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Effects of recreational fishing on zooplankton communities of drainage system reservoirs at an open‐pit mine
Author(s) -
Goździejewska Anna Maria,
Skrzypczak Andrzej Robert,
Koszałka Jacek,
Bowszys Magdalena
Publication year - 2020
Publication title -
fisheries management and ecology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.693
H-Index - 55
eISSN - 1365-2400
pISSN - 0969-997X
DOI - 10.1111/fme.12411
Subject(s) - zooplankton , fishing , environmental science , fishery , trophic level , abiotic component , ecology , water quality , biology
The use of artificial water bodies for angling is a popular practice, especially in industrial and urbanised areas where natural water bodies are lost. In this study, the zooplankton structure dynamics and water quality at three strip mine drainage system reservoirs were assessed with different types of recreational fishery exploitation: K1—intensive angling using the catch‐and‐release model, K2—lowest angling pressure and higher share of predatory fishes and K3—moderate fishing, that is limiting groundbait quantities and eliminating non‐predatory fishes by anglers. The null hypothesis tested was that recreational fishing does not affect the biotic and abiotic conditions of reservoirs. The significance of each environmental variable was tested using redundancy analysis (RDA). The highest nutrients and chlorophyll a concentration, turbidity level and organic matter content occurred in K1. Zooplankton diversity was the lowest under these conditions; protozoa and larval stages of copepods dominated. In reservoirs where sustainable fishing was implemented (K2, K3), trophic parameters of water were lower, on average, by 25%, turbidity by 30%, and productivity by 35–70%. Zooplankton diversity was significantly higher; rotifers and small cladocerans dominated. The choice of recreational fishing model determines the functionality and biological potential of the reservoir.