Long term changes in the status of coastal fish in the Baltic Sea

Bergström, Lena; Heikinheimo, Outi; Svirgsden, Roland; Kruze, E.; Ložys, Linas; Lappalainen, Antti; Saks, Lauri; Minde, Atis; Dainys, Justas; Jakubavičiūtė, Eglė; Ådjers, Kaj; Olsson, Jens

doi:10.1016/j.ecss.2015.12.013

Cited by 38 publications

(34 citation statements)

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“…Moreover, the effect sizes of stickleback predation that we show in this paper are likely conservative since predation may also be present in the coastal habitat (Nilsson, ). Recent investigations have also uncovered a similar negative relationship in abundances between sticklebacks and perch ( Perca fluviatilis ), another coastal top predator that have experienced a similar decline in abundances as in pike (Bergström et al., ). This adds to the generality of our findings and suggests that stickleback predation is an important mechanism for structuring the abundances of coastal top predators, and that it potentially impairs the recovery of weakened populations.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 81%

“…Previous research has shown that these populations display homing behaviour (Tibblin, Forsman et al., ), fine‐spatial‐scale genetic population differentiation (Larsson et al., ) and local adaptations to specific streams/wetlands (Berggren et al., ; Sunde, Tamario, Tibblin, Larsson, & Forsman, ; Tibblin, Berggren, Nordahl, Larsson, & Forsman, ; Tibblin et al., ). Moreover, our study area experienced the most extreme decline of pike in the Baltic Sea during the 1990s and abundances are still very low despite that the pike fishery is partially closed and strictly regulated through bag and size limits (Figure b) (Bergström et al., ; Ljunggren et al., ; Nilsson et al., ). Recent studies suggest that adult census population sizes of pike in our study populations vary between approximately 300 and 3,000 adults (Table ; Nilsson et al., ; Larsson et al., ; Tibblin, Forsman et al., ; P. Tibblin, unpubl data).…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 92%

“…The decline of pike has been attributed to increased interspecific resource competition during early life stages, habitat exploitation and high fishing pressure (Larsson et al., ; Ljunggren et al., ). Sticklebacks have consequently been favoured by predator release partly constituted by declining pike populations (Bergström et al., , ; Donadi et al., ; Sieben, Ljunggren, Bergström, & Eriksson, ). Many efforts, including fisheries regulation and habitat restoration, have been directed towards remediating the underlying causes for the decline, aid the recovery of pike and ultimately improve the coastal ecosystem (Engstedt, Nilsson, & Larsson, ; Nilsson, Engstedt, & Larsson, ).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Predator–prey role reversal may impair the recovery of declining pike populations

Nilsson

Flink

Tibblin

2019

Journal of Animal Ecology

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Many fish populations have experienced declines in recent decades due to anthropogenic disturbances, such as overfishing and habitat exploitation. Despite management actions, many populations show a limited capacity to recover. This may be attributed to reversal of predator–prey roles, yet empirical evidence to that effect remains scarce. Here, we combine field and laboratory studies to investigate the interaction between pike (Esox lucius), a large keystone top predatory fish, and the small‐bodied mesopredatory threespine stickleback (Gasterosteus aculeatus) in the Baltic Sea where pike populations have declined. Our data suggest that stickleback predation on pike larvae depletes a large proportion of the recruitment and influences the size distribution through size‐selective predation, which is corroborated by a gape‐limitation experiment and diet analysis of wild‐captured sticklebacks. The effects of stickleback predation are present across several populations and years, and our data suggest that early arrival of sticklebacks has stronger effects on juvenile pike survival. Finally, we use data on pike gape‐limitation and the size distribution of sticklebacks to illustrate the process of role reversal. These findings suggest that mesopredator behaviour can reduce recruitment of a top predator species and impair the capacity of populations to recover. This emphasizes predator–prey role reversal as an important ecological and evolutionary driver that influences the outcome of restoration and management actions.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 81%

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 92%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Predator–prey role reversal may impair the recovery of declining pike populations

