Space invaders: Searching for invasive Smallmouth Bass (Micropterus dolomieu) in a renowned Atlantic Salmon (Salmo salar) river

Abstract Humans have the ability to permanently alter aquatic ecosystems and the introduction of species is often the most serious alteration. Non‐native Smallmouth Bass (Micropterus dolomieu) were identified in Miramichi Lake c. 2008, which is a headwater tributary to the Southwest Miramichi River,...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Ecology and Evolution
Main Authors: Antóin M. O'Sullivan, Kurt M. Samways, Alysse Perreault, Cécilia Hernandez, Mark D. Gautreau, R. Allen Curry, Louis Bernatchez
Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
Language:English
Published: Wiley 2020
Subjects:
Atlantic Salmon
cross‐section
eDNA
invasive
qPCR
Smallmouth Bass
Ecology
QH540-549.5
Canada
Lake Brook
Atlantic salmon
Salmo salar
Online Access:https://doi.org/10.1002/ece3.6088
https://doaj.org/article/0b3e51dc2caf48569bf9a6c9ca6f4888
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Summary:Abstract Humans have the ability to permanently alter aquatic ecosystems and the introduction of species is often the most serious alteration. Non‐native Smallmouth Bass (Micropterus dolomieu) were identified in Miramichi Lake c. 2008, which is a headwater tributary to the Southwest Miramichi River, a renowned Atlantic Salmon (Salmo salar) river whose salmon population is dwindling. A containment programme managed by the Department of Fisheries and Oceans, Canada (DFO) was implemented in 2009 to confine Smallmouth Bass (SMB) to the lake. We utilized environmental DNA (eDNA) as a detection tool to establish the potential escape of SMB into the Southwest Miramichi River. We sampled at 26 unique sites within Miramichi Lake, the outlet of Miramichi Lake (Lake Brook), which flows into the main stem Southwest Miramichi River, and the main stem Southwest Miramichi River between August and October 2017. We observed n = 6 positive detections located in the lake, Lake Brook, and the main stem Southwest Miramichi downstream of the lake. No detections were observed upstream of the confluence of Lake Brook and the main stem Southwest Miramichi. The spatial pattern of positive eDNA detections downstream of the lake suggests the presence of individual fish versus lake‐sourced DNA in the outlet stream discharging to the main river. Smallmouth Bass were later confirmed by visual observation during a snorkeling campaign, and angling. Our results, both eDNA and visual confirmation, definitively show Smallmouth Bass now occupy the main stem of the Southwest Miramichi.

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