Next Article in Journal
River Network Connectivity—An Holistic Approach to Improve the Sustainability of Fish Populations
Previous Article in Journal
Inferring Past Occurrences of Diadromous Fish Species—The iPODfish Framework
 
 
Search for Articles:
Title / Keyword
Author / Affiliation / Email
Journal
Article Type
 
 
Advanced Search
 
Section
Special Issue
Volume
Issue
Number
Page
 
Journals
Biology and Life Sciences Forum
Volume 13
Issue 1
10.3390/blsf2022013106
blsf-logo
Submit to this Journal
► Article Menu

Article Menu

share Share announcement Help format_quote Cite question_answer Discuss in SciProfiles thumb_up
...
Endorse textsms
...
Comment
first_page
settings
Order Article Reprints
Font Type:
Arial Georgia Verdana
Font Size:
Aa Aa Aa
Line Spacing:
Column Width:
Background:
Abstract

Management and Conservation of Fish Populations in Mountain Streams: An Holistic Approach in the Framework of LIFE DIVAQUA Project †

by
Alejandra Goldenberg-Vilar
1,
Mario Álvarez Cabria
1,
Francisco J. Peñas
1,
Alexia González Ferreras
1,
Francisco Javier Sanz-Ronda
2,‡,
Noel Quevedo
3 and
José Barquín
1,*
1
IHCantabria—Instituto de Hidráulica Ambiental de la Universidad de Cantabria, Parque Científico y Tecnológico de Cantabria C/Isabel Torres, Nº 15-C.P., 39011 Santander, Spain
2
Area of Hydraulics and Hydrology, Department of Agroforestry Engineering, University of Valladolid, Avenida de Madrid 44, Campus La Yutera, 34004 Palencia, Spain
3
Red Cambera, Apdo. Correos 4013, 39011 Santander, Spain
*
Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.
†
Presented at the IX Iberian Congress of Ichthyology, Porto, Portugal, 20–23 June 2022.
‡
Presenting author (Poster presentation).
Biol. Life Sci. Forum 2022, 13(1), 106; https://doi.org/10.3390/blsf2022013106
Published: 16 June 2022
(This article belongs to the Proceedings of The IX Iberian Congress of Ichthyology)
Versions Notes

Abstract

:
The recovery of threatened and endangered fish species is among the highest priorities for biodiversity conservation in national parks and fisheries management in nearby areas. Threats to fish populations are numerous and include habitat fragmentation and degradation, proliferation of invasive and pathogen species, and climate change. Moreover, mountain areas often share the most critical threats. However, there does not exist a common strategy that integrates conservation and management plans for fish populations in mountain areas. In this regard, LIFE DIVAQUA designed a conservation strategy that integrates new knowledge gained from scientific research and long-term monitoring data, and considers the main threats to fish populations in mountain areas: (1) A long term monitoring program has been already implemented for 10 years, revealing temporal trends of fish populations in mountain streams. (2) Modeling of fish population by the use of environmental DNA allowed analyzing fish distributions in areas with scarce data and evaluating habitat suitability maps. (3) Fishways construction and removal of river barriers substantially increased the distribution area of endangered species. (4) The analysis of climate change effects in water temperature and hydrology led to the implementation of environmental flows under a climate change scenario; (5) Monitoring fish diseases, their occurrence, and temporal changes (e.g., Aeromonas spp.) can be used as an early warning signal of ecosystem unbalance. A pilot study for the implementation of this conservation and management plan in the LIFE DIVAQUA project is showing promising results. However, the success of conservation and management strategies requires a broader approach. This includes the participation of a wide range of partners and stakeholders and utilizes independent scientific oversight, assessment, and project adjustments to ensure conservation goals are met.

Author Contributions

Conceptualization, A.G.-V., F.J.S.-R., M.Á.C., F.J.P. and J.B.; methodology, A.G.-V., F.J.P., A.G.F., M.Á.C. and F.J.S.-R.; validation, M.Á.C., A.G.F. and A.G.-V.; formal analysis, M.Á.C., A.G.F., A.G.-V. and J.B.; investigation, F.J.S.-R., M.Á.C., A.G.F., A.G.-V. and J.B.; data curation, M.Á.C., A.G.-V. and A.G.F.; writing—original draft preparation, A.G.-V.; writing—review and editing, A.G.-V., M.Á.C., A.G.F., F.J.P., F.J.S.-R., N.Q. and J.B.; visualization, A.G.-V., F.J.S.-R. and N.Q.; supervision, project administration, funding acquisition, J.B. All authors have read and agreed to the published version of the manuscript.

Funding

This research was financed by the European Commission Life Program Nature and Biodiversity. Reference: LIFE18 NAT/ES/000121.

Institutional Review Board Statement

The study was conducted according to the European Union ethical guidelines (Directive 2010/63/UE) and Spanish Act RD 53/2013 and approved by the competent authorities (Regional Government on Natural Resources of Castilla y León, Principado de Asturias and Cantabria).

Informed Consent Statement

Not applicable.

Data Availability Statement

Not applicable.

Conflicts of Interest

The authors declare no conflict of interest.
Publisher’s Note: MDPI stays neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations.

Share and Cite

MDPI and ACS Style

Goldenberg-Vilar, A.; Cabria, M.Á.; Peñas, F.J.; González Ferreras, A.; Sanz-Ronda, F.J.; Quevedo, N.; Barquín, J. Management and Conservation of Fish Populations in Mountain Streams: An Holistic Approach in the Framework of LIFE DIVAQUA Project. Biol. Life Sci. Forum 2022, 13, 106. https://doi.org/10.3390/blsf2022013106

AMA Style

Goldenberg-Vilar A, Cabria MÁ, Peñas FJ, González Ferreras A, Sanz-Ronda FJ, Quevedo N, Barquín J. Management and Conservation of Fish Populations in Mountain Streams: An Holistic Approach in the Framework of LIFE DIVAQUA Project. Biology and Life Sciences Forum. 2022; 13(1):106. https://doi.org/10.3390/blsf2022013106

Chicago/Turabian Style

Goldenberg-Vilar, Alejandra, Mario Álvarez Cabria, Francisco J. Peñas, Alexia González Ferreras, Francisco Javier Sanz-Ronda, Noel Quevedo, and José Barquín. 2022. "Management and Conservation of Fish Populations in Mountain Streams: An Holistic Approach in the Framework of LIFE DIVAQUA Project" Biology and Life Sciences Forum 13, no. 1: 106. https://doi.org/10.3390/blsf2022013106

APA Style

Goldenberg-Vilar, A., Cabria, M. Á., Peñas, F. J., González Ferreras, A., Sanz-Ronda, F. J., Quevedo, N., & Barquín, J. (2022). Management and Conservation of Fish Populations in Mountain Streams: An Holistic Approach in the Framework of LIFE DIVAQUA Project. Biology and Life Sciences Forum, 13(1), 106. https://doi.org/10.3390/blsf2022013106

Article Metrics

Back to TopTop