Timo Arula

Shifts in the Spring Herring (Clupea harengus membras) Larvae and Related Environment in the Eastern Baltic Sea over the Past 50 Years

Because of the high management relevance, commercial fish related aspects have often been central in marine ecosystem investigations. The iterative shiftogram method was applied to detect occurrence, type and timing of shifts in the single and multivariate time series linked to the spring spawning herring larvae in the Gulf of Riga (Baltic Sea). Altogether nineteen larval herring and related environmental variables were utilized during the period of 1957–2010. All the time series investigated, either single or multivariate, exhibited one or more shifts with variable type and timing. Multivariate shiftogram based on all time series identified two distinct states (1957–1983 and 1992–2010) in studied variables, separated by a smooth transition period lasting almost ten years. The observed shift was mainly related to hydroclimate and not to phenology or biota. Significantly increased variability was found in larval herring and recruitment abundances after the shift. While the shift in hydroclimate (1985–1991) was followed by the shift in phenology (1991–1997), the shift in biota occurred remarkably later (2003). It is likely that the dynamics in biota were affected by other drivers than those investigated in the current paper.

Outlier Loci Detect Intraspecific Biodiversity amongst Spring and Autumn Spawning Herring across Local Scales.

Herring, Clupea harengus, is one of the ecologically and commercially most important species in European northern seas, where two distinct ecotypes have been described based on spawning time; spring and autumn. To date, it is unknown if these spring and autumn spawning herring constitute genetically distinct units. We assessed levels of genetic divergence between spring and autumn spawning herring in the Baltic Sea using two types of DNA markers, microsatellites and Single Nucleotide Polymorphisms, and compared the results with data for autumn spawning North Sea herring. Temporally replicated analyses reveal clear genetic differences between ecotypes and hence support reproductive isolation. Loci showing non-neutral behaviour, so-called outlier loci, show convergence between autumn spawning herring from demographically disjoint populations, potentially reflecting selective processes associated with autumn spawning ecotypes. The abundance and exploitation of the two ecotypes have varied strongly over space and time in the Baltic Sea, where autumn spawners have faced strong depression for decades. The results therefore have practical implications by highlighting the need for specific management of these co-occurring ecotypes to meet requirements for sustainable exploitation and ensure optimal livelihood for coastal communities.

Impact of extreme climate and bioinvasion on temporal coupling of spring herring (Clupea harengus m.) larvae and their prey.

We used weekly observational data from mid-May to end of July in 1958-2012 in Gulf of Riga to investigate temporal coupling between spring herring larvae and their first prey - copepod nauplii, under the extreme hydroclimatic conditions. We focused on a small shallow estuary that is important nursery ground for larvae of the Gulf of Riga (Baltic Sea) herring population. We quantified the effect of extreme values of the winter air temperatures, time of ice retreat and spring water temperatures on the timing of peak abundance of herring larvae and copepod nauplii. We also assessed whether the invasion of the non-native cladoceran Cercopagis pengoi had notable effect on timing and abundance of copepod nauplii during the peak occurrence of herring larvae. In the years of earliest ice retreat the peak abundance of herring larvae was five weeks earlier than in the years of latest ice retreat, while the timing of nauplii remained unchanged. Abundant presence of the C. pengoi affected neither timing nor maximum abundance of copepod nauplii during the herring larvae first feeding period. Thus, we conclude that processes induced by climate variability are superior to invasion of C. pengoi in determining the timing and coupling of larval herring and copepod nauplii.

Temperature-driven changes in early life-history stages influence the Gulf of Riga spring spawning herring (Clupea harengus m.) recruitment abundance

Processes occurring during early life-history stages influence the year-class abundance of marine fish. We found that the abundance of 1-year-old spring spawning herring is statistically significantly determined by the number of post-flexion herring larvae in the Gulf of Riga (Baltic Sea). The abundance of consecutive developmental stages of larvae: yolk-sac, pre-flexion, flexion and post-flexion strongly correlated with each other, indicating that factors which already influence the yolk-sac stage are important in determining the abundance of post-flexion herring larvae. Winter air temperature before spawning determined the timing of maximum abundance of pre-flexion herring larvae, but not their main prey: copepod nauplii, implying that different mechanisms governing major preconditions for the formation of year-class strength. The abundance of post-flexion larvae displayed a potential dome-shaped relationship with sea surface temperature experienced after hatching. We suggest that increased summer temperatures, which exceed the physiological optimum negatively, affect the survival of post-flexion herring larvae. Overall, future climate warming poses an additional risk to larval herring survival and this may lead to a reduction in those herring stock which rely on recruitment from shallow coastal areas.

Challenges and opportunities of local fisheries management: pikeperch, Sander lucioperca (Actinopterygii: Perciformes: Percidae), in Pärnu Bay, northern Gulf of Riga, Baltic Sea

A local stock of pikeperch, Sander lucioperca (Linnaeus, 1758), adapted to brackish water conditions, is a valuable fishery resource in Parnu Bay (Vetemaa et al. 2000, 2006), a shallow bay in the Estonian exclusive economic zone in the Northern Gulf of Riga (Fig. 1). Despite fishing regulations, which were established in Estonia as early as in the 1920s, this stock has been heavily exploited since the early 1930s, when large-scale export of this fish from Estonia started. After low catches in the 1960s new, biologically justified measures to protect pikeperch were implemented, such as protected areas and the use of artificial spawning substrates to increase recruitment. Catches then improved and reached 300 t in the early 1990s (Erm et al. 2003). After Estonia regained independence in 1991, new export markets for pikeperch opened and privatization of state farms offered local fishermen cheap access to fishing gear. With Estonia’s low average wages in the early 1990s and high first-buyer prices for pikeperch, the average catch of pikeperch needed to provide the equivalent of an average monthly gross wage ranged from 43 kg in 1993 to 240 kg in 1999 (Vetemaa et al. 2000, 2006). Consequently, pikeperch catches increased drastically and its fishing mortality rose to the highest level ever recorded. Young age groups, including immature fish, became an important part of the catches. This was caused by Estonia’s weak legal instruments for regulating fisheries in the 1990s (Vetemaa et al. 2002) and by insufficient funding for enforcing the legal minimum size of ACTA ICHTHYOLOGICA ET PISCATORIA (2013) 43 (2): 151–161 DOI: 10.3750/AIP2013.43.2.08

Genetic analysis reveals the diversity of larval Gobiidae in a temperate estuary

Using molecular tools to examine Gobiidae, the second most abundant taxon in ichthyoplankton samples in the Gulf of Riga (Baltic Sea), the sand goby Pomatoschistus minutus was the most abundant taxon (82% of all individuals analysed), the common goby Pomatoschistus microps constituted 12% and the black goby Gobius niger 6%. The spatiotemporal distribution of P. microps and G. niger indicated a preference for habitats closer to the river inlet and their abundances increased slightly towards the end of the sampling period in summer. The species composition was interpreted in the context of the prevailing habitat conditions, characterized by extremely low water transparency, low salinity, limited spread of vegetated area and dominance of sandy-muddy substrata.