Diadromous; Canal; Migration; Water regulation; shipping locks
Abstract :
[en] Among the many man-made structures that facilitate shipping, navigable canals take an important position. These canals may offer energetically favourable migration routes for diadromous fish, but they may also obstruct fish migration, for instance at shipping locks. Because the use of shipping canals by, and their effects on, mi- grating fish remain unknown, we assessed whether these canals can play a significant role in the migration of the critically endangered European eel. Only one third of 70 acoustically tagged silver eels completed migration through a shipping canal, and did so at a very low pace (average < 0.06 m s−1) due to delays at shipping locks and most likely also due to the disruption of water flow. These delays may come at an energetic cost, hampering the chances of successful migration. Knowledge on the impact of shipping canals on diadromous fish is crucial for proper management regulations. For instance, the observation that eels mostly migrated at night and during spring and autumn can support water managers to define adequate measures to improve eel migration in shipping canals.
Research Center/Unit :
FOCUS - Freshwater and OCeanic science Unit of reSearch - ULiège AFFISH-RC - Applied and Fundamental FISH Research Center - ULiège
Disciplines :
Environmental sciences & ecology
Author, co-author :
Verhelst, Pieterjan
Bayens, Raf; Research Institute for Nature and Forest (INBO)
Reubens, Jan; Flanders Marine Institute
Benitez, Jean-Philippe ; Université de Liège - ULiège > Département de Biologie, Ecologie et Evolution > Laboratoire de Démographie des poissons et hydroécologie
Coeck, Johan; Research Institute for Nature and Forest (INBO)
Goethals, Peter; Ghent University
Ovidio, Michaël ; Université de Liège - ULiège > Département de Biologie, Ecologie et Evolution > Laboratoire de Démographie des poissons et hydroécologie
Vergeynst, Jenna; Ghent University
Moens, Tom; Ghent University
Mouton, Ans; Research Institute for Nature and Forest (INBO)
Language :
English
Title :
European silver eel (Anguilla anguilla L.) migration behaviour in a highly regulated shipping canal
Aarestrup, K., Økland, F., Hansen, M.M., Righton, D., Gargan, P., Castonguay, M., Bernatchez, L., Howey, P., Sparholt, H., Pedersen, M.I., Oceanic spawning migration of the European eel (Anguilla anguilla). Science, 325, 2009 1660-1660.
Aarestrup, K., Thorstad, E., Koed, A., Jepsen, N., Svendsen, J.C., Pedersen, M.I., Skov, C., Økland, F., Survival and behaviour of European silver eel in late freshwater and early marine phase during spring migration. Fish. Manage. Ecol. 15 (2008), 435–440.
Acou, A., Laffaille, P., Legault, A., Feunteun, E., Migration pattern of silver eel (Anguilla anguilla, L.) in an obstructed river system. Ecol. Freshw. Fish 17 (2008), 432–442.
Amilhat, E., Aarestrup, K., Faliex, E., Simon, G., Westerberg, H., Righton, D., First evidence of European eels exiting the Mediterranean Sea during their spawning migration. Sci. Rep., 6, 2016, 21817.
Arlinghaus, R., Engelhardt, C., Sukhodolov, A., Wolter, C., Fish recruitment in a canal with intensive navigation: implications for ecosystem management. J. Fish Biol. 61 (2002), 1386–1402.
Baetens, J., van Eerdenbrugh, K., Meire, P., Mostaert, F., Watersysteem van het Albertkanaal en de Kempense kanalen: inventarisatie voor de opmaak van zoetwaterstrategieën. 2005, Universiteit Antwerpen, 102.
Barbin, G.P., Parker, S.J., McCleave, J.D., Olfactory clues play a critical role in the estuarine migration of silver-phase American eels. Environ. Biol. Fishes 53 (1998), 283–291.
Breukelaar, A., Ingendahl, D., Vriese, F., De Laak, G., Staas, S., Klein Breteler, J., Route choices, migration speeds and daily migration activity of European silver eels Anguilla anguilla in the River Rhine, north‐west Europe. J. Fish Biol. 74 (2009), 2139–2157.
