Distribution and Habitat Use of Sturgeon Chubs (Macrhybopsis Gelida) and Sick-Lefin Chubs (M. Meeki) in the Missouri and Yellowstone Rivers, North Dakota

Sampling was conducted on the Missouri and Yellowstone rivers, North Dakota to obtain information on the distribution, abundance and habitat use of the sturgeon chub (Macrhybopsis gelida) and sicklefin chub (M. meeki)(Family Cyprinidae), two declining benthic fish species native to the Missouri River basin. The study area consisted of three distinct river segments, the Missouri River near Williston, the Missouri River near Bismarck (below Garrison Dam), and the Yellowstone River near its confluence with the Missouri River. Both species of chub were collected, mainly with a benthic trawl, throughout 94% of the range sampled in the Williston and Yellowstone segments. Sicklefin and sturgeon chubs were the second and third most abundant cyprinids, respectively, collected from the Williston and Yellowstone segments. Best-fit regression models indicated that the presence of sturgeon chubs increased with decreasing depth, increasing velocity and decreasing water clarity, and that the presence of sicklefin chubs increased with increasing depth, decreasing velocity and decreasing water clarity. In contrast, no chubs of either species were collected in trawls from the Bismarck segment. This segment had significantly deeper, faster, and clearer water than both the Williston and Yellowstone segments.     

河流鱼类产卵场紊动能计算与分析

通过对鱼类产卵场地形分析,认为水流能量损失是鱼类产卵场形成的重要原因之一,这种能量损失主要是由于特殊河道地貌形成的水流紊动而产生的.在此基础上探索性地推导了考虑这种河道水流能量损失的明渠非恒定流方程.以中华鲟为例,对产卵场河段进行了三维水流数值模拟,计算了产卵河段紊动能的分布,探讨了中华鲟产卵行为与水流紊动之间的关系,结果表明产卵区因紊动产生的能量损失明显大于非产卵区.以期为保护中华鲟和其他鱼类产卵场水力学环境提供参考.     

葛洲坝下游中华鲟(Acipenser sinensis)产卵场地形分析

根据1981年葛洲坝截流至1998年对葛洲坝坝下河床研究的历史资料,结合1999~2006年间获得的中华鲟产卵场所在江段河床的5次地形数据,采用ArcGIS9.0软件,对中华鲟产卵场河床的高程、坡度、坡向等地形因子进行了详细分析。结果表明:葛洲坝至磨基山江段中华鲟产卵场与历史产卵场相比具有极其相似的特征,临江溪至虎牙滩江段中华鲟自然繁殖频率不高可能主要是因为地形不符合要求,从而造成相关的水文因子也不能满足需要。中华鲟自然繁殖前期的迁徙分布和产卵后受精卵的散播与河床地形都有一定的关系,葛洲坝水利枢纽下游河势调整工程较大地改变了葛洲坝至庙咀江段河床的地形,地形复杂度的增加可能对中华鲟自然繁殖前期的栖息有利,而河床坡度、底质的改变则可能会对中华鲟受精卵的散播和发育产生不利影响。有必要结合中华鲟历史产卵场精确的地形数据,对"中华鲟产卵场功能分区模型假说"进行验证,并针对产卵场地形对中华鲟自然繁殖的影响,做出进一步探讨。     

Ontogenetic Behavior and Migration of Volga River Russian sturgeon, Acipenser gueldenstaedtii, with a Note on Adaptive Significance of Body Color

