Historical Changes in Large River Fish Assemblages of the Americas

2005 ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Fish Assemblage ◽  
Yellow Perch ◽  
Fish Assemblages ◽  
Poor Performance ◽  
River System ◽  
Fish Passage ◽  
Large River ◽  
Critical Threshold ◽  
Upstream Migration ◽  
Micropterus Dolomieu

<em>Abstract.</em>—The Saint John River is located on the mainland of eastern North America, forming in northern Maine–southeastern Quebec, and flows east and south through New Brunswick. Fish collections were conducted at sites located from 135 to 625 km above the mouth in 2000 and 2001. Methods development trials demonstrated that the highest success was achieved with a standardized netting protocol consisting of a combination of dusk seining, nighttime electrofishing, and short-term gill net sets. A total of 36 species of fish were collected, with the greatest diversity occurring at the farthest downstream site. Upstream migration of anadromous species is restricted by the absence or poor performance of fish passage facilities at the five hydroelectric dams along the river system. The downstream migration of introduced muskellunge <em>Esox masquinongy </em>and upstream range expansions of introduced smallmouth bass <em>Micropterus dolomieu </em>and rainbow trout <em>Oncorhynchus mykiss </em>were observed. Fish species and abundances varied along the river, but the cumulative effects of human activities were not easily identified within the fish assemblage. There may have been a critical threshold within the fish assemblage defined by an accumulation of 20 anthropogenic developments. Cyprinid species declined in abundance and yellow perch <em>Perca flavescens </em>and brown bullhead <em>Ameiurus nebulosus </em>increased in abundance downstream of this apparent threshold.

Historical Changes in Large River Fish Assemblages of the Americas

2005 ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Waste Treatment ◽  
Fish Assemblages ◽  
River System ◽  
Agricultural Runoff ◽  
Large River ◽  
Smallmouth Bass ◽  
Ohio River ◽  
Micropterus Dolomieu ◽  
Wabash River ◽  
Spotted Bass

<em>Abstract.</em>—The present ichthyofauna (1965–2001) of the Wabash River system is compared to that of three periods: presettlement through 1820, 1875–1900, and 1940– 1950. This second largest Ohio River tributary flows freely for 350 mi. However, its environment and watershed have been altered greatly from presettlement times; twothirds has been converted to agriculture, eliminating all prairies and most forests and wetlands. Canals, large and small dams, channelization, and effluents have extinguished 12 fish species, diminished some, and favored others. Thirteen of approximately 175 species are recent, including 3 aliens. Better municipal and industrial waste treatment has improved water quality, but excessive agricultural runoff remains detrimental to many fishes. Degraded habitats exacerbate these problems. Many sensitive species are today either absent or severely reduced in distribution and abundance compared to 50 years ago. Smallmouth bass <em>Micropterus dolomieu </em>has been replaced by largemouth bass <em>M. salmoides </em>or spotted bass <em>M. punctulatus, </em>and few visual piscivores occur except near reservoirs.

scholarly journals Freshwater fishes of Bontebok National Park

Koedoe ◽  
2001 ◽  
Vol 44 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
I.A. Russell
Keyword(s):  
South African ◽  
National Park ◽  
Fish Assemblages ◽  
Micropterus Salmoides ◽  
Clarias Gariepinus ◽  
Lepomis Macrochirus ◽  
River System ◽  
Indigenous Species ◽  
Freshwater Species ◽  
Micropterus Dolomieu

Fish assemblages were sampled at six sites in the Breede River in the Bontebok National Park during 1999 and 2000. A total of 380 fish from 12 species was recorded. Indigenous fish collected included one freshwater species (Barbus andrewi), two catodromous species (Anguilla mossambica, Myxus capensis). and three estuarine species (Gilchris- tella aestuaria, Monodactylusfalciformis, Mugil cephalus). Four of the species recorded were aliens (Tinea tinea, Lepomis macrochirus, Micropterus salmoides, Micropterus dolomieu) and two species translocated from other South African rivers (Tilapia sparrmanii, Clarias gariepinus). A further two indigenous species (Sandelia capensis, Pseudobarbus biirchelli) could potentially occur within the park, though the high abundance of alien predators means that there is little chance for recolonisation from tributaries higher in the Breede River system. There is little opportunity to meaningfully conserve most indigenous freshwater fish in Bontebok National Park.

