Mismatch between fishway operation and timing of fish movements: a risk for cascading effects in partial migration systems.

ABSTRACT: Habitat fragmentation is a growing problem worldwide. Particularly in river systems, numerous dams and weirs hamper the movement of a wide variety of species. With the aim to preserve connectivity for fish, many barriers in river systems are equipped with fishways (also called fish passages or fish ladders). However, few fishways provide full connectivity. Here we hypothesized that restricted seasonal opening times of fishways can importantly reduce their effectiveness by interfering with the timing of fish migration, for both spring- and autumn-spawning species. We empirically tested our hypothesis, and discuss the possible eco-evolutionary consequences of affected migration timing. We analyzed movements of two salmonid fishes, spring-spawning European grayling (Thymallus thymallus) and a

SUBMITTER: van Leeuwen CH 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4834326 | biostudies-literature | 2016 Apr

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature