Does incorporating complexity into coastal engineering increase fish diversity along urban shorelines?

Authors of a recently published research article explain how, to enhance fish diversity, it is important to provide three-dimensional habitat architecture that incorporates a wide range of microhabitat sizes and types.  Habitat complexity Habitat complexity is a key driver of marine fish diversity and essential for determining structure and function of fish communities. Many fishes use benthic habitat features (e.g. holes, crevices, vertical reliefs, and … Continue reading Does incorporating complexity into coastal engineering increase fish diversity along urban shorelines?

Samuel Fischer: How can invasive species management benefit from smartphone data?

Shortlisted for the 2023 Southwood Prize Samuel Fischer discusses how he and colleagues researched and utilised an angler smartphone app to build a stochastic model for angler traffic in the Canadian province of Alberta. Anglers facilitate the spread of whirling disease, a parasite-induced fish disease, meaning this model demonstrates the importance of individual-specific behaviour of vectors for propagule transport. From smartphone data to invasive species … Continue reading Samuel Fischer: How can invasive species management benefit from smartphone data?

Will fish passages alone resolve our river fragmentation problems?

Shortlisted for the Chico Mendes Prize 2023 In their latest Practice Insights article, Henry Hansen and colleagues present a case study that applies a new method to improve current fish habitat models and better guide future restoration efforts. Fragmentation has become a consistent impact in rivers as society’s need for renewable energy continues to grow. The proliferation of hydropower plants supports the world’s shared goal … Continue reading Will fish passages alone resolve our river fragmentation problems?

Long-term Monitoring: The key to unlocking effective Marine Protected Area Management?

Christopher Honeyman talks us through recently published work which compared three Marine Protected Area (MPA) monitoring techniques, along with colleagues. Interestingly, each technique was shown to survey distinct groundfish community assemblages with varying levels of species diversity and richness. Therefore, combining multiple techniques may better allow managers to create the most comprehensive, effective and inclusive MPA monitoring regimes. A global phenomenon In response to human-caused … Continue reading Long-term Monitoring: The key to unlocking effective Marine Protected Area Management?

Editor’s Choice 60:10 Can management measures be used to reduce the impact of extreme events in the early life of fish?

Author Lucie Buttay summarises Journal of Applied Ecology’s October’s Editor’s Choice research article. Conducted with colleagues, this study used a life cycle model to simulate ‘what if’ scenarios around Northeast Arctic cod eggs and larvae. Extreme climatic events, (e.g. heat waves and storms) are becoming more frequent and intense, and on top of that, the ever-growing development of human activities at sea, entails an increasing … Continue reading Editor’s Choice 60:10 Can management measures be used to reduce the impact of extreme events in the early life of fish?

Towards environmentally friendly finfish farming: A potential for mussel farms to compensate fish farm effluents

Jonne Kotta explains new research which uses dynamic energy budget modelling to explore the potential of mussels for bioremediation at finfish farms. Kotta and colleagues suggest that environmentally sustainable finfish farming solutions may be possible in the eutrophic Baltic Sea region. The problem Global demand for fish has risen sharply in recent decades and will surely continue to rise during the next decade. However, this … Continue reading Towards environmentally friendly finfish farming: A potential for mussel farms to compensate fish farm effluents

From blind amoeba to Nemo: the evolution of fish (and vertebrate) vision

This blog is part of our colourful countdown to the holiday season where we’re celebrating the diversity and beauty of the natural world. In this post, Martin Luehrmann of The University of Queensland takes us on a journey through the development of sight through the evolution of fish and early vertebrates. Imagine waking up and the world is black, your eyelids won’t open. You are … Continue reading From blind amoeba to Nemo: the evolution of fish (and vertebrate) vision

Go with the flow

Exploring the importance of autocorrelation in flow-ecology management, Associate Editor, Angela Strecker discusses the recent article by Bruckerhoff et al., Flow–ecology relationships are spatially structured and differ among flow regimes. In ecology, it is widely accepted that stream flow is a master variable for fishes. Human alterations to rivers have changed the flow regime significantly, often dampening the natural variability and changing the timing of … Continue reading Go with the flow

Designing waterfronts that work for fish and people

In this post Stuart Munsch discusses his new article ‘Effects of shoreline armouring and overwater structures on coastal and estuarine fish: opportunities for habitat improvement‘ Shallow ecosystems facilitate the development and survival of juvenile fish. These areas are productive and provide fish with an abundance of small invertebrates produced in intertidal substrate, backshore vegetation, and the water column. In addition, predators are rare or ineffective … Continue reading Designing waterfronts that work for fish and people

New techniques for Atlantic sturgeon conservation

In this post Associate Editor Verena Trenkel discusses a paper she recently handled from Michael Melnychuk and colleagues ‘Informing conservation strategies for the endangered Atlantic sturgeon using acoustic telemetry and multi-state mark–recapture models‘ According to the International Union for Conservation of Nature (ICUN), ten out 17 sturgeon species are currently critically endangered. Among the two species listed as least concern is Atlantic sturgeon which occurs … Continue reading New techniques for Atlantic sturgeon conservation