increased the abundance and distribution of Rio Grande Silvery Minnow and provided the desired demographic boost after severe population bottlenecks. Conclusion:Releasing hatchery-reared fish may be a useful tool for conservation of imperiled freshwater fishes. However, there is a need for spawning and rearing infrastructure that matches the life-history of the species and sufficient postrelease monitoring to evaluate the effectiveness of hatchery supplementation. Use of hatchery-reared fish has been beneficial for improving population resiliency of Rio Grande Silvery Minnow following recruitment bottlenecks; however, natural

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Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Hatchery supplementation increases potential spawning stock of Rio Grande Silvery Minnow after population bottlenecks

Archdeacon

Dudley²,

Remshardt

et al. 2023

Trans Am Fish Soc

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“…Such differences in guilds collected by the different gears indicate that combined methods are needed to make assessments in large river (Seegert, 2000;Goffaux et al, 2004). Catch rates in medium-large rivers are typically 2-3 times higher at night, and as much as 10-fold higher for some species (Simon and Sanders, 1999), and observed species richness is at least partially determined by sampling effort and site length (Smith and Jones, 2005;de Freitas Terra et al, 2013;Archdeacon et al, 2020). So large river sites should be sampled by a combination of night electrofishing (effort S500 m) and seining (sample until no new species are being collected).…”

Section: Sampling Methods and Approaches For Estimating Fish Assemblagesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Development of a biotic integrity index based on long-term fish assemblage changes after dam construction in China

Zhu

Yang²,

Chen³

et al. 2023

Front. Environ. Sci.

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Multi-metric indicators based on fish assemblages have been widely applied to assess aquatic ecosystem biotic integrity. However, many of these were not detailed or standardized in metrics selection and reference status for a reservoir ecosystem under the long-term effects of hydro-electrical dam development. This makes it very difficult to determine the reference status and metrics because fish assemblages have been affected by human activities such as large reservoir operations. Based on long-term fish assemblage data, there were significant differences in fish composition between backwater and reservoir areas 10 years after the Three Gorges Reservoir (TGR) formation in China. We conducted this study to develop a new fish index of biotic integrity (IBI) to evaluate a large river reservoir ecosystem based on long-term monitoring data by establishing subregional habitat reference and selecting sensitive and concise metrics. In the Three Gorges Reservoir, we found that: 1) dynamic change is an important feature of fish assemblages in a relatively dynamic state after a decade of intensive disturbance caused by reservoir operations; 2) reference conditions for the reservoir evaluation should be selected in different stages for two different ecological habitats (lotic backwater and lentic reservoir reaches); 3) two core metrics and five sensitive metrics were selected to reflect fish assemblage degradation based on long term observations; and 4) overall fish biological integrity is generally “fair-poor,” in the reservoir area it is “fair” and “poor,” and in the reservoir lotic backwater it is “fair.” The long-term effects of large canyon reservoirs on biological integrity require long-term observation, and reasonable recovery targets should be set at different stages in reservoir management. In this study, a new biological integrity index was developed to screen and evaluate the ecological status of a semi-artificial reservoir ecosystem. Our results support reservoir biologically integrated management and green sustainable development goals.

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“…Fish were sampled during each repeat sampling event with seines by conducting 15–20 hauls (3.0 by 1.0 meter net, mesh size 3.2 mm) per site using standard procedures for sampling fish from wadable waters (Archdeacon, Reale, et al, 2020; Rabeni et al, 2009). We recorded the length and width of each haul (0.1 m) to calculate the amount of area sampled.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Thus, we assumed the seine hauls were representative of the average density of Red Shiner at each site. The amount of effort, 15–20 hauls per site, was in excess of the amount required to estimate fish densities, including Red Shiner, in the MRG (Archdeacon, Reale, et al, 2020). During the first fish sampling in 15 – 17 June surveys, we used VIE tags to mark Red Shiners >35 mm standard length.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Movement of Red Shiner during a regulated, intentional surface‐flow recession

Archdeacon

Gonzales

Thomas

2021

Ecology of Freshwater Fish

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Understanding how fish respond to drought and streamflow intermittency is important for designing effective conservation actions. Fish could move to refuge areas prior to intermittency, or be trapped in nearby habitats at the onset. We used mechanical pumps to simulate streamflow intermittency in the Rio Grande, New Mexico. We conducted a 5‐week before–after impact‐only experiment. We seined at 10 sites each week to observe changes in Red Shiner Cyprinella lutrensis abundance and distribution in a 35‐km reach. We conducted two surveys prior to any flow reduction. Next, we reduced flows each week to simulate streamflow intermittency and repeated surveys to identify changes in distribution that would suggest large‐scale movement of Red Shiner to refuge areas. During the first survey, we marked Red Shiner with elastomeric tags to observe movement. In a separate effort, we surveyed all isolated pools that formed after flow reductions for tagged Red Shiner. We observed no patterns that suggested large‐scale movement to refuge areas. Instead, numbers remained steady or increased at all sites in surveys 1 through 4 and declined sharply when sites dried. Tagged fish also supported this conclusion: dispersal models estimated 56% remained within ~0.5 km of the tagging location. We suggest Red Shiner is resilient to drought because of their opportunistic life history and potential for rapid recolonisation, rather than resistant to drought through population‐scale movements to refuge areas. Conservation actions to benefit species threatened by drought must consider the mechanisms of persistence, including both behaviour and life‐history strategy, to be effective.

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Effects of seining effort and site length on variability of small‐bodied fish catch‐rates in a sand‐bed river

Cited by 11 publications

References 38 publications

Hatchery supplementation increases potential spawning stock of Rio Grande Silvery Minnow after population bottlenecks

Hatchery supplementation increases potential spawning stock of Rio Grande Silvery Minnow after population bottlenecks

Development of a biotic integrity index based on long-term fish assemblage changes after dam construction in China

Movement of Red Shiner during a regulated, intentional surface‐flow recession

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