Fish movement in urban rivers: habitat use of bowfin and largemouth bass in the Detroit River

Session: 11. - Acoustic Telemetry Applications in the Great Lakes

Aaron Fisk, University of Windsor, [email protected]
Natalie Klinard, Great Lakes Institute for Environmental Research - University of Windsor, [email protected]
Edmund Halfyard, Nova Scotia Salmon Association, [email protected]
Steven Kessel, Shedd Aquarium, [email protected]
Scott Colborne, Michigan State University, [email protected]

Abstract

Urbanization of river environments has altered critical habitat for fish species around the world, including in the connecting channels of the Laurentian Great Lakes. Recent efforts in conservation and restoration practices are working to balance the ecological health of systems with human activities, but this requires a thorough understanding of how fish use the available habitat across space and time. To address these questions, we used passive acoustic telemetry in the Detroit River to monitor the movements of two resident fish, bowfin (Amia calva) and largemouth bass (Micropterus salmoides). We monitored fine-scale fish movement from 2015 to 2017 using a focal array consisting of 26 stations and broad-scale coverage through the GLATOS network. Using a combination of residence index estimates and linear modelling we found that fish exhibited long-term site fidelity across years and infrequent movements across a shipping channel in the study area. The ecological information about habitat use from this study is providing insights into the ecology of fishes in this urban river environment and is applicable to ongoing restoration efforts.

1. Keyword
habitats

2. Keyword
urbanization

3. Keyword
acoustics