Historical Changes in Large River Fish Assemblages of the Americas

2005 ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Native Species ◽  
Fish Assemblages ◽  
Fish Fauna ◽  
River System ◽  
Endangered Species Act ◽  
Large River ◽  
Main Stem ◽  
Lake Mead ◽  
Virgin River ◽  
Native Fishes

<em>Abstract.</em>—The Virgin–Moapa River system supports nine native fish species or subspecies, of which five are endemic. Woundfin <em>Plagopterus argentissimus </em>and Virgin River chub <em>Gila seminuda </em>are endemic to the main-stem Virgin River, whereas cooler and clearer tributaries are home to the Virgin spinedace <em>Lepidomeda mollispinis</em>. Moapa dace <em>Moapa coriacea </em>and Moapa White River springfish <em>Crenichthys baileyi moapae </em>are found in thermal springs that form the Moapa River, and Moapa speckled dace <em>Rhinichthys osculus moapae </em>is generally found below the springs in cooler waters. The agricultural heritage of the Virgin–Moapa River system resulted in numerous diversions that increased as municipal demands rose in recent years. In the early 1900s, trout were introduced into some of the cooler tributary streams, adversely affecting Virgin spinedace and other native species. The creation of Lake Mead in 1935 inundated the lower 80 km of the Virgin River and the lower 8 km of the Moapa River. Shortly thereafter, nonnative fishes invaded upstream from Lake Mead, and these species have continued to proliferate. Growing communities continue to compete for Virgin River water. These anthropogenic changes have reduced distribution and abundance of the native Virgin–Moapa River system fish fauna. The woundfin, Virgin River chub, and Moapa dace are listed as endangered, and the Virgin spinedace has been proposed for listing. In this paper we document how the abundance of these species has declined since the Endangered Species Act of 1973. Currently, there is no strong main-stem refugium for the Virgin River native fishes, tributary refugia continue to be shortened, and the Moapa River native fishes continue to be jeopardized. Recovery efforts for the listed and other native fishes, especially in the Virgin River, have monitored the declines, but have not implemented recovery actions effective in reversing them.

Historical Changes in Large River Fish Assemblages of the Americas

2005 ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Relative Abundance ◽  
Mississippi River ◽  
Largemouth Bass ◽  
Fish Assemblage ◽  
Fish Assemblages ◽  
Micropterus Salmoides ◽  
Lepomis Macrochirus ◽  
Large River ◽  
Frequency Of Occurrence ◽  
Abundance And Distribution

<em>Abstract.</em>—An investigation of historical fisheries information for pools 4–13 of the upper Mississippi River (UMR) was conducted to 1) determine the pre-1938 relative abundance and distribution of bluegill <em>Lepomis macrochirus </em>and largemouth bass <em>Micropterus salmoides, </em>2) determine the composition and relative abundance of the preimpoundment fish assemblage, and 3) determine if a shift in frequency of occurrence and relative abundance has occurred due to impoundment.

Historical Changes in Large River Fish Assemblages of the Americas

2005 ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Fish Assemblage ◽  
Fish Assemblages ◽  
River Management ◽  
Large River ◽  
Large Rivers ◽  
Pertinent Literature ◽  
Historical Changes ◽  
Time To Learn ◽  
River Fish

<em>Abstract.</em>—This book’s objective is to document historical changes in the fish assemblages of large American rivers, and to determine patterns in and rationale for those changes. In this chapter, we review pertinent literature on large rivers and fish assemblages worldwide and briefly introduce the chapters. We expect that the information contained in this book will aid river management in general, and stimulate similar historical fish assemblage studies elsewhere. There will never be a better time to learn and understand what has been changed and to reverse or slow undesirable changes.

scholarly journals Assessing fish assemblages similarity above and below a dam in a Neotropical reservoir with partial blockage

