Fish species and production in Welsh rivers along a biodiversity gradient (2012 - 2013) ...

• Main Authors: Durance, I., Feeley, H.B., Pye, M.C., Gutierrez-Canovas, C., Ormerod, S.J., Woodward, G.
• Format: Dataset
• Language: English
• Published: NERC EDS Environmental Information Data Centre 2017
• Subjects: Salmo trutta; Atlantic salmon; Brown Trout; land use; acidity; benthic ecosystem; DURESS
• Online Access: https://dx.doi.org/10.5285/57f95ff8-e1b0-41b9-866a-feb231aecb67; https://catalogue.ceh.ac.uk/id/57f95ff8-e1b0-41b9-866a-feb231aecb67

This dataset consists of fish species, fish length and fish weight from samples taken from small and medium catchments across Wales. Samples were collected in the summers and autumns of 2012 and 2013 using electrofishing. All the collected individuals were counted and recorded to represent the fish diversity and abundance of each sampling site and date. The main goal of this survey was to relate fish production with a gradient of aquatic biodiversity associated with different environmental settings (land-use intensify, recovery from acidification). Dr Isabelle Durance was responsible for organising the surveys, Dr Hugh Feeley was in charge of collecting, sorting and measuring the fish samples. The work was carried out under the Diversity in Upland Rivers for Ecosystem Service Sustainability (DURESS) project (Grant reference NERC NE/J014818/1). DURESS was a project funded by the Natural Environment Research Council (NERC) Biodiversity and Ecosystem Service Sustainability (BESS) programme. ... : Fish populations at the study sites were surveyed during a stable base-flow period from June to September 2012 and in July and September 2013. Fish samples were collected by electrofishing in representative 30 metre reaches that were enclosed with stop nets Fish caught during each pass were transferred immediately to a holding container containing stream water. After each pass, individuals were identified to species, weighed to the nearest gram using an electronic balance and fork length (FL) measured to the nearest millimetre was recorded. The mass of some individuals could not be accurately determined in the field. For these fish, mass was estimated using a length-mass regression, based on the 2012 observed data. (Details in supporting documentation). Results were recorded in the field and results transferred into an Excel spreadsheet. Data was exported to a comma separated file for ingestion into the Environmental Information Data Centre (EIDC). ...