Migration and escapement of silver eel males, Anguilla anguilla, from a southwestern European river

• Tipo: Artigo em Revista Científica Internacional
• Data: 2020

Autores

Monteiro, RM (Autor) Outra; Domingos, I (Autor) Outra; Pedro Almeida (Autor) FDUP; Costa, JL (Autor) Outra; Alexandre, CM (Autor) Outra; Quintella, BR (Autor) Outra

Revista

Título: Ecology of Freshwater Fish

Vol. 29

Páginas: 679-692

ISSN: 0906-6691

Editora: Wiley-Blackwell

Indexação

ISI Web of Knowledge - 0 Citações

Scopus - 2 Citações

Outras Informações

ID Authenticus: P-00R-ZEB

DOI: 10.1111/eff.12545

Abstract (EN): The catadromous life cycle of the European eel encompasses a spawning migration to the Sargasso Sea. Prior to their migration, eels develop a silver coloration being referred to as "silver eels." Due to the dramatic European eel recruitment decline, it is crucial to quantify silver eel escapement to evaluate the success of measures taken under Eel Management Plans (Regulation EC (1100/2007)). Thus, the percentage of silver eels escaping from the River Mondego (Portugal) was estimated during two consecutive spawning seasons (2014-2016) and their migratory behaviour was studied. Thirty-six male silver eels were tagged with acoustic transmitters and their downstream migration was tracked using automatic receivers deployed at four locations along the river course, from the first impassable obstacle up to the river mouth (67 km). Among the tagged eels, 15 (42%) escaped to the sea. In both years, individuals displayed faster migration speed in the downstream reaches of the river. BRT ("Boosted Regression Trees") models were used to explain downstream migration and escapement of silver eels. The analyses revealed that the downstream migration is triggered by several environmental variables with water conductivity as the most influential predictor. Escapement of eels from the estuary occurred a few hours after their arrival and was primarily explained by the offshore wind intensity, which promotes a current in the coast that may favour their transport to the open sea. These findings contribute to a better understanding of silver eel migration in southern latitudes and highlight and reinforce the need to monitor spawner escapement.

Idioma: Inglês

Tipo (Avaliação Docente): Científica

Nº de páginas: 14