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Sex ratio changes in the long‐term Windermere pike and perch sampling program
Author(s) -
Paxton C. G. M.,
Fletcher J. M.,
Hewitt D. P.,
Winfield I. J.
Publication year - 1999
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/j.1600-0633.1999.tb00057.x
Subject(s) - pike , esox , perch , fishing , sex ratio , fishery , biology , ecology , fish <actinopterygii> , geography , demography , sociology , population
Abstract– Analysis of the Windermere (England), Perca fluviatilis (1965–1997) and Esox lucius (1943‐1997) fishery data indicates there have been substantial changes in sex ratios through time. In the case of perch, a 1976 perch disease outbreak substantially skewed the sex ratio in favor of females. It took over a decade for the fishery to recover to its pre‐1976 state. In the case of pike, both catch and year‐class data are female biased, but this bias has significantly weakened through time. This trend towards proportionately more males through time may reflect an effect of increasing spring temperatures or an evolutionary or phenotypic response to female‐biased fishing pressure.