Register      Login
Marine and Freshwater Research Marine and Freshwater Research Society
Advances in the aquatic sciences
Shopping Cart: ( empty )
You are here: Home > Journals > MF > MF07197
RESEARCH ARTICLE
Contents Vol 59(8)

Physical environmental conditions, spawning and early-life stages of an estuarine fish: climate change implications for recruitment in intermittently open estuaries

Geoff Nicholson A D , Gregory P. Jenkins A B , John Sherwood C and Andy Longmore A
+ Author Affiliations
- Author Affiliations

A Marine and Freshwater Fisheries Research Institute, DPI Queenscliff Centre, PO Box 114, Queenscliff, Vic. 3225, Australia.

B Department of Zoology, University of Melbourne, Vic. 3010, Australia.

C Deakin University, Warrnambool Campus, Warrnambool, Vic. 3280, Australia.

D Corresponding author. Email: geoff.nicholson@dpi.vic.gov.au

Marine and Freshwater Research 59(8) 735-749 https://doi.org/10.1071/MF07197
Submitted: 23 October 2007  Accepted: 15 June 2008   Published: 22 August 2008

Abstract

Significant variation in the egg and larval survival and juvenile recruitment of estuarine fishes has been linked to fluctuating environmental conditions. This present study compared the distribution and abundance of black bream (Acanthopagrus butcheri) eggs and yolk-sac larvae between two microtidal estuaries of different flow regimes, where the riverine flow into the Glenelg estuary was around eight times the flow volume into the Hopkins estuary. Samples were collected monthly from September to November at sites along each estuary where vertical profiles of temperature, salinity and dissolved oxygen (DO) were measured, and vertically stratified sampling of black bream eggs and yolk-sac larvae was conducted using a Schindler sampler. Salt wedge formation was apparent in both estuaries, with significant de-oxygenation of deeper, saline waters. Eggs occurred in a wide range of DO levels but yolk-sac larvae were less common at the lowest levels. Most eggs and yolk-sac larvae were collected in salinities greater than 10. Results suggested that egg mortality was higher in the Hopkins than the Glenelg estuary, which may be associated with the hypoxic conditions characteristic of low-flow conditions. The results have significant implications in terms of climate change that is predicted to lead to warmer, drier conditions in south-eastern Australia, potentially increasing stratification and subsequent hypoxic zones.

Additional keywords: black bream, climate change, eggs and larvae, estuarine flow, hypoxia, salinity.


Acknowledgements

We wish to acknowledge the funding made available by the Glenelg–Hopkins Catchment Management Authority to carry out this study, as Glenelg-Hopkins Catchment Management Authority Project 4.2. We also wish to acknowledge the assistance and advice rendered by Wayne Clay, Brett Abbott, Laurie Laurenson and Colin Magilton. The advice from the anonymous referees and journal editor in reviewing the first manuscript was appreciated. Within the umbrella of the Fisheries Research Branch, we were authorised under the Fisheries Act 1995 (Parliament of Victoria, Australia) to collect samples without permit.


References

Attrill, M. J. , and Power, M. (2002). Climatic influence on a marine fish assemblage. Nature 417, 275–278.
| Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar | PubMed | CSIRO (2007). South-eastern Australia Climate Initiative. January–June 2007 milestone report. Revised December 2007. (Eds C. Macaulay, P. Holper, B. Bates, F. Chiew, I. Smith, H. Hendon and B. Timbal.) CSIRO and Bureau of Meteorology, CSIRO Marine and Atmospheric Research, Melbourne.

Doherty, P. , and Fowler, T. (1994). An empirical test of recruitment limitation in a coral reef fish. Science 263, 935–939.
| Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar | PubMed | Gomon M. F., Glover J. C. M., and Kuiter R. H. (1994). ‘The Fishes of Australia’s South Coast.’ (State Print: Adelaide.)

Gunasekera, R. , and De Silva, S. (2000). The amino acid profiles of estuary perch, Macquaria colonorum, during early development at different salinities. Aquatic Living Resources 13, 153–162.
| Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar | Harty C. (2000). Draft South West Estuaries Coastal Action Plan. Coastal and Marine Planning Program, prepared for the Western Coastal Board, Geelong.

