Zachary D. Steffensmeier, S. Brewer, Maeghen Wedgeworth, T. Starks, Anthony W. Rodger, Erin Nguyen, J. Perkin
{"title":"Conservation at the nexus of niches: Multidimensional niche modeling to improve management of Prairie Chub","authors":"Zachary D. Steffensmeier, S. Brewer, Maeghen Wedgeworth, T. Starks, Anthony W. Rodger, Erin Nguyen, J. Perkin","doi":"10.1002/nafm.10860","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1002/nafm.10860","url":null,"abstract":"A central challenge in applied ecology is understanding how organisms are spatially and temporally distributed and how management might be tailored to maintain or restore species distributions. The niche concept is central to understanding species distributions, but the diversity of niche definitions requires that multiple dimensions be considered. For example, the Grinnellian niche concept focuses on environmental conditions that allow species to persist, the Eltonian niche concept stresses the influence of biotic interactions, and the fundamental niche concept considers both abiotic and biotic environmental features to define spaces that organisms could occupy.We combined abiotic (A), biotic (B), and movement (M) information (collectively, BAM model) to map the multidimensional niche of Prairie Chub Macrhybopsis australis, a regionally endemic freshwater fish currently under review for listing under the Endangered Species Act. We estimated A using remotely sensed environmental riverscape variables, B using the spatial distribution of a hybridization zone between Prairie Chub and Shoal Chub M. hyostoma, and M using data from a mark–recapture study.The BAM model estimated the spatial extent of multiple niches, including the Grinnellian (A; extent = 944 km of river), Eltonian (B; 2974 km), and fundamental niche (overlap of A + B; 645 km) niches. When A, B, and M components were combined, the estimated extent of the Prairie Chub niche was 645 km.Our work shows that the realized, multidimensional niche of Prairie Chub includes medium to large rivers with high habitat connectivity in the upper–middle Red River basin upstream of the distribution of Shoal Chub. The current Prairie Chub distribution could be maintained by preventing further habitat fragmentation and maintaining the environmental gradient separating Prairie Chub from Shoal Chub. Expansion of the species distribution may be possible through restoration of longitudinal fluvial connectivity.","PeriodicalId":19263,"journal":{"name":"North American Journal of Fisheries Management","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":1.1,"publicationDate":"2023-08-11","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"45535121","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Conservation decision support for Silver Chub habitat in Lake Erie","authors":"J. E. Mckenna","doi":"10.1002/nafm.10843","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1002/nafm.10843","url":null,"abstract":"Conservation and restoration of aquatic species is difficult, especially for rare species, because their habitats are typically disturbed, obscuring the natural ability of the habitat to support each species. The Lake Erie population of Silver Chub Macrhybopsis storeriana struggles to sustain itself in a habitat disturbed by a wide spectrum of anthropogenic factors. Application of multiple model predictions can provide indications of conservation or restoration opportunities for this species.A combination of models that predict the best potential for Lake Erie habitat to support Silver Chub and the effects of anthropogenic disturbances on that population were used to identify habitat conditions throughout the western aquatic lake unit.As many as 76 combinations of best habitat potential and disturbance conditions were present, but the best opportunities occurred in <12% of the study area. Some of the best protection opportunities were farthest offshore, and extensive areas of least disturbed habitat for restoration were near the southern and western shores. The location‐specific model predictions provide fine‐scale decision support for Silver Chub habitat protection or restoration.The approach applied here may help identify compatibilities among species to achieve the desirable fish community for Lake Erie and reconcile conflicting management actions.","PeriodicalId":19263,"journal":{"name":"North American Journal of Fisheries Management","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":1.1,"publicationDate":"2023-08-10","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"47197692","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Jared B. Lamy, Brigid C. O'donnell, A. Villamagna, Tyson R. Morrill, Ben J. Nugent, Joshua C. Hoekwater
