Small-scale movement and migration cues of Australian bass (Percalates novemaculeata) in an urbanised river
Culum Brown
A and Evan E. Byrnes A B C *
+ Author Affiliations
- Author Affiliations
A Department of Biological Sciences, Macquarie University, Sydney, NSW 2109, Australia.
B Centre for Sustainable Aquatic Ecosystems, Harry Butler Institute, Murdoch University, Perth, WA 6150, Australia.
C School of Environmental Science, Simon Fraser University, Burnaby, BC, V5A 1S6, Canada.
Marine and Freshwater Research 73(6) 742-753 https://doi.org/10.1071/MF21238
Submitted: 14 August 2021 Accepted: 21 January 2022 Published: 3 March 2022
© 2022 The Author(s) (or their employer(s)). Published by CSIRO Publishing. This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License (CC BY-NC-ND)
Abstract
Urban river catchments are often severely affected by human activities but may still retain significant biodiversity. Surprisingly little is known about the behaviour of urban fishes, even those popular with anglers. Key environmental variables that trigger fish behaviour, such as river flow, are highly affected by instream structures including weirs and changes in the natural flow regime. Here, we used acoustic telemetry to examine the movements of Australian bass in a river located in suburban Sydney, Australia. We found that fish tended to be nocturnally active, however, small-scale movements were highly idiosyncratic and less associated with river flow than other factors. Larger-scale movements associated with spawning migrations were strongly correlated with winter floods. Half of the tagged fish migrated to the confluence of the river with Sydney Harbour to breed. Their return migration was hampered by a weir, but the provision of a new fish way facilitated successful return to freshwater at high tide. Despite occupying a highly affected, urban catchment fish behaviour showed similarity to those occupying more natural drainages. Our results highlight the importance of maintaining natural river flows in urban catchments and sustaining fish movement and migration capabilities through the installation of appropriate fish passage devices.
Keywords: activity pattern, animal movement, biotelemetry, fish, freshwater, migration, teleost, urban environments.
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