Bultel, E., Lasne, E., Acou, A., Guillaudeau, J., Bertier, C., Feunteun, E., Migration behaviour of silver eels (Anguilla anguilla) in a large estuary of Western Europe inferred from acoustic telemetry. Estuar. Coast. Shelf Sci. 137 (2014), 23–31.
Burnett, N.J., Hinch, S.G., Bett, N.N., Braun, D.C., Casselman, M.T., Cooke, S.J., Gelchu, A., Lingard, S., Middleton, C.T., Minke-Martin, V., White, C.F.H., Reducing carryover effects on the migration and spawning success of sockeye salmon through a management experiment of dam flows. River Res. Appl. 33 (2017), 3–15.
Buysse, D., Coeck, J., Maes, J., Potential re-establishment of diadromous fish species in the River Scheldt (Belgium). Hydrobiologia 602 (2008), 155–159.
Buysse, D., Mouton, A., Baeyens, R., Coeck, J., Evaluation of downstream migration mitigation actions for eel at an Archimedes screw pump pumping station. Fish. Manage. Ecol. 22 (2015), 286–294.
Buysse, D., Mouton, A., Stevens, M., den Neucker, T., Coeck, J., Mortality of European eel after downstream migration through two types of pumping stations. Fish. Manage. Ecol. 21 (2014), 13–21.
Clay, C.H., Design of Fishways and Other Fish Facilities. 1994, CRC Press.
Dekker, W., Casselman, J.M., The 2003 Québec declaration of concern about eel declines—11 years later: are eels climbing back up the slippery slope?. Fisheries 39 (2014), 613–614.
Durif, C., Dufour, S., Elie, P., The silvering process of Anguilla anguilla: a new classification from the yellow resident to the silver migrating stage. J. Fish Biol. 66 (2005), 1025–1043.
Egg, L., Mueller, M., Pander, J., Knott, J., Geist, J., Improving European silver eel (Anguilla anguilla) downstream migration by undershot sluice gate management at a small-scale hydropower plant. Ecol. Eng. 106 (2017), 349–357.
Feunteun, E., Management and restoration of European eel population (Anguilla anguilla): an impossible bargain. Ecol. Eng. 18 (2002), 575–591.
Feunteun, E., Acou, A., Laffaille, P., Legault, A., European eel (Anguilla anguilla): prediction of spawner escapement from continental population parameters. Can. J. Fish. Aquat. Sci. 57 (2000), 1627–1635.
Games, P.A., Howell, J.F., Pairwise multiple comparison procedures with unequal n's and/or variances: a Monte Carlo study. J. Educ. Stat. 1 (1976), 113–125.
Hannah, D.M., Sadler, J.P., Wood, P.J., Hydroecology and Ecohydrology: Challenges and Future Prospects. 2007, John Wiley and Sons, Hoboken, NJ.
Hecker, G.E., Cook, T.C., Development and evaluation of a new helical fish-friendly hydroturbine. J. Hydraul. Eng. 131 (2005), 835–844.
Huisman, J., Verhelst, P., Deneudt, K., Goethals, P., Moens, T., Nagelkerke, L.A., Nolting, C., Reubens, J., Schollema, P.P., Winter, H.V., Heading south or north: novel insights on European silver eel Anguilla anguilla migration in the North Sea. Mar. Ecol. Prog. Ser. 554 (2016), 257–262.
Ibbotson, A., Beaumont, W., Pinder, A., Welton, S., Ladle, M., Diel migration patterns of Atlantic salmon smolts with particular reference to the absence of crepuscular migration. Ecol. Freshw. Fish 15 (2006), 544–551.
Jepsen, N., Koed, A., Thorstad, E.B., Baras, E., Surgical Implantation of Telemetry Transmitters in Fish: How Much Have We Learned? Aquatic Telemetry. 2002, Springer.
Klinge, M., Fish migration via the shipping lock at the Hagestein barrage: results of an indicative study. Water Sci. Technol. 29 (1994), 357–361.
