Resisting ecosystem transformation through an intensive whole-lake fish removal experiment
Lake ecosystems are shifting due to many drivers including climate change and landscape-scale habitat disturbance, diminishing their potential to support some fisheries. Walleye Sander vitreus (Mitchill) populations, which support recreational and tribal fisheries across North America, have declined in some lakes. Climate change, harvest, invasive species and concurrent increases in warm-water fishes (e.g. Centrarchidae) may have contributed to declines. To test the utility of an intensive management action to resist walleye loss, an experimental removal of ~285,000 centrarchids from a 33-ha lake over 4 years was conducted while monitoring the fish community response. Centrarchid abundance declined and yellow perch Perca flavescens (Mitchill) increased, yet no evidence of walleye recruitment was observed. These findings explore the feasibility of intensive resistance as a management strategy in supporting walleye facing environmental change and provide a platform for management discussions to move beyond resist strategies in the Resist-Accept-Direct (RAD) framework to navigate ecosystem change.
Citation Information
| Publication Year | 2022 |
|---|---|
| Title | Resisting ecosystem transformation through an intensive whole-lake fish removal experiment |
| DOI | 10.1111/fme.12544 |
| Authors | Holly Susan Embke, Stephen R. Carpenter, Daniel A. Isermann, Giancarlo Coppola, Douglas Beard, Abigail Lynch, Greg. G Sass, Zachary S. Feiner, M. Jake Vander Zanden |
| Publication Type | Article |
| Publication Subtype | Journal Article |
| Series Title | Fisheries Management and Ecology |
| Index ID | 70241860 |
| Record Source | USGS Publications Warehouse |
| USGS Organization | National Climate Change and Wildlife Science Center; National Climate Adaptation Science Center; Midwest Climate Adaptation Science Center |
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