Revisiting the influence of top-down and bottom-up pressures on Wa hia hé:ta (yellow perch Perca flavescens Mitchill, 1814) population dynamics in Kaniatarowanenneh (the Upper St. Lawrence River): implications for collaborative research

Kaniatarowanenneh (the St. Lawrence River) is the outflow of one of the world’s largest freshwater ecosystems and its ecological health has implications for resource management. The population dynamics of an ecologically and economically important fish, the Wa hia hé:ta, Mohawk for yellow perch ( Pe...

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Bibliographic Details
Published inCanadian journal of fisheries and aquatic sciences Vol. 81; no. 6; pp. 796 - 809
Main Authors Perron, Mary Ann C., Charette, Cristina, Francis, Abraham, Holden, Courtney, Moyle, Madeleine, Boyle, John, Franceschini, Jaclyn, Hickey, M. Brian C., Nurse, Amanda, Ridal, Jeffrey J., Shuji, Kaz, Windle, Matthew J.S., Wylie-Arbic, Mackenzie, McGaughey, Leigh J.
Format Journal Article
LanguageEnglish
Published Ottawa Canadian Science Publishing NRC Research Press 01.06.2024
Subjects
Aquatic ecosystems
Collaboration
Economic importance
Eutrophication
Fish
Fish populations
Fisheries
Fisheries management
Freshwater ecology
Freshwater ecosystems
Perca flavescens
Population dynamics
Population number
Relative abundance
Resource management
Rivers
Water outflow
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Summary:Kaniatarowanenneh (the St. Lawrence River) is the outflow of one of the world’s largest freshwater ecosystems and its ecological health has implications for resource management. The population dynamics of an ecologically and economically important fish, the Wa hia hé:ta, Mohawk for yellow perch ( Perca flavescens), are considered by including data that extend to the past century to redress temporal gaps in comparative literature. We found both a significant top-down effect from piscivorous fish as well as a significant bottom-up effect related to total phosphorus on yellow perch relative abundance in the Lake Ontario–Upper St. Lawrence system. Regarding the bottom-up effect, the current state of yellow perch reflects the population size prior to cultural eutrophication (pre-1940s/50s) likely responding to the re-oligotrophication of the system. These findings emphasize the importance of considering historical records in fish population dynamics research to incorporate shifting population baselines into fisheries management. The study also demonstrates the need for collaborative approaches that bring critical new insights and multivocality.
ISSN:0706-652X
1205-7533
DOI:10.1139/cjfas-2023-0130