Effects of abiotic factors on movements of pikeperch during pre-spawning and spawning season in a Baltic archipelago

Abstract

The effects of temperature, water level and moon phase on the movements of pikeperch (Sander lucioperca) were studied during prespawning and spawning season from April to June. Trends in catches and temperature were removed with linear regression. Cross-correlation analysis showed that temperature change one and two days earlier had the strongest effect on catches. Close to the new moon, pikeperch catches increased, whereas changes in water level had no effects on movements.

Movements of pikeperch (Sander lucioperca), roach (Rutilus rutilus) and bream (Abramis brama) in a boreal lake, Lake Vesijärvi, Finland

“…Pikeperch movements have been investigated in large Finnish lakes and in the Baltic Sea (Andersson et al., 2015; Huuskonen et al., 2019; Lehtonen, 1979; Nyberg et al., 1996; Saulamo et al., 2005; Saulamo & Lappalainen, 2007). In earlier mark–recapture studies, average movement of pikeperch was typically less than 10 km (Andersson et al., 2015; Saulamo & Neuman, 2002).…”

Otolith shape variations between artificially stocked and autochthonous pikeperch (Sander lucioperca)

“…Even though the rearing conditions try to create homogeneous conditions for the fish, they do not allow the fish to freely explore a broad range of micro-habitats that could theoretically allow the fish to actively seek the optimal conditions for its growth. Given that the stocked fish were reared in semi-intensive conditions (shallow ponds), they can be more vulnerable to other types of stresses than wild individuals, which can cause shifts on the otolith shape (Fernandez-Jover and Sanchez-Jerez, 2015;Koeberle et al, 2020;Vignon, 2018), because the later can perform vertical migrations to cope with temperature shifts (Lehtonen, 1983;Lind, 1977;Saulamo and Lappalainen, 2007). Also, given that captive fish inhabited different ponds before reaching Lipno reservoir, their growth and otolith shape could be influenced by these different environments in a non-linear way (i.e.…”

Feeding activity of pikeperch ( Sander lucioperca ) under winter and spring photothermal conditions of pre‐spawning period

“…Özyurt, Mavruk, and Kiyağa () described seasonality in pikeperch predation, attributing higher consumption in spring to the gamete maturation and reproduction period, although sex was not considered. Saulamo and Lappalainen (), investigated the effects of abiotic factors on pikeperch movements and reported a relationship between the higher numbers of pikeperch captured in rising water temperatures. Guler, Aktumsek, Citil, Arslan, and Torlak () found that the fatty acid composition of pikeperch muscle was significantly influenced by spawning and season, probably due to physiological changes during gamete maturation and different provision of fatty acids in the food source.…”