Native Fish Conservation Areas: A Vision for Large-Scale Conservation of Native Fish Communities

Fisheries ◽  
2011 ◽  
Vol 36 (6) ◽  
pp. 267-277 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jack E. Williams ◽  
Richard N. Williams ◽  
Russell F. Thurow ◽  
Leah Elwell ◽  
David P. Philipp ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Large Scale ◽  
Fish Communities ◽  
Native Fish ◽  
Conservation Areas ◽  
Fish Conservation

Multispecies and Watershed Approaches to Freshwater Fish Conservation

2019 ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Freshwater Fish ◽  
Flood Control ◽  
Freshwater Fishes ◽  
Native Fish ◽  
Conservation Areas ◽  
Fish Conservation ◽  
Freshwater Systems ◽  
Partnership Development ◽  
Freshwater Habitats

<em>Abstract</em>.—Texas harbors 191 species of native freshwater fishes, 48% of which are considered imperiled. The primary cause of fish species imperilment in Texas is anthropogenic alteration of freshwater systems, which continues to occur at rates and scales that threaten the long-term resiliency of freshwater habitats, species, and ecosystems. Innovative conservation approaches are needed to restore and maintain functional watershed processes, restore freshwater habitats, and conserve native species while simultaneously supporting human needs, such as flood control, municipal and agricultural water supply, water quality protection, and water-based recreation. The need for an integrated and holistic approach to conservation of freshwater systems has been the impetus for development of the Texas Native Fish Conservation Areas Network (hereafter “Texas NFCAs Network”). The Texas NFCAs Network consists of springs, ciénegas, creeks, rivers, and associated watersheds uniquely valued in preservation of Texas freshwater fish diversity. Twenty native fish conservation areas have been designated throughout the state. These were selected based on a spatial prioritization focused on identification of freshwater systems critically important to the long-term persistence of 91 freshwater fishes considered species of greatest conservation need. Through a shared vision of collaborative stewardship, conservation partnerships have formed among nongovernmental organizations, universities, and state and federal agencies to plan and deliver actions within the Texas NFCAs Network to restore and preserve native fishes and their habitats. Furthermore, the Texas NFCAs Network has increased awareness of the ecological, recreational, and economic values of Texas freshwater systems and helped increase interest and capacity of local landowners, communities, and recreational users (e.g., paddlers, anglers) to act as advocates and local stewards of these systems. By facilitating partnership development, coordinating broad-based conservation planning, and leveraging technical and financial resources toward strategic conservation investments, the Texas NFCAs Network has served as a catalyst for collaborative, science-based stewardship of native freshwater fishes and their habitats in Texas. The Texas NFCAs Network offers a successful case study in multispecies and watershed approaches to freshwater fish conservation transferrable to other states in the United States, with particular relevance to those states that, similar to Texas, consist predominately of privately owned landscapes.

Identification and Implementation of Native Fish Conservation Areas in the Upper Colorado River Basin

Fisheries ◽  
2011 ◽  
Vol 36 (6) ◽  
pp. 278-288 ◽  
Author(s):  
Daniel C. Dauwalter ◽  
John S. Sanderson ◽  
Jack E. Williams ◽  
James R. Sedell
Keyword(s):  
River Basin ◽  
Colorado River ◽  
Colorado River Basin ◽  
Native Fish ◽  
Conservation Areas ◽  
Fish Conservation ◽  
Upper Colorado River Basin

Multispecies and Watershed Approaches to Freshwater Fish Conservation

2019 ◽  
Keyword(s):  
River Basin ◽  
High Elevation ◽  
Native Fish ◽  
Conservation Areas ◽  
Fish Conservation ◽  
Great Smoky Mountains ◽  
Tennessee River ◽  
Additional Funding ◽  
Little Tennessee River ◽  
Restoration And Protection

<em>Abstract.</em>—In 2015, the Little Tennessee River basin became the nation’s first native fish conservation area. Watersheds designated as native fish conservation areas are managed for the conservation and restoration of native fish and other aquatic species, allowing compatible uses. The Little Tennessee River basin spans three states (Georgia, North Carolina, and Tennessee) and features a diversity of aquatic habitats that include high-elevation coldwater trout streams, warmwater rivers, and large human-made reservoirs. Although this basin is home to a biologically diverse aquatic community, streams have been impacted by a host of stressors, including logging, dams, agriculture, industrial pollutants, piscicides, and development. Some streams impacted in the past now offer restoration opportunities, and numerous efforts are underway to restore native fish and mussels to streams in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, on U.S. Forest Service land, on the Qualla Boundary of the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians, and on private lands. More than 20 organizations, including federal and state agencies, industry, and nongovernmental entities, form the Little Tennessee Native Fish Conservation Partnership. The partnership supports work already underway by partners by providing additional funding, technical and educational resources, and a mechanism for collaboration. Perhaps most importantly, the partnership provides a forum to plan and implement watershed conservation on a landscape scale. Partners developed an online conservation mapper, which houses data, maps threats, identifies focal areas for restoration and protection, and ultimately serves as a conservation plan for the watershed. Current efforts to identify habitat restoration and protection projects are underway.