2013 ◽  
Vol 73 (4) ◽  
pp. 727-736 ◽  
Author(s):  
FG. Araújo ◽  
ABI. Santos ◽  
RJ. Albieri
Keyword(s):  
Fish Assemblage ◽  
Fish Assemblages ◽  
Fish Passage ◽  
Migratory Species ◽  
Wet Season ◽  
Prochilodus Lineatus ◽  
Oxygen Conductivity ◽  
Composition And Structure ◽  
Pimelodus Maculatus ◽  
Hoplosternum Littorale

Damming rivers disrupts the water flow and changes the ichthyofauna organisation. We investigated an impoundment with permanent connection and homogeneous environmental conditions between the zones above and below the dam. Temperature was comparatively higher during wet season irrespective of zone, and both zones had higher dissolved oxygen, conductivity and transparency in the dry season. A total of 1687 individuals comprising 27 species were collected in the downriver zone, while the reservoir had 879 individuals and 23 species. Each zone had different fish assemblage composition and structure, but assemblages were not explained by the examined environmental variables (r2 = 0.08; p = 0.307). Migratory species such as Pimelodus maculatus, Pimelodus fur, Leporinus copelandii and Prochilodus lineatus were the most affected, and probably are prevented to perform upriver migrations. On the other hand, lentic adapted species such as G. brasiliensis, Hoplias malabaricus and Hoplosternum littorale successfully colonised the reservoir. Therefore we conclude that the presence of the lateral hydrological connectivity alone does not guarantee the ecological connectivity since fish assemblage similarity differed between the two zones. Fish passage facilities should be monitored and managed to evaluate and improve their functionality.

scholarly journals Technical fishway passage structures provide high passage efficiency and effective passage for adult Pacific salmonids at eight large dams

PLoS ONE ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 16 (9) ◽  
pp. e0256805
Author(s):  
Matthew L. Keefer ◽  
Michael A. Jepson ◽  
Tami S. Clabough ◽  
Christopher C. Caudill
Keyword(s):  
Sockeye Salmon ◽  
River System ◽  
Fish Passage ◽  
Passage Time ◽  
Management Approach ◽  
Upstream Migration ◽  
65 H ◽  
Species Specific ◽  
Almost All ◽  
Passage Efficiency

Fishways have been widely used for upstream passage around human-built structures, but ‘success’ has varied dramatically. Evaluation of fishway success has typically been conducted at local scales using metrics such as fish passage efficiency and passage time, but evaluations are increasingly used in broader assessments of whether passage facilities meet population-specific conservation and management objectives. Over 15 years, we monitored passage effectiveness at eight dams on the Columbia and Snake rivers for 26,886 radio-tagged spring-summer and fall Chinook Salmon O. tshwaytscha, Sockeye Salmon O. nerka, and summer steelhead O. mykiss during their migrations to spawning sites. Almost all fish that entered dam tailraces eventually approached and entered fishways. Tailrace-to-forebay passage efficiency estimates at individual dams were consistently high, averaging 0.966 (SD = 0.035) across 245 run×year×dam combinations. These estimates are among the highest recorded for any migratory species, which we attribute to the scale of evaluation, salmonid life history traits (e.g., philopatry), and a sustained adaptive management approach to fishway design, maintenance, and improvement. Full-dam fish passage times were considerably more variable, with run×year×dam medians ranging from 5–65 h. Evaluation at larger scales provided evidence that fishways were biologically effective, e.g., we observed rapid migration rates (medians = 28–40 km/d) through river reaches with multiple dams and estimated fisheries-adjusted upstream migration survival of 67–69%. However, there were substantive uncertainties regarding effectiveness. Uncertainty about natal origins confounded estimation of population-specific survival and interpretation of apparent dam passage ‘failure’, while lack of post-migration reproductive data precluded analyses of delayed or cumulative effects of passing the impounded system on fish fitness. Although the technical fishways are effective for salmonids in the Columbia-Snake River system, other co-migrating species have lower passage rates, highlighting the need for species-specific design and evaluation wherever passage facilities impact fish management and conservation goals.