We conducted laboratory experiments with Volga River Russian sturgeon, Acipenser gueldenstaedtii, to develop a conceptual model of early behavior. We daily observed fish from day-0 (embryos, first life interval after hatching) to day-29 feeding larvae for preference of bright habitat and cover, swimming distance above the bottom, up- and downstream movement, and diel activity. Hatchling embryos initiated a downstream migration, which suggests that predation risk of embryos at spawning sites is high. Migration peaked on days 0–5 and ceased on day 7 (8-day migration). Migrants preferred bright, open habitat and early migrants swam-up far above the bottom (maximum daily median, 140cm) in a vertical swim tube. Post-migrant embryos did not prefer bright illumination but continued to prefer white substrate, increased use of cover habitat, and swam on the bottom. Larvae initiated feeding on day 10 after 170.6 cumulative temperature degree-days. Larvae did not migrate, weakly preferred bright illumination, preferred white substrate and open habitat, and swam near the bottom (daily median 5–78cm). The lack of a strong preference by larvae for bright illumination suggests foraging relies more on olfaction than vision for locating prey. A short migration by embryos would disperse wild sturgeon from a spawning area, but larvae did not migrate, so a second later migration by juveniles disperses young sturgeon to the sea (2-step migration). Embryo and larva body color was light tan and tail color was black. The migration, behavior, and light body color of Russian sturgeon embryos was similar to species of Acipenser and Scaphirhynchus in North America and to Acipenser in Asia that migrate after hatching as embryos. The similarity in migration style and body color among species with diverse phylogenies likely reflects convergence for common adaptations across biogeographic regions.     

中华鲟产卵场平面平均涡量计算与分析

采用Delft3D-Flow模型对葛洲坝下游中华鲟产卵场河段进行流场模拟,用实测资料对模型进行验证和参数率定,模拟结果和实测资料基本吻合.在此基础上,阐述了平面平均涡量计算方法,利用模拟所得流速场,通过计算得到中华鲟产卵场河段区域平面平均涡量强度分布.计算结果表明,鱼卵密集区的平面平均涡量为1.38×10-3～1.64×10-3s-1,说明中华鲟产卵对区域平面涡量强度有偏好选择,这种选择具有生物学意义.可为今后保护中华鲟产卵场水力学环境提供理论支持和参考.     

Use of radio telemetry and electrofishing to assess spawning by transplanted Atlantic salmon

The river Ingdalselva, which drains to the Trondheims fjord, has no local salmon population due to an impassable waterfall 500 m upstream from the outlet. In the period 1994–97, a total of 31 mature Atlantic salmon (19 females and 12 males) from the rivers Orkla (1994–96) and Vigda (1997) were radio-tagged and released in the river Ingdalselva before spawning. The main goal of the project was to find out whether the fish would stay and spawn in the river, and if the observations during the spawning period could be used to indicate where spawning had taken place. Some fish left the river shortly after release, but 77% of the fish stayed in the river during the spawning period in October. Most of the females (74%) spawned in the river, including multi-sea winter salmon of approximately 10 kg. Some fish remained at the site of the release, while others migrated downstream to hiding places where they stayed until spawning. Long distance upstream migrations were not observed. The observations of the fish during the spawning period were used to identify spawning areas. Electrofishing for salmon fry in the spawning areas the following year in all cases produced fry, and in two of the years salmon fry were also found in areas where no spawning activity had been registered. Radio-tracking was an efficient method for determining whether transplanted salmon would remain in a `new'n river during the spawning season and for locating spawning areas, particularly when the fish were tracked daily.     

Migration patterns of a potamodromous piscivore,asp (Leuciscus aspius), in a river–lake system

Potamodromous fishes require safe migration routes between spawning, feeding and wintering habitats to complete their life cycle. As knowledge on asp migrations is restricted, this work investigated the movements of adult asp tagged with acoustic transmitters for 3 years in the large Peipsi-Emajõgi-Võrtsjärv lake–river system, Estonia, which is free of migration barriers. Asp showed complex migration patterns, moving between and within different waterbodies (lakes, river, tributaries) in all seasons, but with a tendency to repeat habitat use patterns between years. Lakes were mainly used for feeding during spring and summer (after spawning 65% of the fish migrated to Lake Peipsi), and more so by large fish. The majority (80–96%) of the fish spent the winter in the rivers, mostly close to their subsequent spawning area. Spawning areas were in swift-flowing waters in tributaries and the main river. The results indicate that asp may benefit from an extensive and diverse complex of habitats, and any migration barrier during any season may restrict the natural habitat use by asp. Maintenance and restoration of habitat heterogeneity and connectivity is critical to protect behaviourally diverse fish populations and increase resilience in rivers negatively impacted by various human activities.