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Temperature Effects on Swimming Performance of Larval and Juvenile Colorado Squawfish: Implications for Survival and Species Recovery
Author(s) -
Childs Michael R.,
Clarkson Robert W.
Publication year - 1996
Publication title -
transactions of the american fisheries society
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.696
H-Index - 86
eISSN - 1548-8659
pISSN - 0002-8487
DOI - 10.1577/1548-8659(1996)125<0940:teospo>2.3.co;2
Subject(s) - juvenile , hypolimnion , biology , larva , fish <actinopterygii> , alewife , ecology , juvenile fish , zoology , fishery , eutrophication , nutrient
We determined prolonged swimming ability of larval and juvenile Colorado Squawfish Ptychocheilas lucius at 10, 14, and 20°C. Fatigue velocity (velocity at which 50% of the fish failed to sustain swimming in 30‐min tests) increased significantly with water temperature and fish length. Differences in swimming ability between 10 and 14°C became less pronounced as fish length increased, but differences remained substantial between the two cooler and the 20°C swimming experiments for all size‐classes tested. We conclude that cold hypolimnetic releases from hydroelectric dams can significantly reduce prolonged swimming ability of young‐of‐year Colorado Squawfish, and may help explain the decline of this species in the Colorado River basin.