The Effects of Improved Water Quality on Fish Assemblages in a Heavily Modified Large River System

2015 ◽  
Vol 32 (5) ◽  
pp. 992-1007 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. Parker ◽  
J. Epifanio ◽  
A. Casper ◽  
Y. Cao
Keyword(s):  
Water Quality ◽  
Fish Assemblages ◽  
River System ◽  
Large River

Historical Changes in Large River Fish Assemblages of the Americas

2005 ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Endemic Species ◽  
Fish Assemblages ◽  
Habitat Degradation ◽  
Fish Fauna ◽  
River System ◽  
Large River ◽  
Past Century ◽  
Species Dispersal ◽  
Geologic History ◽  
Additional Species

<em>Abstract.</em>—The Alabama River system, comprising the Alabama, Coosa, and Tallapoosa subsystems, forms the eastern portion of the Mobile River drainage. Physiographic diversity and geologic history have fostered development in the Alabama River system of globally significant levels of aquatic faunal diversity and endemism. At least 184 fishes are native to the system, including at least 33 endemic species. During the past century, dam construction for hydropower generation and navigation resulted in 16 reservoirs that inundate 44% of the length of the Alabama River system main stems. This extensive physical and hydrologic alteration has affected the fish fauna in three major ways. Diadromous and migratory species have declined precipitously. Fish assemblages persisting downstream from large main-stem dams have been simplified by loss of species unable to cope with altered flow and water quality regimes. Fish populations persisting in the headwaters and in tributaries to the mainstem reservoirs are now isolated and subjected to effects of physical and chemical habitat degradation. Ten fishes in the Alabama River system (including seven endemic species) are federally listed as threatened or endangered. Regional experts consider at least 28 additional species to be vulnerable, threatened, or endangered with extinction. Conserving the Alabama River system fish fauna will require innovative dam management, protection of streams from effects of urbanization and water supply development, and control of alien species dispersal. Failure to manage aggressively for integrity of remaining unimpounded portions of the Alabama River system will result in reduced quality of natural resources for future generations, continued assemblage simplification, and species extinctions.

Historical Changes in Large River Fish Assemblages of the Americas

2005 ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Fish Assemblages ◽  
Temporal Trends ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Large River ◽  
Smallmouth Bass ◽  
Individual Species ◽  
Ohio River ◽  
Ohio River Valley ◽  
Micropterus Dolomieu ◽  
River Fish

<em>Abstract.</em>—The Ohio River Valley Water Sanitation Commission (ORSANCO), along with cooperating state and federal agencies, sampled fish assemblages from the lockchambers of Ohio River navigational dams from 1957 to 2001. To date, 377 lockchamber rotenone events have been conducted, resulting in the collection of nearly three million fishes, representing 116 taxa, including 7 hybrids, in 19 families. We observed significant temporal trends in Ohio River fish riverwide at the assemblage, guild, and species levels. Modified index of well-being (MIWB) scores and changes in guild structure indicated significantly (<em>p </em>< 0.05) improving fish assemblages throughout the Ohio River. Quantile regression of the abundance of individual species by year revealed significant declines (<em>p </em>< 0.05) in populations of several pollution-tolerant species (e.g., <em>Ameiurus </em>spp., goldfish <em>Carassius auratus</em>) with time, while some intolerant species (e.g., smallmouth redhorse <em>Moxostoma breviceps, </em>smallmouth bass <em>Micropterus dolomieu, </em>and mooneye <em>Hiodon tergisus</em>) have increased in recent years. In all, 40 of the 116 taxa collected in the lockchamber surveys changed significantly over time. Sixteen species did not change. Sixty species could not be analyzed either because of incomplete data or insufficient abundance. Fish assemblage metrics that would be expected to decrease with improving conditions in the Ohio River (percent tolerant individuals, percent nonindigenous individuals, and percent detritivore individuals) also declined (<em>p </em>< 0.05). These changes coincide with marked improvement of the water quality in the Ohio River over the last 50 years, particularly in the aftermath of the Clean Water Act (1972). Some species and metric responses may also be due to the replacement of the 50 wicket dams by the construction of 18 high-lift dams.

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