Effects of Mechanical Harvesting of Eurasian Watermilfoil on Angling for Bluegills in Fish Lake, Wisconsin

Unmuth, Jean M. L.; Hansen, Michael J.; Rasmussen, Paul W.; Pellett, Thomas D.

doi:10.1577/1548-8675(2001)021<0448:eomhoe>2.0.co;2

Cited by 5 publications

(6 citation statements)

References 11 publications

(17 reference statements)

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“…However, some of our models did show a significant (negative) relationship with macrophyte cover at lake scale: total fish abundance, roach abundance as well as the abundance and biomass of fish <10 cm. Studies conducted in multiple northern temperate lakes found that excessive plant growth in a lake could reduce fish growth and the abundance of some species (Cheruvelil et al, 2005; Maceina et al, 1991; Unmuth et al, 2001). In addition, our results revealed that the negative relationships between macrophytes and total fish abundance as well as the abundance and biomass of fish <10 cm were strongly associated with lakes with high plant cover, as shown by the within‐lakes approach.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Associations between submerged macrophytes and fish communities at two spatial scales in 88 temperate shallow lakes

et al. 2023

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Fish community structure is affected by a range of lake characteristics, including the cover of macrophytes that provide spawning habitats, nursery area, refuge against predators, and food. We assessed fish–macrophyte relationships at both lake and point scale using an extensive dataset from 88 Danish shallow lakes (maximum depth ≤4.5 m). At lake scale, we used mean values from fish and macrophyte community samples for all lakes, in total 88 samples. The point scale data were derived from multiple points in each lake (in total 595 samples) where both macrophytes and fish were sampled, allowing us to assess within‐lake variations. We found generally negative relationships between macrophyte cover and fish abundance and biomass, which was strongest at point scale. Contrary to macrophytes, chlorophyll a showed positive relationships with fish abundance—except for perch and all fish <10 cm, which did not show significant relationships. The deeper and more eutrophic the lakes, the more the fish tended to occupy points covered by macrophytes. The abundances of species such as roach and bream were negatively related to macrophyte cover, but, for perch, this relationship was not significant. Our results suggest that fish abundance and biomass were associated with a combination of factors that are often intercorrelated and difficult to isolate. The relationship between fish abundance and biomass and macrophyte cover may depend on, among other factors, fish species, fish size, and the characteristics of the individual lakes.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Associations between submerged macrophytes and fish communities at two spatial scales in 88 temperate shallow lakes

et al. 2023

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“…macroinvertebrates) [41], while others escaped into the upper sections of rivers (e.g. fish) [29]. In addition, most works discussed the type of maintenance works collectively and this made it difficult to determine their specific impact on the aquatic environment [12,42,43].…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…As noted Lusardi et al [28] in small rivers with submerged macrophytes, removal has been shown to instantly reduce macroinvertebrates abundance by 20 % -70 %. Macrophyte removal can be detrimental to fish populations, either directly when plants are harvested or indirectly through enhanced predation risk from larger fish [29], reduced food availability due to increased flow velocity [56] or deterioration of important spawning habitats [28].…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The obstruction of watercourses may create flood risk which often necessitates RMW in their channels [23,24]. The negative impact of maintenance works on biodiversity is widely described, as RMW decreases the number of plant species [25,26] and the population of macroinvertebrates [27,28] and fish [29,30]. It should be emphasised that studies to date have covered short time after RMW is completed and, in the case of studies involving plants, have usually taken up to a few weeks, less frequently up to a few months.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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How do Different Types of River Maintenance Works Affect the Ichthyofauna of Small European Watercourses?

