Impact of water salinity on Odontesthes bonariensis (Actinopterygii, Atherinopsidae) fisheries in Chasicó Lake (Argentina)

Abstract

Odontesthes bonariensis is an inland water fish from the Pampas region, valued due to the quality of its flesh and its attractiveness as a game fish. Chasico ´Lake located in the south of the pampean region is appreciated by fishermen due to O. bonariensis abundance. However, in the last year, a reduction in their catches was recorded. In this work, it was analyzed the changes of O. bonariensis biomass in relation to climate change and salinity in Chasico ´Lake from 1997 to 2013. From 2004 to 2013, when a dry period began, a reduction in lake area (68.1-47.4 km 2 ) and an increase in salinity (18.9-41.5 g l -1 ) were observed. O. bonariensis catches showed a significant decrease in the same period as a result of salinity increments. Possibly, at high salinity, O. bonariensis may still develop but with an impaired reproduction and limited embryo and juvenile survival. In conclusion, after 2004, the fishery quality in Chasico ´Lake showed a decreasing trend from the maximum registered in the Pampas lakes. This was in agreement with a marked decrease in the lake area which in turn increased water salinity up to levels close to the O. bonariensis tolerance limit.

Effects of metals on sperm quality, fertilization and hatching rates, and embryo and larval survival of pejerrey fish (Odontesthes bonariensis)

“…A characteristic of this lake is a high concentration of suspended particulate matter and low transparency, that consequently allows the accumulation of different pollutants, including metals (Carriquiriborde and Ronco 2002;Schenone et al 2014;Avigliano et al 2015;Diovisalvi et al 2015). Particularly, in Chascomús shallow lake inhabits a large population of pejerrey fish, Odontesthes bonariensis (Colautti et al 2015), an important native fish species from the Pampa region of Argentina, due to the sport fishing and its flesh quality (Somoza et al 2008;Berasain et al 2015). Moreover, this fish species is considered an excellent model for aquatic ecotoxicology studies due to its sensitivity to different pollutants Ronco 2002, 2008;Gárriz et al 2015Gárriz et al , 2017Menéndez-Helman et al 2015).…”

Seasonality effects over the ecological aquaculture of the native zooplanktivorous fish from South America Odontesthes bonariensis

“…The development of intensive culture techniques for the species started in the early twentieth century (Somoza et al, 2008). In recent years, it has been possible to successfully complete production in tanks (Velasco et al, 2008;Berasain et al, 2015). According to Somoza et al (2008), factors from biological nature, techno-scientific knowledge gaps and also cultural or socio-economic features have contributed to the historical stagnation of pejerrey-intensive aquaculture development in Argentina.…”

Preface: Shallow lakes from the Central Plains of Argentina

“…Elisio et al (2015) evaluate the influence of the thermal conditions of a shallow lake (as a consequence of the climate variations) on the reproductive phenology of pejerrey (Odontesthes bonariensis) a highly appreciated, native silverside (Somoza et al, 2008). Moreover, the impact of the increment of water salinity on pejerrey fisheries is analyzed by Berasain et al (2015). Finally, Chaparro et al (2015), investigate the effect of the hydrology on the fish predation on zooplankton in a Pampean floodplain lake.…”