Does hatchery-reared Siniperca chuatsi (Actinopterygii, Perciformes) compete significantly with two wild Siniperca populations for diets in a shallow lake?

Abstract

This study aimed to evaluate whether hatchery-reared Siniperca chuatsi (HSC) competes significantly with wild Siniperca populations in a shallow lake. Two wild Siniperca fishes, S. chuatsi and Siniperca kneri, along with HSC, were collected in the shallow Biandantang Lake, and their diets were determined using both stomach contents and stable isotope analyses. The stomach contents showed that shrimps and fish were the major food items of HSC and wild Siniperca fishes, but their dietary composition and percentage contribution revealed significant differences. Isotopic mixing model analysis suggested similar conclusions that contribution proportions of end members were significantly different. The niche overlap index on the basis of prey importance from stomach content analysis indicated that there was not significant diet overlap between hatchery-reared and wild Siniperca populations in winter and summer. Similar results were found in winter based on the prey contributions from isotopic mixing model outputs, but meaningful diet overlap was observed in summer. Our findings demonstrated that HSC did not have apparent feeding competition with wild Siniperca fishes during the critical periods of the early stocking stages, suggesting that moderate stocking of HSC may not have a negative effect on the variability of wild Siniperca populations.

Neutral effects of turbidity across a gradient of vegetation density on the predation of juvenile mandarin fish (Siniperca chuatsi)

“…Under the condition of limited prey fish supply, the decrease in the density of submerged vegetation will further reduce the predation efficiency of S. chuatsi. As indicated earlier, S. chuatsi have very peculiar feeding habits, only preying on live fish and shrimp during all life-history stages (Chiang, 1959;Li et al, 2014). Availability and palatability of prey fish for S. chuatsi in the early stages of life history is vital for their survival and growth (Li, Zhang, Ye, Liu, & Li, 2013).…”

“…We used C. auratus as prey and S. chuatsi as the predator. C. auratus was chosen because they are highly abundant in Yangtze lakes and are a major prey item for S. chuatsi (Li, Zhang, & Li, 2010;Li et al, 2014). Both species were obtained from a state-owned hatchery and were transported to the experimental base of the National Research Centre for Freshwater Fisheries Engineering of China.…”

“…Mandarin fish Siniperca chuatsi (commonly known as Chinese perch) is an important commercial freshwater fish inhabiting waters from southern China in the Zhujiang River system to the Amur River system in the north (Liang, Oku, Ogata, Liu, & He, ). In the past several decades, the wild population of S. chuatsi in most of the Yangtze lakes has declined dramatically due to anthropogenic activities and eutrophication (Li et al, ). So, stocking of S. chuatsi has been as an important measure to recover mandarin fish populations and pursuit commercial returns in recent years (Cui & Li, ).…”

Effects of artificial submersed vegetation on consumption and growth of mandarin fish Siniperca chuatsi (Basilewsky) foraging on live prey

“…To date, there is limited information on the feeding behavior of mandarin fish related to habitat complexity. Mandarin fish feed on only live fish and shrimps (not dead prey or artificial diets) throughout all life-history stages (Liang 1996;Li et al 2014;Liu et al 2015). This fish could capture prey fish when either eyes or lateral lines were intact or functional, but scarcely feed when deprived of both of these senses (Liang 1996;Liang et al 1998).…”

Impacts of hatchery-reared mandarin fish Siniperca chuatsi stocking on wild fish community and water quality in a shallow Yangtze lake

“…Mandarin fish, or Chinese perch, Siniperca chuatsi (Basilewsky), is one of the most important commercial freshwater fish inhabiting Asian waters from the south in the Zhujiang River system to the north in the Amur River system 22 . The fish is a piscivore with specialized feeding habits, feeding only on live fish or shrimp throughout its life 23 – 25 . In the past several decades, mandarin fish populations in the Yangtze lakes have declined due to overfishing and habitat loss 25 .…”