Sequential fishways reconnect a coastal river

River regulation infrastructure has been implicated in worldwide aquatic biodiversity loss. Instream barriers such as weirs prevent fish migration and the impact can be particularly severe for diadromous species. Fishways are frequently installed on in-stream barriers to reconnect migratory pathways and rehabilitate diadromous populations. We monitored a coastal fish community’s response to fish passage restoration at ten predominantly low-level weirs in the lowland reaches of the Nepean River in south-eastern Australia. Pre-fishways, there was a gradient of reduced species diversity in an upstream direction including the absence of many diadromous species, despite the regular inundation frequency of most weirs. Post-fishways, species diversity was still greater in the downstream monitoring sites; however, there was evidence of a positive change in fish community structure from upstream sites. Most notably, three diadromous species rapidly expanded their distribution upstream and one amphidromous species expanded its downstream distribution. This study demonstrates appropriately designed successive fishways can successfully reconnect river systems for an entire fish community, encompassing species with a broad range of swimming abilities and diverse life histories

Scale dependency in fish beta diversity–hydrology linkages in lowland rivers

Aim: A key aspect of biodiversity research is to determine the environmental drivers affecting the degree to which ecological assemblages vary in space (beta diversity). The strength and significance of environmental drivers of beta diversity is, however, influenced by the spatial extent over which beta diversity is assessed. Beta diversity of riverine biota is affected by flow variability. We examined hydrology–beta diversity relationships at two spatial extents (reaches vs. entire systems) within rivers to determine if relationships with hydrological variables are scale dependent or generalisable across spatial scales.Location: Murray–Darling Basin, Australia.Taxon: Freshwater fish.Methods: Fish assemblage data were sourced from two monitoring programmes that sampled sites annually during 2014–2019 and spanned either reaches (1000km) of five tributaries. Beta diversity was examined by calculating pairwise (incidence and abundance) dissimilarities for each year to compare temporal trends in beta diversity. Multi-site dissimilarities were modelled against hydrological variables using beta regression.Results: Inter-annual change in assemblage composition was detected only at the extent of river reaches but not at the extent of river systems. Temporal variation in within-river beta diversity showed inconsistent patterns when compared between the two spatial extents. Within-river beta diversity relationships with hydrological gradients were inconsistent among rivers. Overall, statistical models explained much more variation in within-river beta diversity when assessed at the reach extent when compared to broader river system extents.Main Conclusions: Our findings highlight that changes in within-river beta diversity are likely to depend on the spatial extent of sampling. Furthermore, inconsistent beta diversity–hydrology relationships among rivers suggest that both empirical evidence and theoretical predictions adopted in ecohydrology may not be transferable among river systems

Validating variation in radio-signal strength as an index of aquatic fauna activity

Abstract. Studying biological rhythms of activity and determining the external factors that influence behaviour of animals can be challenging in many aquatic habitats. We investigated the validity of using variations in radio-signal strength to quantify changes in activity of radio-tagged aquatic fauna on a small spatial scale under controlled conditions in the field. We monitored short-term activity (<1 min) of two aquatic species, rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss) and Murray River crayfish (Euastacus armatus), that differ markedly in their primary mode of movement. Simultaneous video monitoring confirmed that active and inactive periods for both species could be accurately determined by radio-telemetry, as were specific behaviours exhibited by trout. We were also able to quantify activity based on different radio-tag (coil and trailing whip antennas) and receiving antenna configurations (yagi and gap-loop antennas); however, we recommend use of control tags to provide reference data. Variation in radio-signal strength represents a valid means of monitoring activity of moderately site-attached aquatic species

Concurrent Sessions B: Fish Physiology and Fishway Passage Success - Comparative Physiology and Relative Swimming Performance of Three Redhorse (Moxostoma Spp.) Species: Associations with Fishways

Fishways have been constructed to maintain longitudinal connectivity for fish in fluvial systems impacted by barriers but there are relatively few studies of their biological effectiveness. Trend analysis of the CanFishPass fishway database showed that only 9% of Canadian fishways have been studied using methods that enable proper evaluation of biological effectiveness. A biological evaluation of the Vianney-Legendre fishway in Quebec for the passage of three redhorse species (Moxostoma anisurum, M. carinatum, M. macrolepidotum; silver, river and shorthead redhorse respectively) showed attraction efficiencies of 51%, 12%, 50%, respectively, and passage efficiencies of 88%, 50% and 69% respectively. For all species, failures in the fishway were likely to occur beforethe second turning basin in the fishway (84% of failures). Shorthead redhorse had higher maximum metabolic rates and were faster swimmers than silver and river redhorse. River redhorse recovered their lactate and glucose concentrations more quickly than silver and shorthead redhorse, and river redhorse were second in terms of metabolic recovery and swim speed. Fish sampled from the top of the fishway had nearly identical lactate, glucose and pH values compared to control fish. Additional research is required to understand how organismal performance, environmental conditions, and other factors interact with fishway designs to dictate which fish are successful and to inform research of future fishways. Our research suggests that there may be an opportunity for a rapid assessment approach where manual chasing and sampling of fish from the top of the fishway are used to determine which species (or sizes of fish) are exceeding their physiological capacity during passage

Size, growth and mortality of riverine golden perch (Macquaria ambigua) across a latitudinal gradient

