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Movement behaviour of large female yellow European eel ( Anguilla anguilla L.) in a freshwater polder area
Author(s) -
Verhelst Pieterjan,
Reubens Jan,
Pauwels Ine,
Buysse David,
Aelterman Bart,
Van Hoey Stijn,
Goethals Peter,
Moens Tom,
Coeck Johan,
Mouton Ans
Publication year - 2018
Publication title -
ecology of freshwater fish
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.667
H-Index - 55
eISSN - 1600-0633
pISSN - 0906-6691
DOI - 10.1111/eff.12362
Subject(s) - habitat , fishery , endangered species , iucn red list , ecology , geography , fish <actinopterygii> , environmental science , biology
Abstract Due to a recruitment decline of more than 90% in 30 years, the European eel ( Anguilla anguilla L.) has been classified by IUCN as critically endangered. Although the species has been studied intensively to obtain knowledge to improve management, studies about the resident yellow stage are relatively scarce. In this study, 52 large female yellow eels were tagged with acoustic transmitters in a Belgian polder system and tracked by a network of 23 automatic listening stations. We studied both circadian and seasonal movement patterns and the effect of environmental variables on these patterns. Large female yellow eels were most active at night in late summer and early autumn. A generalised linear mixed model showed that their movement is only slightly influenced by environmental variables. Moreover, as yellow eels show high site fidelity (i.e., the majority was detected only in the habitat type of their catch‐release location), they do not encounter many human‐induced connectivity problems in polder systems, which makes these systems highly suitable as eel growth habitat. These results can contribute to an effective eel management regarding habitat protection and restoration.