{"title":"Genetic analysis reveals a complex mosaic of admixture in Brook Trout in a historically fragmented watershed","authors":"Jared B. Lamy, Brigid C. O'donnell, A. Villamagna, Tyson R. Morrill, Ben J. Nugent, Joshua C. Hoekwater","doi":"10.1002/nafm.10906","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1002/nafm.10906","url":null,"abstract":"Assess how historical fragmentation in the form of perched culverts impacts Brook Trout Salvelinus fontinalis genetic diversity and differentiation in the Beebe River watershed (central New Hampshire), the site of a major culvert removal project in 2017.We collected genetic samples from Brook Trout one year prior to (2016), and two years following (2018 and 2019) culvert removal from six tributaries in the watershed. We used two analytical approaches, STRUCTURE and discriminant analysis of principal components, to determine the degree to which admixture was occurring and the levels of genetic diversity in the sampled populations. We also compared pairwise FST values to measure the genetic differentiation between tributaries.The analysis revealed that the tributaries with impassable culverts (GR1, GR3, and GR5) exhibited a distinct genetic cluster, indicating genetic homogeneity. In contrast, the tributaries without barriers (GR2, ECR1, and GR4) showed a mixture of individuals assigned to multiple genetic clusters, indicating genetic admixture and high diversity. Culvert outlet drop heights correlated with the level of genetic differentiation and diversity. Culvert replacement did not immediately result in significant changes in the genetic composition of the Brook Trout populations. Fish in tributaries with culverts remained genetically distinct from those in other tributaries even two years after culvert removal.The study demonstrates that historical fragmentation caused by culverts has influenced the population genetic structure of Brook Trout in the Beebe River watershed. Culvert replacement did not lead to immediate changes in genetic composition, suggesting that other factors, such as prespawning behavior and geomorphological disturbances, may have limited fish movement and spawning after culvert removal. The findings highlight the importance of considering the specific characteristics of culverts and their interactions with habitat conditions in assessing their impacts on genetic connectivity.","PeriodicalId":19263,"journal":{"name":"North American Journal of Fisheries Management","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":1.1,"publicationDate":"2023-08-07","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"49037759","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Design, construction, and preliminary hydraulic evaluation of a model rock ramp fishway","authors":"T. Swarr, R. Fitzpatrick, C. Myrick","doi":"10.1002/nafm.10902","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1002/nafm.10902","url":null,"abstract":"New fish passage structures are frequently designed using information gained from existing structures, particularly those that have been shown to allow passage of the target species. However, this process rarely involves a preinstallation design and testing phase. Developing an apparatus that allows rapid and relatively low‐cost testing of potential fish passage structure designs prior to field installations could reduce the reliance on a “build it, monitor it, does it work?” approach.To meet this need, we developed an indoor research flume at Colorado State University’s Foothills Fisheries Laboratory that housed a full‐scale experimental rock ramp fishway.The slope of the flume can be adjusted (0–10%) and integrates a set of four PIT tag antennas to allow fine‐resolution tracking of fish movements in the fishway. The flume can deliver variable flows (up to 0.082 m3/s) of 9–25°C water. Lessons learned during the design, construction, and initial operation of the flume are presented here.The basic system could be adapted for similar studies in other regions and provides a robust and flexible infrastructure that could be modified for other evaluations of instream structures in lotic systems.","PeriodicalId":19263,"journal":{"name":"North American Journal of Fisheries Management","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":1.1,"publicationDate":"2023-08-07","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"42569603","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Joseph S. Zendt, M. B. Allen, T. Kock, R. W. Perry, Adam C. Pope
{"title":"Spatial and Temporal Overlap Between Hatchery‐ and Natural‐origin Steelhead and Chinook Salmon During Spawning in the Klickitat River, Washington, USA","authors":"Joseph S. Zendt, M. B. Allen, T. Kock, R. W. Perry, Adam C. Pope","doi":"10.1002/nafm.10945","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1002/nafm.10945","url":null,"abstract":"A goal of many segregated salmonid hatchery programs is to minimize potential interbreeding between hatchery‐ and natural‐origin fish. To assess this on the Klickitat River, Washington, USA, we used radiotelemetry during 2009–2014 to evaluate spatiotemporal spawning overlap between hatchery‐origin and natural‐origin steelhead Oncorhynchus mykiss and spring Chinook Salmon O. tshawytscha. We estimated percentages of tagged fish that spawned naturally in the Klickitat River subbasin, emigrated from the Klickitat River, or died before spawning. For steelhead, 12% of hatchery‐origin and 50% of natural‐origin fish spawned naturally. For spring Chinook Salmon, 18% of hatchery‐origin and 44% of natural‐origin fish spawned naturally. Tag loss may result in underestimates in these percentages. Most hatchery‐origin steelhead (90%) spawned downstream of rkm 32 and 75% spawned from November to mid‐March, while the majority of natural‐origin steelhead (64%) spawned upstream of rkm 32 and 75% spawned from mid‐March to late May. Spawn timing of hatchery‐origin Chinook Salmon (early August to mid‐September) overlapped with that of natural‐origin Chinook Salmon (late July to late September), and fish of both origins spawned in the same 30‐km reach of the river. We estimated the percent of hatchery‐origin spawners on the natural spawning grounds (pHOS) to be 12% for steelhead and 40% for spring Chinook Salmon across all study years. A kernel density analysis was used to estimate probability