Nilsson

Flink

Tibblin

2019

Journal of Animal Ecology

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“…Typical predatory fish in coastal areas in the Baltic Sea are perch, pikeperch (Sander lucioperca), pike (Esox lucius), cod, turbot (Psetta maxima), and burbot (Lota lota) [20]. As a result of the strong environmental gradients in the Baltic Sea, the species comprising the coastal predatory fish group differs among areas [21,22]. Perch is overall the most common and dominating predatory fish species occurring in most areas, whereas burbot are confined to more northern and less saline areas and cod and turbot to the south-western and more saline areas.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Recent studies have addressed the past status (data until 2013) of predatory fish as a functional group [21], potential causes for change of perch populations and predatory fish as a functional group [25,28], and population structures for coastal fish in the Baltic Sea [26]. This review is novel in several aspects including, for example, the most recent status assessment of predatory fish (data until 2016/2017), the first Baltic wide assessment of the population trends for pike and pikeperch, as well as a review of the causes for population change in coastal predatory fish and possible measures for restoring and supporting coastal predatory fish populations and stocks in the Baltic Sea.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Past and Current Trends of Coastal Predatory Fish in the Baltic Sea with a Focus on Perch, Pike, and Pikeperch

Olsson

2019

Fishes

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Coastal predatory fish are of key importance for the provisioning of ecosystem services in the Baltic Sea. Worldwide, however, there has been a general and sharp decline in predatory fish populations, in turn threatening the viability and function of marine ecosystems. On the basis of the literature, the past (data until the 2000s) and current (data until early and mid 2010s) trends in abundance of coastal predatory fish in the Baltic Sea are reviewed in this paper. Potentially important impacting factors behind the temporal development of the populations and measures to strengthen and restore them are also discussed. Available data from coastal fish monitoring programs suggest a stable or increasing abundance of coastal predatory fish as a functional group and for the species perch in the majority of areas assessed in the Baltic Sea. For pike and pikeperch, data to support assessments is scarce, but suggest substantial declines in the abundance of both species in most assessed areas. The impacting factors behind these patterns vary between species and areas, but include climate, habitat exploitation, fishing, and species-interactions in the coastal food web. Measures to restore and support coastal predatory fish communities should follow an ecosystem-based approach to management and include efforts to regulate fisheries sectors in combination with habitat protection and restoration.

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Role of food web interactions in promoting resilience to nutrient enrichment in a brackish water eelgrass (Zostera marina) ecosystem

Gagnon

Gustafsson

Salo

et al. 2021

Limnology & Oceanography

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Understanding the ecological interactions that enhance the resilience of threatened ecosystems is essential in assuring their conservation and restoration. Top-down trophic interactions can increase resilience to bottom-up nutrient enrichment, however, as many seagrass ecosystems are threatened by both eutrophication and trophic modifications, understanding how these processes interact is important. Using a combination of approaches, we explored how bottom-up and top-down processes, acting individually or in conjunction, can affect eelgrass meadows and associated communities in the northern Baltic Sea. Field surveys along with fish diet and stable isotope analyses revealed that the eelgrass trophic network included two main top predatory fish species, each of which feeds on a separate group of invertebrate mesograzers (crustaceans or gastropods). Mesograzer abundance in the study area was high, and capable of mitigating the effects of increased algal biomass that resulted from experimental nutrient enrichment in the field. When crustacean mesograzers were experimentally excluded, gastropod mesograzers were able to compensate and limit the effects of nutrient enrichment on eelgrass biomass and growth. Our results suggest that top-down processes (i.e., suppression of algae by different mesograzer groups) may ensure eelgrass resilience to nutrient enrichment in the northern Baltic Sea, and the existence of multiple trophic pathways can provide additional resilience in the face of trophic modifications. However, the future resilience of these meadows is likely threatened by additional local stressors and global environmental change. Understanding the trophic links and interactions that ensure resilience is essential for managing and conserving these important ecosystems and the services they provide.

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Long term changes in the status of coastal fish in the Baltic Sea

Cited by 38 publications

References 38 publications

Predator–prey role reversal may impair the recovery of declining pike populations

Predator–prey role reversal may impair the recovery of declining pike populations

Past and Current Trends of Coastal Predatory Fish in the Baltic Sea with a Focus on Perch, Pike, and Pikeperch

Role of food web interactions in promoting resilience to nutrient enrichment in a brackish water eelgrass (Zostera marina) ecosystem

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