Martyn C. Lucas

Migration of freshwater fishes

Migration And Spatial Behaviour: Introduction. The Stimulus And Capacity For Migration: Stimuli For Migration, The Capacity For Migration, Piloting, Orientation And Navigation. Types Of Migration: Migrations At The Seasonal And Ontogenetic Scale, Diel Horizontal And Vertical Migrations. Patterns Of Migratory Behaviour In Freshwater Fishes: Arctic And Subarctic Regions, Temperate Regions, Tropical Regions. Taxonomic Analysis Of Migration In Freshwater Fishes, Lampreys Through To Freshwater--Dwelling Flatfishes (In 45 Sections). Methods For Studying The Spatial Behaviour Of Fishes In Fresh--And Brackish Water: Capture Dependent Methods, Capture Independent Methods, Choice Of Methods In Fish Migration Studies. Applied Aspects Of Freshwater Fish Migration: The Impact Of Mana s Activities On Freshwater Fish Migration. Mitigation Of Hazards And Obstacles To Fish Migration, Installation, Monitoring And Efficiency Of Fish Passes. Conclusions. Indexes

Applications of Bioenergetics Models to Fish Ecology and Management: Where Do We Go from Here?

Abstract Papers and panel discussions given during a 1992 symposium on bioenergetics models are summarized. Bioenergetics models have been applied to a variety of research and management questions relating to fish stocks, populations, food webs, and ecosystems. Applications include estimates of the intensity and dynamics of predator–prey interactions, nutrient cycling within aquatic food webs of varying trophic structure, and food requirements of single animals, whole populations, and communities of fishes. As tools in food web and ecosystem applications, bioenergetics models have been used to compare forage consumption by salmonid predators across the Laurentian Great Lakes for single populations and whole communities, and to estimate the growth potential of pelagic predators in Chesapeake Bay and Lake Ontario. Some critics say that bioenergetics models lack sufficient detail to produce reliable results in such field applications, whereas others say that the models are too complex to be useful tools for ...

Seasonal movements and behaviour of adult barbel (Barbus barbus), a riverine cyprinid fish: Implications for river management

To provide information on the movements and localized activity of barbel Barbus barbus (Cyprinidae) in a river containing potentially obstructing weirs, 31 adult barbel were radio-tracked in the River Nidd, a tributary of the Yorkshire Ouse, North East England between June 1993 and September 1994. Barbel exhibited substantial movements, ranging from 2 to nearly 20 km. Four fish are known to have moved between the Nidd and the Ouse, demonstrating that at least a part of the barbel population utilize the Nidd and Ouse at different times of the year. Range of upstream movement was restricted by the presence and nature of several weirs, including Skip Bridge flow-gauging weir. Low levels of spawning downstream of Skip Bridge weir appear to have been due to a lack of suitable spawning habitat. Movements followed a seasonal pattern, with males and females migrating upstream in spring to spawn on gravel beds. Females moved downstream more quickly than males over the summer months. Both sexes moved downstream in autumn and winter. Day length and water temperature were the best predictors in relation to distance moved up the River Nidd. Descriptive models, relating movement to water temperature and day length, are provided. For both sexes, localized activity varied greatly on both diel and seasonal scales, and was mainly associated with foraging. During summer there was typically a bimodal pattern of diel activity with peaks usually in early morning and late evening. In winter, mean daily activity was less than 20% of peak summer levels and fish were relatively dormant. In winter, diel activity patterns exhibited a single peak towards dusk. Mean daily activity levels for each month were linearly correlated with mean monthly water temperatures, even during the months where movement to and on the spawning sites occurred. The importance of natural migrations and seasonal activity patterns for barbel, and likewise many other riverine cyprinids, has probably been underestimated for a wide variety of river systems. As major components of riverine fish communities, the importance of seasonal movements of mobile cyprinid species should be considered when constructing weirs and other obstructions. Greater consideration should be given to ways of mitigating effects of existing barriers to movement of non-salmonid species.

