Under‐Ice Population Density Estimation of Alaska Blackfish
Abstract The Alaska Blackfish Dallia pectoralis is an understudied but ecologically important mudminnow occurring in lentic ecosystems of subarctic and Arctic Alaska. We sampled a population of Alaska Blackfish during the winter months in an upland pond near Fairbanks, Alaska, and we used a simple m...
Published in: | North American Journal of Fisheries Management |
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crwiley:10.1002/nafm.10050 2024-06-02T07:54:24+00:00 Under‐Ice Population Density Estimation of Alaska Blackfish Fraley, Kevin M. Haynes, Trevor B. López, J. Andrés AFS Western Division 2018 http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/nafm.10050 https://api.wiley.com/onlinelibrary/tdm/v1/articles/10.1002%2Fnafm.10050 https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/pdf/10.1002/nafm.10050 https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full-xml/10.1002/nafm.10050 https://afspubs.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/pdf/10.1002/nafm.10050 en eng Wiley http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/termsAndConditions#vor North American Journal of Fisheries Management volume 38, issue 2, page 454-461 ISSN 0275-5947 1548-8675 journal-article 2018 crwiley https://doi.org/10.1002/nafm.10050 2024-05-03T11:11:26Z Abstract The Alaska Blackfish Dallia pectoralis is an understudied but ecologically important mudminnow occurring in lentic ecosystems of subarctic and Arctic Alaska. We sampled a population of Alaska Blackfish during the winter months in an upland pond near Fairbanks, Alaska, and we used a simple mark–recapture estimator to provide the first population estimate for this species. We found that Alaska Blackfish density in the pond was approximately 0.27 individuals/m 2 , equating to an estimated biomass of 15 g/m 2 of pond surface area, which is similar to density estimates reported for other mudminnow species. We tested capture methods and found that under‐ice minnow trapping was a poor method during early winter (September–December) but was highly effective near methane sumps and areas of high muskrat Ondatra zibethicus activity in late winter (March–April). Qualitatively, nearshore minnow trapping, seining, and kicknetting during the ice‐free season were less effective than under‐ice trapping. Cursorily, pelvic fin clips were more effective for batch marking of Alaska Blackfish than two types of subcutaneous tags, given the high numbers of individuals we captured and the species’ relatively small body size and dark skin, which hindered tag visualization. We demonstrated that Alaska Blackfish can occur at high densities in their typical habitat, underscoring their importance as forage fish in Alaskan freshwater ecosystems that support subsistence and sport fisheries for piscivorous fishes. Extending this approach across the geographic range of Alaska Blackfish will improve understanding of the ecological role of this species in the varying aquatic ecosystems where it occurs. Article in Journal/Newspaper Alaska blackfish Arctic Dallia pectoralis Subarctic Alaska Wiley Online Library Arctic Fairbanks North American Journal of Fisheries Management 38 2 454 461 |
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Wiley Online Library |
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crwiley |
language |
English |
description |
Abstract The Alaska Blackfish Dallia pectoralis is an understudied but ecologically important mudminnow occurring in lentic ecosystems of subarctic and Arctic Alaska. We sampled a population of Alaska Blackfish during the winter months in an upland pond near Fairbanks, Alaska, and we used a simple mark–recapture estimator to provide the first population estimate for this species. We found that Alaska Blackfish density in the pond was approximately 0.27 individuals/m 2 , equating to an estimated biomass of 15 g/m 2 of pond surface area, which is similar to density estimates reported for other mudminnow species. We tested capture methods and found that under‐ice minnow trapping was a poor method during early winter (September–December) but was highly effective near methane sumps and areas of high muskrat Ondatra zibethicus activity in late winter (March–April). Qualitatively, nearshore minnow trapping, seining, and kicknetting during the ice‐free season were less effective than under‐ice trapping. Cursorily, pelvic fin clips were more effective for batch marking of Alaska Blackfish than two types of subcutaneous tags, given the high numbers of individuals we captured and the species’ relatively small body size and dark skin, which hindered tag visualization. We demonstrated that Alaska Blackfish can occur at high densities in their typical habitat, underscoring their importance as forage fish in Alaskan freshwater ecosystems that support subsistence and sport fisheries for piscivorous fishes. Extending this approach across the geographic range of Alaska Blackfish will improve understanding of the ecological role of this species in the varying aquatic ecosystems where it occurs. |
author2 |
AFS Western Division |
format |
Article in Journal/Newspaper |
author |
Fraley, Kevin M. Haynes, Trevor B. López, J. Andrés |
spellingShingle |
Fraley, Kevin M. Haynes, Trevor B. López, J. Andrés Under‐Ice Population Density Estimation of Alaska Blackfish |
author_facet |
Fraley, Kevin M. Haynes, Trevor B. López, J. Andrés |
author_sort |
Fraley, Kevin M. |
title |
Under‐Ice Population Density Estimation of Alaska Blackfish |
title_short |
Under‐Ice Population Density Estimation of Alaska Blackfish |
title_full |
Under‐Ice Population Density Estimation of Alaska Blackfish |
title_fullStr |
Under‐Ice Population Density Estimation of Alaska Blackfish |
title_full_unstemmed |
Under‐Ice Population Density Estimation of Alaska Blackfish |
title_sort |
under‐ice population density estimation of alaska blackfish |
publisher |
Wiley |
publishDate |
2018 |
url |
http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/nafm.10050 https://api.wiley.com/onlinelibrary/tdm/v1/articles/10.1002%2Fnafm.10050 https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/pdf/10.1002/nafm.10050 https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full-xml/10.1002/nafm.10050 https://afspubs.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/pdf/10.1002/nafm.10050 |
geographic |
Arctic Fairbanks |
geographic_facet |
Arctic Fairbanks |
genre |
Alaska blackfish Arctic Dallia pectoralis Subarctic Alaska |
genre_facet |
Alaska blackfish Arctic Dallia pectoralis Subarctic Alaska |
op_source |
North American Journal of Fisheries Management volume 38, issue 2, page 454-461 ISSN 0275-5947 1548-8675 |
op_rights |
http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/termsAndConditions#vor |
op_doi |
https://doi.org/10.1002/nafm.10050 |
container_title |
North American Journal of Fisheries Management |
container_volume |
38 |
container_issue |
2 |
container_start_page |
454 |
op_container_end_page |
461 |
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1800758244443947008 |