Abstract
The determination if fish movement of potadromous species is impeded in a river system is often difficult, particularly when timing and extent of movements are unknown. Furthermore, evaluating river connectivity poses additional challenges. Here, we used large-scale, long-term fish movement to study and identify anthropogenic barriers to movements in the Lake Winnipeg basin including the Red, Winnipeg, and Assiniboine rivers. In the frame of the project, 80 Bigmouth Buffalo (Ictiobus cyprinellus) and 161 Channel Catfish (Ictalurus punctatus) were tagged with acoustic transmitters. Individual fish were detected with an acoustic telemetry network. Movements were subsequently analyzed using a continuous-time Markov model (CTMM). The study demonstrated large home ranges in the Lake Winnipeg basin and evidence of frequent transborder movements between Canada and the United States. The study also highlighted successful downstream fish passage at some barriers, whereas some barriers limited or completely blocked upstream movement. This biological knowledge on fish movements in the Lake Winnipeg basin highlights the need for fish passage solutions at different obstructions.
Highlights
River connectivity may be interrupted by dams, weirs, and culverts, resulting in fragmentation of habitat [1]
There is a lack of appreciation for the movement needs of potadromous fishes and the various scales that riverine fish species may move. This makes it more challenging to demonstrate the importance of river connectivity and the dispersal of riverine fishes that are crucial for population processes such as reproduction, rearing, and feeding [8]
River restoration efforts have focused on establishing connectivity to enable longitudinal and lateral fish movement to meet the life-history requirements for these species [11]
Summary
River connectivity may be interrupted by dams, weirs, and culverts, resulting in fragmentation of habitat [1]. There is a lack of appreciation for the movement needs of potadromous fishes and the various scales that riverine fish species may move This makes it more challenging to demonstrate the importance of river connectivity and the dispersal of riverine fishes that are crucial for population processes such as reproduction, rearing, and feeding [8]. Several freshwater fish species undertake long distance movements if their riverine habitat corridor is not impeded and competition for feeding and spawning sites can increase as dams disconnect, isolate, and reduce the number and size of habitats [9,10]. River restoration efforts that reconnect fragmented habitats are generally successful at improving fish populations [12] and isolated habitats are quickly recolonized after the removal of barriers [13]. If the removal of a barrier is unfeasible, increasing river connectivity through the installation of effective fish passage structures can be an alternate management strategy [14,15,16,17]
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