Tracking animals in freshwater with electronic tags: past, present and future

Considerable technical developments over the past half century have enabled widespread application of electronic tags to the study of animals in the wild, including in freshwater environments. We review the constraints associated with freshwater telemetry and biologging and the technical developments relevant to their use. Technical constraints for tracking animals are often influenced by the characteristics of the animals being studied and the environment they inhabit. Collectively, they influence which and how technologies can be used and their relative effectiveness. Although radio telemetry has historically been the most commonly used technology in freshwater, passive integrated transponder (PIT) technology, acoustic telemetry and biologgers are becoming more popular. Most telemetry studies have focused on fish, although an increasing number have focused on other taxa, such as turtles, crustaceans and molluscs. Key technical developments for freshwater systems include: miniaturization of tags for tracking small-size life stages and species, fixed stations and coded tags for tracking large samples of animals over long distances and large temporal scales, inexpensive PIT systems that enable mass tagging to yield population- and community-level relevant sample sizes, incorporation of sensors into electronic tags, validation of tag attachment procedures with a focus on maintaining animal welfare, incorporation of different techniques (for example, genetics, stable isotopes) and peripheral technologies (for example, geographic information systems, hydroacoustics), development of novel analytical techniques, and extensive international collaboration. Innovations are still needed in tag miniaturization, data analysis and visualization, and in tracking animals over larger spatial scales (for example, pelagic areas of lakes) and in challenging environments (for example, large dynamic floodplain systems, under ice). There seems to be a particular need for adapting various global positioning system and satellite tagging approaches to freshwater. Electronic tagging provides a mechanism to collect detailed information from imperilled animals and species that have no direct economic value. Current and future advances will continue to improve our knowledge of the natural history of aquatic animals and ecological processes in freshwater ecosystems while facilitating evidence-based resource management and conservation.

Use of Physiological Telemetry as a Method of Estimating Metabolism of Fish in the Natural Environment

Abstract One of the most difficult components to measure in the energy budgets of natural fish populations is the energy released in metabolism. Telemetry of physiological correlates of metabolism, such as heart rate, can (with calibration) enable direct measurements of metabolism and simultaneous observations of behavior in the natural environment. Heart rate is a good indicator of metabolic rate for northern pike Esox lucius and was used to obtain information on metabolism, activity, and food intake in the natural environment. Mean field metabolic rates were 1.5 times standard metabolic rate. Activity metabolism accounted for 5–10% of total metabolism and was approximately an order of magnitude greater than estimates based on mean swimming speed derived from location tracking. Feeding metabolism was 15–25% of total metabolism. Even when the full metabolic rate calibration is not considered. physiological telemetry can provide useful information on patterns of energy expenditure ofdirect relevance to bio...

The potential use of PIT telemetry for identifying and tracking crayfish in their natural environment

A method for tracking crayfish and other benthic animals in rivers and streams, based on passive integrated transponder (PIT) technology, using a portable detector was investigated. The effect of implanting crayfish with PIT tags and the efficiency of the PIT tag detector system at locating tags is described. In a laboratory study 30 signal crayfish Pacifastacus leniusculus (>33.7 mm carapace length) were internally implanted with PIT tags (12-mm long×2.1-mm diameter) and 30 crayfish matched for size and sex were kept as controls and maintained for 6 months. Tagging had no significant effect on survival, moulting or growth of crayfish, and tag retention was 100%. The reader unit consists of an antenna coil mounted on a pole and designed to be moved over the streambed to search for tagged crayfish. Efficiency testing indicated that more than 80% of tags were identified and located when hidden within different stream microhabitats.

Winter movements and activity of signal crayfish Pacifastacus leniusculus in an upland river, determined by radio telemetry

Radio-telemetry was used to study the late autumn and winter movements of twenty adult signal crayfish Pacifastacus leniusculus (32.9–63.8 mm carapace length) an introduced exotic crayfish species, in the upland River Wharfe, northern England. The distances moved during the study varied greatly between individuals (0–328 m). Movements were generally sporadic; crayfish would remain in one position for several weeks and make occasional movements to new locations. Total distances travelled, linear range and ranging area did not differ significantly between males and females. The distance travelled in upstream and downstream directions did not differ significantly and there was no correlation between distance travelled and crayfish size. Several high flow events occurred during the study, but these did not cause any mortality or apparent displacement of crayfish downstream, suggesting that this is not a significant factor in downstream dispersal or mortality of adults of this invasive crayfish species in winter. A marked reduction in large-scale movements occurred in mid-December which coincided with a decline in water temperature. There was a less distinct pattern in local activity which was strongly correlated with water temperature and varied before and after mid-December.

