Effects of five years of intensive trawling on a previously unexploited smelt stock

Abstract

In the years 1989–1993, over 1000 metric tons of fish (392 kg ha−1) was removed by trawls from the Enonselkä basin in Lake Vesijärvi in order to enhance the water quality. Roach (52%) and smelt (28%) were the most abundant species in the catches. In this study, the effects of the mass removal on the previously unexploited smelt stock was assessed. The total smelt catch was c. 282 metric tons. Due to the mass removal, the density of the stock collapsed from c. 46 000 fish ha−1 in 1989 to c. 14 000 fish ha−1 in 1993 (M=1.0). The biomass of the stock decreased from 75 kg ha−1 in 1989 to 12 kg ha−1 in 1993. The age group composition of the stock changed clearly towards the dominance of younger age groups. The male/female relationship in the samples changed from clear dominance of females to the dominance of males and the infection rate by the sporozoan parasite Glugea hertwigi declined. The growth rate of the smelt did not change considerably during the years of mass removal. The results suggest that in biomanipulated lakes several mechanisms may prevent the exploited stock from responding to the increased mortality.