Effective fisheries management requires fish size, growth and mortality information representative of the population and location of interest. Golden perch Macquaria ambigua is long lived, potamodromous and widespread in the Murray–Darling Basin (MDB), Australia. Using a sample spanning 13 river systems and 10° of latitude, we examined whether the maximum size of golden perch differed by latitude and whether growth and mortality varied between northern and southern MDB regions. The length, weight and age ranges of golden perch sampled (n = 873) were 52–559 mm, 2–3201 g and 0+ to 26+ years respectively, and maximum length and weight were unaffected by latitude. Length and age–length distributions represented by age–length keys varied by region, with greater variability in age-at-length and a larger proportion of smaller individuals in northern MDB rivers, which generally exhibit greater variability in discharge. Growth and mortality rates were similar between regions, and an MDB-wide von Bertalanffy growth model (L∞ = 447, k = 0.32 and t0 = –0.51) and instantaneous mortality rate (Z = 0.20) best described the data. An MDB-wide length–weight equation also provided the best fit (W = 6.76 × 10–6 L3.12). Our data suggest that the MDB can be treated as one management unit in terms of golden perch maximum size, growth and mortality parameters

Diverse migration tactics of fishes within the large tropical Mekong River system

Fish often migrate to feed, reproduce and seek refuge from predators and prevailing environmental conditions. As a result, migration tactics often vary among species based on a diversity of life history needs, although variation within species is increasingly being recognised as important to population resilience. In this study, within- and among-species diversity in life history migratory tactics of six Mekong fish genera was examined using otolith microchemistry to explore diadromous and potamodromous traits. Two species were catadromous and one species was an estuarine resident, while the remaining three species were facultative in their migration strategies, with up to four tactics within a single species. Migrant and resident contingents co-existed within the same species. Management, conservation and mitigation strategies that maintain connectivity in large tropical rivers, such as effective fishway design, should consider a diversity of migration tactics at the individual level for improved outcomes

Reading the biomineralized book of life: expanding otolith biogeochemical research and applications for fisheries and ecosystem-based management

Chemical analysis of calcified structures continues to flourish, as analytical and technological advances enable researchers to tap into trace elements and isotopes taken up in otoliths and other archival tissues at ever greater resolution. Increasingly, these tracers are applied to refine age estimation and interpretation, and to chronicle responses to environmental stressors, linking these to ecological, physiological, and life-history processes. Here, we review emerging approaches and innovative research directions in otolith chemistry, as well as in the chemistry of other archival tissues, outlining their value for fisheries and ecosystem-based management, turning the spotlight on areas where such biomarkers can support decision making. We summarise recent milestones and the challenges that lie ahead to using otoliths and archival tissues as biomarkers, grouped into seven, rapidly expanding and application-oriented research areas that apply chemical analysis in a variety of contexts, namely: (1) supporting fish age estimation; (2) evaluating environmental stress, ecophysiology and individual performance; (3) confirming seafood provenance; (4) resolving connectivity and movement pathways; (5) characterising food webs and trophic interactions; (6) reconstructing reproductive life histories; and (7) tracing stock enhancement efforts. Emerging research directions that apply hard part chemistry to combat seafood fraud, quantify past food webs, as well as to reconcile growth, movement, thermal, metabolic, stress and reproductive life-histories provide opportunities to examine how harvesting and global change impact fish health and fisheries productivity. Ultimately, improved appreciation of the many practical benefits of archival tissue chemistry to fisheries and ecosystem-based management will support their increased implementation into routine monitoring.[GRAPHICS]

Cross-National Differences in Victimization : Disentangling the Impact of Composition and Context

Varying rates of criminal victimization across countries are assumed to be the outcome of countrylevel structural constraints that determine the supply ofmotivated o¡enders, as well as the differential composition within countries of suitable targets and capable guardianship. However, previous empirical tests of these ‘compositional’ and ‘contextual’ explanations of cross-national di¡erences have been performed upon macro-level crime data due to the unavailability of comparable individual-level data across countries. This limitation has had two important consequences for cross-national crime research. First, micro-/meso-level mechanisms underlying cross-national differences cannot be truly inferred from macro-level data. Secondly, the e¡ects of contextual measures (e.g. income inequality) on crime are uncontrolled for compositional heterogeneity. In this paper, these limitations are overcome by analysing individual-level victimization data across 18 countries from the International CrimeVictims Survey. Results from multi-level analyses on theft and violent victimization indicate that the national level of income inequality is positively related to risk, independent of compositional (i.e. micro- and meso-level) di¡erences. Furthermore, crossnational variation in victimization rates is not only shaped by di¡erences in national context, but also by varying composition. More speci¢cally, countries had higher crime rates the more they consisted of urban residents and regions with lowaverage social cohesion.

A compendium of ecological knowledge for restoration of freshwater fishes in Australia’s Murray–Darling Basin

Many freshwater fishes are imperilled globally, and there is a need for easily accessible, contemporary ecological knowledge to guide management. This compendium contains knowledge collated from over 600 publications and 27 expert workshops to support the restoration of 9 priority native freshwater fish species, representative of the range of life-history strategies and values in south-eastern Australia’s Murray–Darling Basin. To help prioritise future research investment and restoration actions, ecological knowledge and threats were assessed for each species and life stage. There is considerable new knowledge (80% of publications used were from the past 20 years), but this varied among species and life stages, with most known about adults, then egg, juvenile and larval stages (in that order). The biggest knowledge gaps concerned early life stage requirements, survival, recruitment, growth rates, condition and movements. Key threats include reduced longitudinal and lateral connectivity, altered flows, loss of refugia, reductions in both flowing (lotic) and slackwater riverine habitats, degradation of wetland habitats, alien species interactions and loss of aquatic vegetation. Examples and case studies illustrating the application of this knowledge to underpin effective restoration management are provided. This extensive ecological evidence base for multiple species is presented in a tabular format to assist a range of readers