of spatiotemporal overlap between hatchery‐ and natural‐origin spawners. For steelhead, we estimated this overlap to be 25% (95% CI 22.5–28%). For spring Chinook Salmon, tight spatial clustering of hatchery‐origin fish resulted in a lower overlap estimate of 21% (13%‐31%). We suggest adjusting pHOS estimates using these overlap estimates or similar spatiotemporal data on actual spawner proximity and possible interactions, and that these types of analyses be used in conjunction with gene flow analysis to accurately evaluate effects of individual hatchery programs.","PeriodicalId":19263,"journal":{"name":"North American Journal of Fisheries Management","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":1.1,"publicationDate":"2023-08-07","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"47546173","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
J. Perkin, P. Kočovský, Zachary D. Steffensmeier, K. Gido
{"title":"Why are larger fish farther upstream? Testing multiple hypotheses using Silver Chub in two Midwestern United States riverscapes","authors":"J. Perkin, P. Kočovský, Zachary D. Steffensmeier, K. Gido","doi":"10.1002/nafm.10903","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1002/nafm.10903","url":null,"abstract":"Three competing hypotheses might explain the widely documented intrapopulation larger‐fish‐upstream phenomenon. The age‐phased recruitment hypothesis posits that fish spawn downstream and move upstream as they age and grow, the static population with growth and mortality gradients hypothesis posits that fish spawn throughout a riverscape and growth is greater upstream while recruitment is greater downstream, and the colonization cycle hypothesis posits that fish spawn upstream, larvae drift downstream, and individuals move upstream as they age and grow.We tested for the larger‐fish‐upstream pattern using populations of Silver Chub Macrhybopsis storeriana in the Arkansas and Ohio rivers, as well as investigated longitudinal variation in reproductive investment (Arkansas River), age structure for adult fish (Arkansas River), and number and occurrence of age‐0 fish (Ohio River).The larger‐fish‐upstream pattern was temporally persistent in both riverscapes. In the Arkansas River, reproductive investment was greatest upstream, where initiation of spawning likely occurred based on gonadosomatic indices. Adult fish were most numerous in the Arkansas River 125–175 km upstream from Kaw Reservoir, with age‐2 fish numbers peaking farther upstream compared with age‐1 fish. In the Ohio River, age‐0 fish counts increased downstream and were rare among the shortest river fragments (<100 km) between lock‐and‐dam structures. These findings are inconsistent with the age‐phased recruitment hypothesis based on upstream spawning in the Arkansas River and inconsistent with the static population with growth and mortality gradients hypothesis based on virtual absence of age‐2 fish downstream (Arkansas River) and age‐0 fish upstream (Ohio River). The most likely explanation for longitudinal variation in Silver Chub size distribution is downstream drift of ichthyoplankton followed by net upstream movement (i.e., colonization cycle hypothesis), but formal assessments of movement and ova characteristics require more research.Managing multidimensional riverscapes requires insight into the mechanisms that regulate upstream‐to‐downstream patterns in fish populations, and our work underscores a potential size‐related benefit to maintaining broadscale longitudinal connectivity.","PeriodicalId":19263,"journal":{"name":"North American Journal of Fisheries Management","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":1.1,"publicationDate":"2023-08-07","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"45349663","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Jamie C. Madden, L. Larochelle, Declan Burton, A. Danylchuk, S. J. Landsman, S. Cooke
{"title":"Condition and post‐release mortality of angled Northern Pike temporarily retained on stringers","authors":"Jamie C. Madden, L. Larochelle, Declan Burton, A. Danylchuk, S. J. Landsman, S. Cooke","doi":"10.1002/nafm.10943","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1002/nafm.10943","url":null,"abstract":"Anglers typically use stringers to keep fish intended for harvest from spoiling or for high grading purposes (i.e., culling). However, relatively few studies have examined the effects of temporary stringer retention on the physical condition and post‐release mortality of fish. In this study, we examined blood physiology, reflex impairment, injury and 48‐hour fate of 168 Northern Pike Esox lucius after being exposed for 2 hours on one of five treatments: 1) cord stringer through the operculum, 2) cord stringer through the lower jaw, 3) metal stringer through the operculum, 4) metal stringer through the lower jaw, and 5) aerated tank control. Immediately after retention, blood lactate concentrations of stringer treatments were on average 42% greater relative to controls. Fish from the stringer treatments exhibited injuries of varying severity, most of which (e.g., gill lesions, expanded puncture wounds, swelling), were still present on surviving fish 48 hours later.. Reflexes were impaired for all stringer fish whereas control fish tended to have all reflexes intact. No fish died during the treatment period. The highest occurrence of mortality was within the first 8 hours following retention for the cord‐operculum (48%), metal‐jaw (15%), and metal‐operculum (19%) treatments. Stringers