Hassell, K. L. , Coutin, P. C. , and Nugegoda, D. (2008a). Hypoxia impairs embryo development and survival in black bream (Acanthopagrus butcheri). Marine Pollution Bulletin 57, 302–306.
| Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar | PubMed | Jenkins G. I., Frankish K. R., and Partridge G. J. (1999). Manual for the hatchery production of black bream (Acanthopagrus butcheri). Aquaculture Development Unit, Information Series 1999/1. Fremantle Maritime Centre, Perth.

Kailola P. J., Williams M. J., Stewart P. C., Reichelt R. E., McNee A., and Grieve C. (1993). ‘Australian Fisheries Resources.’ (Bureau of Resources Sciences and Fisheries Research and Development Corporation: Canberra.)

Kimmerer, W. J. , Cowan, J. H. , Miller, L. W. , and Rose, K. A. (2001). Analysis of an estuarine striped bass population: effects of environmental conditions during early life. Estuaries 24, 557–575.
| Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar | Llewellyn L. C., and MacDonald M. C. (1980). Family Percichthyidae. Australian freshwater basses and cods. In ‘Freshwater Fishes of South-Eastern Australia’. (Ed. R. M. McDowall.) pp. 155–158. (Reed: Sydney.)

Meynecke, J. , Lee, S. H. , Duke, N. C. , and Warnken, J. (2006). Effect of rainfall as a component of climate change on estuarine fish production in Queensland, Australia. Estuarine, Coastal and Shelf Science 69, 491–504.
| Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar | Neira F. J., Miskiewicz A. G., and Trnski T. (1998). ‘Larvae of Temperate Australian Fishes: Laboratory Guide for Larval Fish Identification.’ (University of Western Australia Press: Perth.)

Newton, G. M. (1996). Estuarine ichthyoplankton ecology in relation to hydrology and zooplankton dynamics in a salt-wedge estuary. Marine and Freshwater Research 47, 99–111.
| Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar | Quinn G. P., and Keough M. J. (2002). ‘Experimental Design and Data Analysis for Biologists.’ (Cambridge University Press: Cambridge.)

Rutherford, E. S. , Houde, E. D. , and Nyman, R. M. (1997). Relationship of larval-stage growth and mortality to recruitment of striped bass, Morone saxatilis, in Chesapeake Bay. Estuaries 20, 174–198.
| Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar | Sherwood J., and Backhouse G. (1982). Hydrodynamics of salt-wedge estuaries – implications for successful spawning in black bream (Acanthopagrus butcheri). Faculty of Applied Science and Technology, WIAE Research Report 82–3, Sept. 1982. Deakin University, Warrnambool.

Sherwood J., Magilton C., and Rouse A. (1998). The Glenelg River: nutrients and estuarine dynamics. A report to the Department of Natural Resources and Environment. Deakin University, Warrnambool.

Shoji, J. , and Tanaka, M. (2007). Growth and mortality of larval and juvenile Japanese sea perch Lateolabrax japonicus in relation to seasonal changes in temperature and prey abundance in the Chikugo estuary. Estuarine, Coastal and Shelf Science 73, 423–430.
| Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar | Sissenwine M. P. (1984). Why do fish populations vary? In ‘Exploitation of Marine Communities’. (Ed. R. M. May.) pp. 59–94. (Springer Verlag: New York.)

Victorian Water Resources Data Warehouse (2008). Available online at http://www.vicwaterdata.net/vicwaterdata/home.aspx [Verified July 2008].

Vinagre, C. , Costa, M. J. , and Cabral, H. N. (2007). Impact of climate and hydrodynamics on sole larval immigration towards the Tagus estuary, Portugal. Estuarine, Coastal and Shelf Science 75, 516–524.
| Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar |

Walker, S. , and Neira, F. J. (2001). Aspects of the reproductive biology and early life history of black bream, Acanthopagrus butcheri (Sparidae), in a brackish lagoon system in south-eastern Australia. Aqua – Journal of Ichthyology & Aquatic Biology 4, 135–142.