Impact assessment and remediation of anthropogenic interventions on fish populations - (FISHGUARD)

Abstract

The disruption of longitudinal river connectivity by man-made obstacles and the stocking of fish communities with non-indigenous species or genotypes threaten the fish fauna of Belgian rivers to various extents. Obstacles impede migrations between habitats that are vital for populations, and they may restrict the gene flow between populations, thereby reducing the effective size and genetic diversity of populations and increasing the risk of local extinction. Restocking programs often involve the introduction of non-indigenous genotypes in native populations. Moreover, although stocking programs lead to the temporal and superficial enrichment of local fish communities or gene pools, they generally result in a loss of biodiversity on a regional or international scale through the homogenisation of communities and the breakdown of genetic differentiation between populations. Thus, stocking programs cannot compensate for the loss of free migration by artificial obstructions. The impact of these changes on fish populations remains largely unknown, which complicates the priorisation of spots to preserve and spots to restore. Here, we present an integrated study on Belgian waters, both in Flanders and Wallonia, which analyses fish communities, gene flow and migration patterns in the field, as well as the swimming and leaping performances of fishes under controlled conditions.Global change, Ecosystems and Biodiversit