Køie, M., Swimbladder nematodes (Anguillicola spp.) and gill monogeneans (Pseudodactylogyrus spp.) parasitic on the European eel (Anguilla anguilla). ICES J. Mar. Sci. 47 (1991), 391–398.
Marmulla, G., Dams, Fish and Fisheries: Opportunities, Challenges and Conflict Resolution. 2001, Food & Agriculture Org.
Mateo, M., Lambert, P., Tétard, S., Drouineau, H., Impacts that cause the highest direct mortality of individuals do not necessarily have the greatest influence on temperate eel escapement. Fish. Res. 193 (2017), 51–59.
Miller, M.J., Tsukamoto, K., The ecology of oceanic dispersal and survival of anguillid leptocephali. Can. J. Fish. Aquat. Sci. 74 (2016), 958–971.
Moriarty, C., Dekker, W., Management of European eel fisheries. Ir. Fish. Bull., 15, 1997.
Mouton, A.M., Stevens, M., Van den Neucker, T., Buysse, D., Coeck, J., Adjusted barrier management to improve glass eel migration at an estuarine barrier. Mar. Ecol. Prog. Ser. 439 (2011), 213–222.
Piper, A.T., Manes, C., Siniscalchi, F., Marion, A., Wright, R.M., Kemp, P.S., Response of seaward-migrating European eel (Anguilla anguilla) to manipulated flow fields. Proc. R. Soc. B, 282, 2015 20151098.
Piper, A.T., Svendsen, J.C., Wright, R.M., Kemp, P.S., Movement patterns of seaward migrating European eel (Anguilla anguilla) at a complex of riverine barriers: implications for conservation. Ecol. Freshw. Fish 26 (2017), 87–98.
Reubens, J., Verhelst, P., van der Knaap, I., Deneudt, K., Moens, T., Hernandez, F., Environmental factors influence the detection probability in acoustic telemetry in a marine environment: results from a new setup. Hydrobiologia, 2018, 1–14.
Righton, D., Westerberg, H., Feunteun, E., Økland, F., Gargan, P., Amilhat, E., Metcalfe, J., Lobon-Cervia, J., Sjöberg, N., Simon, J., Empirical observations of the spawning migration of European eels: the long and dangerous road to the Sargasso Sea. Sci. Adv., 2, 2016, e1501694.
Russon, I., Kemp, P., Calles, O., Response of downstream migrating adult European eels (Anguilla anguilla) to bar racks under experimental conditions. Ecol. Freshw. Fish 19 (2010), 197–205.
Sand, O., Enger, P.S., Karlsen, H.E., Knudsen, F., Kvernstuen, T., Avoidance responses to infrasound in downstream migrating European silver eels, Anguilla anguilla. Environ. Biol. Fishes 57 (2000), 327–336.
Sandlund, O.T., Diserud, O.H., Poole, R., Bergesen, K., Dillane, M., Rogan, G., Durif, C., Thorstad, E.B., Vøllestad, L.A., Timing and pattern of annual silver eel migration in two European watersheds are determined by similar cues. Ecol. Evol. 7 (2017), 5956–5966.
Silva, A.T., Lucas, M.C., Castro-Santos, T., Katopodis, C., Baumgartner, L.J., Thiem, J.D., Aarestrup, K., Pompeu, P.S., O'Brien, G.C., Braun, D.C., Burnett, N.J., Zhu, D.Z., Fjeldstad, H.-P., Forseth, T., Rajaratnam, N., Williams, J.G., Cooke, S.J., The future of fish passage science, engineering, and practice. Fish Fish. 19 (2017), 340–362.
Sjöberg, N.B., Wickström, H., Asp, A., Petersson, E., Migration of eels tagged in the Baltic Sea and Lake Mälaren—in the context of the stocking question. Ecol. Freshw. Fish 26 (2017), 517–532.
Stein, F., Doering-Arjes, P., Fladung, E., Brämick, U., Bendall, B., Schröder, B., Downstream migration of the European eel (Anguilla anguilla) in the Elbe river, Germany: movement patterns and the potential impact of environmental factors. River Res. Appl. 32 (2015), 666–676.