Multispecies and Watershed Approaches to Freshwater Fish Conservation

2019 ◽  
Keyword(s):  
River Basin ◽  
Native Fish ◽  
Snake River ◽  
Aquatic Species ◽  
Conservation Areas ◽  
Fish Conservation ◽  
Unit Code ◽  
Hydrologic Unit Code ◽  
Hydrologic Unit ◽  
Management Approaches

<em>Abstract</em>.—Native fish conservation areas (NFCAs) are watersheds where management emphasizes proactive conservation and restoration for long-term persistence of native fish assemblages while allowing for compatible uses. Native fish conservation areas are intended to complement traditional fisheries management approaches that are often reactive to population stressors and focused on single-species conservation efforts rather than complete assemblages. We identified potential NFCAs in the upper Snake River basin above Hells Canyon Dam using a process that ranked all subwatersheds (Hydrologic Unit Code 12) and used empirical data on distribution, abundance, and genetics for three native trout species (Bull Trout <em>Salvelinus confluentus</em>, Columbia River Redband Trout <em>Oncorhynchus mykiss gairdneri</em>, and Yellowstone Cutthroat Trout <em>O. clarkii bouvieri</em>, including the fine-spotted form) and both known occurrences and modeled potential distributions of native nongame fishes. Rankings also incorporated drainage network connectivity and land-protection status (e.g., national park, wilderness). Clusters of high-ranking subwatersheds were identified as potential NFCAs that were then classified according to the presence of nongame fishes identified as species of greatest conservation need in state wildlife action plans. The Pacific Creek and Goose Creek watersheds ranked high in the upper basin (above Shoshone Falls), and Little Jacks Creek and Squaw Creek ranked high in the lower basin. We then contrasted characteristics of a select few potential NFCAs, discuss the practical implementation and benefits of NFCAs for both fishes and other aquatic species in the upper Snake River basin, examined how the NFCA approach could enhance existing conservation partnerships, and discuss how designating select watersheds as NFCAs can create higher public awareness of the value of native fishes and other aquatic species and their habitats.

Multispecies and Watershed Approaches to Freshwater Fish Conservation

2019 ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Water Quality ◽  
Financial Incentives ◽  
Colorado River ◽  
Public Access ◽  
Native Fish ◽  
Conservation Areas ◽  
Fish Conservation ◽  
Aquatic Life ◽  
River Watershed ◽  
Native Fishes

<em>Abstract</em>.—The Colorado River of Texas originates in the northwest portion of the state and runs southeasterly across the environmentally sensitive Edwards Plateau ecoregion, eventually emptying into Matagorda Bay on the Gulf of Mexico. The Texas Parks and Wildlife Department (TPWD) and other conservation partners have worked for decades to conserve native fishes in the river and its associated estuary. The river and its tributaries are also the major water source for millions of people, and portions of the watershed are undergoing unprecedented human population growth and a concomitant increased demand for water. Drought, which is a frequent occurrence in Texas, exacerbates these effects. Providing adequate streamflow and water quality to conserve aquatic species while still fulfilling obligations for municipal, industrial, agricultural, hydropower, and recreational water use is increasingly challenging. Since the 1980s, the TPWD has promoted water management policies in the watershed to benefit aquatic life, conducted research to maintain a sound ecological environment for fish and other aquatic taxa, provided technical guidance and financial incentives to private landowners to improve land practices that benefit water quality and quantity, and improved public access to foster increased stewardship of the river. The TPWD has also collaborated with researchers to study the potential impacts of altered hydrology on two endemic, flow-dependent fish species, Guadalupe Bass <em>Micropterus treculii </em>and Blue Sucker <em>Cycleptus elongatus</em>. Two portions of the Colorado River watershed have been identified as native fish conservation areas in part for persistence of populations of these native fishes. Outcomes from these activities are now being leveraged using federally funded research and conservation delivery programs to further advance the conservation of native fish populations and other aquatic life in native fish conservation areas of the Colorado River watershed.

scholarly journals Mapping biodiversity hotspots of fish communities in subtropical streams through environmental DNA

2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Rosetta C. Blackman ◽  
Maslin Osathanunkul ◽  
Jeanine Brantschen ◽  
Cristina Di Muri ◽  
Lynsey R. Harper ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Large Scale ◽  
Fish Communities ◽  
Environmental Dna ◽  
River Network ◽  
Fish Diversity ◽  
Conservation Areas ◽  
Anthropogenic Pressures ◽  
Sampling Campaign ◽  
Chao Phraya River ◽  
River Catchments

AbstractLarge tropical and subtropical rivers are among the most biodiverse ecosystems worldwide, but also suffer from high anthropogenic pressures. These rivers are hitherto subject to little or no routine biomonitoring, which would be essential for identification of conservation areas of high importance. Here, we use a single environmental DNA multi-site sampling campaign across the 200,000 km2 Chao Phraya river basin, Thailand, to provide key information on fish diversity. We found a total of 108 fish taxa and identified key biodiversity patterns within the river network. By using hierarchical clustering, we grouped the fish communities of all sites across the catchment into distinct clusters. The clusters not only accurately matched the topology of the river network, but also revealed distinct groups of sites enabling informed conservation measures. Our study reveals novel opportunities of large-scale monitoring via eDNA to identify relevant areas within whole river catchments for conservation and habitat protection.