A moving target—incorporating knowledge of the spatial ecology of fish into the assessment and management of freshwater fish populations

Freshwater fish move vertically and horizontally through the aquatic landscape for a variety of reasons, such as to find and exploit patchy resources or to locate essential habitats (e.g., for spawning). Inherent challenges exist with the assessment of fish populations because they are moving targets. We submit that quantifying and describing the spatial ecology of fish and their habitat is an important component of freshwater fishery assessment and management. With a growing number of tools available for studying the spatial ecology of fishes (e.g., telemetry, population genetics, hydroacoustics, otolith microchemistry, stable isotope analysis), new knowledge can now be generated and incorporated into biological assessment and fishery management. For example, knowing when, where, and how to deploy assessment gears is essential to inform, refine, or calibrate assessment protocols. Such information is also useful for quantifying or avoiding bycatch of imperiled species. Knowledge of habitat connectivity and usage can identify critically important migration corridors and habitats and can be used to improve our understanding of variables that influence spatial structuring of fish populations. Similarly, demographic processes are partly driven by the behavior of fish and mediated by environmental drivers. Information on these processes is critical to the development and application of realistic population dynamics models. Collectively, biological assessment, when informed by knowledge of spatial ecology, can provide managers with the ability to understand how and when fish and their habitats may be exposed to different threats. Naturally, this knowledge helps to better evaluate or develop strategies to protect the long-term viability of fishery production. Failure to understand the spatial ecology of fishes and to incorporate spatiotemporal data can bias population assessments and forecasts and potentially lead to ineffective or counterproductive management actions.

The use of external electronic tags on fish: an evaluation of tag retention and tagging effects

External tagging of fish with electronic tags has been used for decades for a wide range of marine and freshwater species. In the early years of fish telemetry research, it was the most commonly used attachment method, but later internal implants became preferred. Recently, the number of telemetry studies using external tagging has increased, especially with the development of archival tags (data storage tags, DSTs), pop-up satellite archival tags (PSATs) and other environment-sensing tags. Scientific evaluations of the tagging method are rather scarce for most species. We identified 89 publications, reporting effects of external tagging for 80 different fish species, which constitute the main basis for this review. External attachment holds certain benefits compared to other tagging methods, for example, speed of application, and it may be the only option for fishes with a body shape unsuitable for surgical implantation, or when using tags with sensors recording the external environment. The most commonly reported problems with external tags are tissue damage, premature tag loss, and decreased swimming capacity, but the effects are highly context dependent and species specific. Reduced growth and survival have also been recorded, but direct mortality caused by external tagging seems rare. Most of the studies reviewed evaluate tag retention, survival, and tissue reactions. There is a general need for more research on the effects of external tagging of fish with electronic tags, but particularly there are few studies on predation risk, social interactions, and studies distinguishing capture and handling effects from tagging effects. For PSATs, especially those that are large relative to fish size, there are particular problems with a high proportion of premature tag losses, reduced swimming capacity, and likely increased predation, but there remains a paucity of tag effect studies related to the use of PSATs. Before embarking on a field study employing external tagging with electronic tags, we recommend the use of appropriate pilot studies, controlled where possible, to quantify potential impacts of tagging.

The influence of environmental factors on movements of lowland-river fish in the Yorkshire Ouse system

The influence of several environmental parameters on movements of fish within the Yorkshire Ouse system, north-east England, is considered. Automated monitoring of fish with passive integrated transponding (PIT) tags, at the entrance to a fish pass on the lower Derwent, was used to examine factors influencing upstream migration of fish between May and August 1998. Overall, 85% of records were from the cyprinids, chub Leuciscus cephalus, dace Leuciscus leuciscus and roach Rutilus rutilus, which are the dominant species in the lower Derwent. Daily numbers of PIT-tagged fish entering the pass in summer were significantly and positively correlated with daylength, but not significantly correlated with mean daily temperature or mean daily flow. There were significant variations in the diel pattern of PIT records between species. Adult chub mostly approached the fish pass at night, while other species entered over a wider range of times, and stocked juvenile cyprinids entered mostly during daytime. Analyses of movements of radio-tracked barbel from the lower Nidd showed that downstream displacements associated with high flow in summer were often followed by homing to the original residence area, but that in autumn displacements were significantly more frequent and homing was significantly less frequent, resulting in a tendency for barbel to move downstream. It is concluded that an appreciation of the effects of environmental parameters on movements by different fish species is important in understanding the causation of spatial variations in distribution of fish in lowland rivers.