BRYSIEWICZ,

CZERNIEJEWSKI,

SIECZKO

2023

Ecological Chemistry and Engineering S

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Watercourses serve the needs of agriculture in certain sections and are subject to strong anthropopressure. When agriculture prevails in the catchment, it often has abundant vegetation, macrophytes in particular, and the bottom is covered by a substantial layer of silt. In order to ensure patency of flow and access to water, small watercourses are very often subject to river maintenance works. The aim of the study was to assess the impact of 3 types of works on the diversity of fish species and density of fish in the 1 and 2 year after the works at 21 sites located on 8 rivers in the European Central Plains Ecoregion. As a result of the works, especially in the 1 year after the works, significant changes were found in hydrochemical and hydrological parameters, especially with the increase in velocity and mean depth in watercourses. Additionally, habitat change contributed to differences in the composition of the ichthyofaunal. After 1 year, the diversity of fish species and fish population density increased or remained unchanged after dredging and removal of plants from the river channel, but they decreased after the removal of macrophytes from river banks. After year 2, a decrease in the diversity of fish species and density was observed, associated with re-infestation and siltation of the watercourses. Particularly in the case of dredging and removal of macrophytes from the river bank, maintenance works should not be done too frequently, because some species of natural value disappear.

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“…Macrophytes are structurally complex and often considered as ecosystem engineers in freshwater ecosystems due to their key functions for ecosystem structure and functions [12]. The spatial distribution of many fish species is linked to macrophytes t for foraging, shelter, spawning or as nurseries [16,28]. Shallow freshwater ecosystems with dense macrophytes are, however, under increasing anthropogenic pressure as macrophytes are often perceived a nuisance when interfering with human activities such as fishing, boating and swimming [30] and thus frequently removed.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Influence of dense macrophyte vegetation and total gas saturation on the performance of acoustic telemetry

2022

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Background Acoustic telemetry is widely used as a method for high resolution monitoring of aquatic animal movement to investigate relationships between individual animals and their environment. In shallow freshwater ecosystem, aquatic macrophytes are common and their presence increases habitat complexity and baffles sound propagation. These properties may be likely to affect the performance of acoustic telemetry, however, to date this issue has received little attention, when studying the ecology of movements of fishes in and around the important macrophyte habitats. Here, we conducted a range-test study in a freshwater riverine ecosystem, with mass development of the aquatic macrophyte Juncus bulbosus (L.), to assess how dense macrophytes impact detection probability, detection range, and performance of a three-dimensional receiver positioning system. Supersaturation of gas frequently occurs at the study site as a by-product of upstream hydroelectric power generation and gave a unique opportunity to investigate how total gas saturation affects the performance of acoustic telemetry. We also investigated the influence of environmental conditions (i.e., day-of-year, time of day, average water level above J. bulbosus) on detection probability together with vertical position of transmitters and location inside or outside macrophytes. Results The detection probability and range were generally low for transmitters in and outside J. bulbosus stands, with mean hourly detection probabilities ranging from 1.18 to 5% and detection ranges between 17.26 m ± 0.74. The interaction between total macrophyte biomass and distance to receiver reduced the detection probability and detection range substantially. Detection probability further decreased with increasing total gas saturation, and transmitters positioned near the sediment and close to the surface also had lower detection probabilities compared to receivers in the middle of the water column. Finally, the low detection probability affected position estimates, where only 23% of the detections could be positioned using the average positioning estimation method and positional accuracy and precision were low ranging from 1.48 to 164.8 m and 0 to 50.1 m, respectively. Conclusions Our findings demonstrate the impact of macrophytes and total gas saturation on detection probability and range of acoustic transmitters in a shallow ecosystem, where tagged fish are unlikely to be detected by receivers or positioned. These results emphasise that in situ range testing is strongly needed before determining the density and design of receiver array when performing acoustic telemetry studies in shallow ecosystems.

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Effects of Mechanical Harvesting of Eurasian Watermilfoil on Angling for Bluegills in Fish Lake, Wisconsin

Cited by 5 publications

References 11 publications

Associations between submerged macrophytes and fish communities at two spatial scales in 88 temperate shallow lakes

Associations between submerged macrophytes and fish communities at two spatial scales in 88 temperate shallow lakes

How do Different Types of River Maintenance Works Affect the Ichthyofauna of Small European Watercourses?

Influence of dense macrophyte vegetation and total gas saturation on the performance of acoustic telemetry

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