Svedäng, H., Wickström, H., Low fat contents in female silver eels: indications of insufficient energetic stores for migration and gonadal development. J. Fish Biol. 50 (1997), 475–486.
Team, R.C., R: A Language and Environment for Statistical Computing (Version 3.4.3). 2017, R Foundation for Statistical Computing, Vienna, Austria http://wwwR-projectorg.
Thorstad, E.B., Økland, F., Westerberg, H., Aarestrup, K., Metcalfe, J.D., Evaluation of surgical implantation of electronic tags in European eel and effects of different suture materials. Mar. Freshw. Res. 64 (2013), 324–331.
Travade, F., Larinier, M., Subra, S., Gomes, P., De-Oliveira, E., Behaviour and passage of European silver eels (Anguilla anguilla) at a small hydropower plant during their downstream migration. Knowl. Manage. Aquat. Ecosyst., 2010, 01.
Verbiest, H., Breukelaar, A., Ovidio, M., Philippart, J.C., Belpaire, C., Escapement success and patterns of downstream migration of female silver eel Anguilla anguilla in the River Meuse. Ecol. Freshw. Fish 21 (2012), 395–403.
Verdon, R., Desrochers, D., Upstream migratory movements of American eel (Anguilla rostrata) between the Beauhornois and Moses-Saunders power dams on the St. Lawrence River. Biol. Manage. Prot. Catadromous eels, 2003, 139.
Verhelst, P., Buysse, D., Reubens, J., Pauwels, I., Aelterman, B., Van Hoey, S., Goethals, P., Coeck, J., Moens, T., Mouton, A., Downstream migration of European eel (Anguilla anguilla) in an anthropogenically regulated freshwater system: implications for management. Fish. Res. 199 (2018), 252–262.
Visser, E.C., Kroes, M.J., Onderzoek Naar Het Visbestand in Het Albertkanaal 2012– 2015.96. 2016.
Vitousek, P.M., Mooney, H.A., Lubchenco, J., Melillo, J.M., Human domination of earth's ecosystems. Science 277 (1997), 494–499.
Vøllestad, L., Jonsson, B., Hvidsten, N., Naesje, T., Haraldstad, Ø., Ruud-Hansen, J., Environmental factors regulating the seaward migration of European silver eels (Anguilla anguilla). Can. J. Fish. Aquat. Sci. 43 (1986), 1909–1916.
Westin, L., Orientation mechanisms in migrating European silver eel (Anguilla anguilla): temperature and olfaction. Mar. Biol. 106 (1990), 175–179.
White, E., Knights, B., Dynamics of upstream migration of the European eel, Anguilla anguilla (L.), in the Rivers Severn and Avon, England, with special reference to the effects of man‐made barriers. Fish. Manage. Ecol. 4 (1997), 311–324.
Winter, H., Jansen, H., Bruijs, M., Assessing the impact of hydropower and fisheries on downstream migrating silver eel, Anguilla anguilla, by telemetry in the River Meuse. Ecol. Freshw. Fish 15 (2006), 221–228.
Winter, H.V., Jansen, H.M., Breukelaar, A.W., Silver eel mortality during downstream migration in the River Meuse, from a population perspective. ICES J. Mar. Sci.: J. Conseil 64 (2007), 1444–1449.
Wolter, C., Conservation of fish species diversity in navigable waterways. Landsc. Urban Plann. 53 (2001), 135–144.
Wolter, C., Arlinghaus, R., Navigation impacts on freshwater fish assemblages: the ecological relevance of swimming performance. Rev. Fish Biol. Fish. 13 (2003), 63–89.
Wysujack, K., Westerberg, H., Aarestrup, K., Trautner, J., Kurwie, T., Nagel, F., Hanel, R., The migration behaviour of European silver eels (Anguilla anguilla) released in open ocean conditions. Mar. Freshw. Res. 66 (2015), 145–157.