Multispecies and Watershed Approaches to Freshwater Fish Conservation

2019 ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Freshwater Fish ◽  
Local Governments ◽  
Chihuahuan Desert ◽  
Conservation Strategies ◽  
Native Fish ◽  
Fish Diversity ◽  
Conservation Areas ◽  
Fish Conservation ◽  
Desert Fishes ◽  
Native Fishes

<em>Abstract</em>.—Native fish conservation areas in the Chihuahuan Desert of Texas were identified and designated as part of a statewide network of focal watersheds uniquely valued in preservation of Texas freshwater fish diversity. Native fish conservation areas represent a holistic, multispecies, and habitat-based approach to native fish conservation that encourages and facilitates coordination among landowners, nongovernmental organizations, state and federal agencies, universities, and local governments to achieve landscape-scale conservation within focal watersheds. This approach to native fish conservation provides an effective method for addressing the common nature and magnitude of threats facing species and their habitats in freshwater systems. Desert fishes and their habitats are particularly susceptible to habitat alteration, especially anthropogenic land use and water consumption patterns, which continue to create conservation challenges. The strategic and science-based conservation strategies embodied by the native fish conservation areas approach represent an innovative path forward for addressing the conservation needs of native fishes and their habitats in the Chihuahuan Desert of Texas. In this chapter, we describe six native fish conservation areas designated within the Chihuahuan Desert of Texas and profile multiagency conservation planning and delivery that has substantially increased the scope and scale of conservation investments for restoration and protection of native fishes and their habitats in the region.

Large-scale patterns in species richness and composition of temperate riverine fish communities, south-eastern Australia

2000 ◽  
Vol 51 (2) ◽  
pp. 165 ◽  
Author(s):  
Peter C. Gehrke ◽  
John H. Harris
Keyword(s):  
Species Richness ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Fish Communities ◽  
Fish Fauna ◽  
South Coast ◽  
North Coast ◽  
Large Spatial Scale ◽  
River Types ◽  
Eastern Australia ◽  
Riverine Fish

Riverine fish in New South Wales were studied to examine longitudinal trends in species richness and to identify fish communities on a large spatial scale. Five replicate rivers of four types (montane, slopes, regulated lowland and unregulated lowland) were selected from North Coast, South Coast, Murray and Darling regions. Fishwere sampled during summer and winter in two consecutive years with standardized gear that maximized the range of species caught. The composition of fish communities varied among regions and river types, with little temporal variation. Distinct regional communities converged in montane reaches and diverged downstream. The fish fauna can be classified into North Coast, South Coast, Murray and Darling communities, with a distinct montane community at high elevations irrespective of the drainage division. Species richness increased downstream in both North Coast and South Coast regions by both replacement and the addition of new species. In contrast, species richness in the Darling and Murray regions reached a maximum in the slopes reaches and then declined, reflecting a loss of species in lowland reaches. The small number of species is typical of the freshwater fish faunas of similar climatic regions world-wide. Fish communities identified in this study form logical entities for fisheries management consistent with the ecosystem-focused, catchment-based approach to river management and water reform being adopted in Australia.

scholarly journals Forage fish of the Pacific Rim as revealed by diet of a piscivorous seabird: synchrony and relationships with sea surface temperature

2008 ◽  
Vol 65 (8) ◽  
pp. 1610-1622 ◽  
Author(s):  
Julie A. Thayer ◽  
Douglas F. Bertram ◽  
Scott A. Hatch ◽  
Mark J. Hipfner ◽  
Leslie Slater ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Surface Temperature ◽  
Sea Surface Temperature ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Fish Communities ◽  
Japan Sea ◽  
Pacific Rim ◽  
Sea Surface ◽  
Eastern Pacific ◽  
Forage Fish ◽  
Forage Fishes

We tested the hypothesis of synchronous interannual changes in forage fish dynamics around the North Pacific Rim. To do this, we sampled forage fish communities using a seabird predator, the rhinoceros auklet ( Cerorhinca monocerata ), at six coastal study sites from Japan to California. We investigated whether take of forage fishes was related to local marine conditions as indexed by sea surface temperature (SST). SST was concordant across sites in the eastern Pacific, but inversely correlated between east and west. Forage fish communities consisted of anchovy ( Engraulis spp.), sandlance ( Ammodytes spp.), capelin ( Mallotus spp.), and juvenile rockfish ( Sebastes spp.), among others, and take of forage fish varied in response to interannual and possibly lower-frequency oceanographic variability. Take of primary forage species were significantly related to changes in SST only at the eastern sites. We found synchrony in interannual variation of primary forage fishes across several regions in the eastern Pacific, but no significant east–west correlations. Specifically in the Japan Sea, factors other than local SST or interannual variability may more strongly influence forage fishes. Predator diet sampling offers a fishery-independent, large-scale perspective on forage fish dynamics that may be difficult to obtain using conventional means of study.

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