placed through the operculum had a higher mortality rate (37%) compared to stringers placed through the lower jaw (17%), regardless of stringer type. Overall, 27% of fish placed on stringers died and 68% of the remaining fish showed injuries related to stringers, while control fish showed low mortality (7%) and no meaningful injuries. Our results suggest that holding fish on stringers causes stress and injury levels that can result in post‐release mortality. As such, fisheries managers should consider restricting the release of fish placed on stringers, and once placed on a stringer, fish should be regarded as part of the daily harvest‐limit for a given angler.","PeriodicalId":19263,"journal":{"name":"North American Journal of Fisheries Management","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":1.1,"publicationDate":"2023-08-02","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"45707417","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Richard D. Clark, Mark P. Ebener, James R. Bence, Matthew S. Kornis, Charles R. Bronte, Theodore J. Treska, Jory L. Jonas, Charles P. Madenjian, Iyob W. Tsehaye
{"title":"Estimates of adult Lake Trout mortality from <scp>coded wire</scp> tags in a population with developing natural reproduction in southern Lake Michigan","authors":"Richard D. Clark, Mark P. Ebener, James R. Bence, Matthew S. Kornis, Charles R. Bronte, Theodore J. Treska, Jory L. Jonas, Charles P. Madenjian, Iyob W. Tsehaye","doi":"10.1002/nafm.10916","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1002/nafm.10916","url":null,"abstract":"Abstract Objective Overfishing and Sea Lamprey Petromyzon marinus predation led to extirpation of Lake Trout Salvelinus namaycush from Lake Michigan in the 1950s. Large populations of hatchery‐reared fish were developed by the 1970s, but natural reproduction was limited until the early 2000s when it began to increase in the southern main basin. Hypothesizing that the relatively low mortality of spawning‐aged fish contributed to this reproductive success, we estimated the total annual mortality rate for this population. Methods We used catch curves to estimate the total instantaneous mortality rate Z using coded wire tags, which provided definitive ages. We made separate estimates from fish collected in three on‐going surveys: a spring gill‐net survey, a fall gill‐net spawning survey, and a sport fishery survey. Result Our estimates of Z ± SE were 0.297 ± 0.019, 0.239 ± 0.009, and 0.205 ± 0.007 for the spring, spawning, and sport fishery surveys, respectively. We suggest that the mean Z ± SE of all survey estimates of 0.247 ± 0.027 would be a reasonable estimate for this population, which equates to a total annual mortality of 22 ± 3%. This estimate is in the low range of rates reported for the species and is in the same range as other populations in the Great Lakes with well‐established natural reproduction. Conclusion We concluded that these low total mortality rates contributed to the reproductive success in southern Lake Michigan through increasing spawning stock density and age structure and that previous estimates of another important population parameter, the instantaneous natural mortality rate M , were too high. Estimates of M ranged from 0.210 to 0.240 and were based on the Pauly equation, a growth‐ and temperature‐based estimator. We suggest maximum‐age‐based estimators of M are more appropriate for Lake Trout. Several alternative maximum‐age‐based estimators produced estimates for M of 0.132–0.058, all of which are more compatible with our estimate of Z .","PeriodicalId":19263,"journal":{"name":"North American Journal of Fisheries Management","volume":"15 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2023-08-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"135222670","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
David R. Stewart, Joseph C. Barron, Tasha Harden, Elizabeth R. Grube, Manuel Ulibarri, A. T. Taylor, E. Heist, Elizabeth Mandeville, Brian Hickerson, Nathan Berg, L. Johnson, M. Butler, Grant M Harris
{"title":"The optimal stocking strategy for Yaqui Catfish Ictalurus pricei","authors":"David R. Stewart, Joseph C. Barron, Tasha Harden, Elizabeth R. Grube, Manuel Ulibarri, A. T. Taylor, E. Heist, Elizabeth Mandeville, Brian Hickerson, Nathan Berg, L. Johnson, M. Butler, Grant M Harris","doi":"10.1002/nafm.10942","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1002/nafm.10942","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":19263,"journal":{"name":"North American Journal of Fisheries Management","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":1.1,"publicationDate":"2023-07-31","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"44480132","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Erin E. Brino, D. Schumann, Calvin R. Rezac, Robert J. Ellwanger, T. Osmundson
{"title":"Unlocking the genomes of formalin‐fixed freshwater fish specimens: an assessment of factors influencing DNA extraction quantity and quality","authors":"Erin E. Brino, D. Schumann, Calvin R. Rezac, Robert J. Ellwanger, T. Osmundson","doi":"10.1002/nafm.10935","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1002/nafm.10935","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":19263,"journal":{"name":"North American Journal of Fisheries Management","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":1.1,"publicationDate":"2023-07-27","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"42966347","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}