Abstract
Using gillnets and trap nets, we examined the spatial distribution, diel movements, and environmental tolerances of pygmy whitefish, Prosopium coulterii, in a small boreal lake in north-central British Columbia. Most gillnets were set below the thermocline but we also fished a shore net in the littoral zone. During the ice-free season (May to November) there was a strong diel onshore–offshore movement: during the day pygmy whitefish were offshore and below the thermocline (water temperatures of 4–6°C) but at night they were inshore and above the thermocline (water temperatures of 12–18°C). This onshore–offshore movement occurred close to the bottom and, regardless of where they were caught, most fish were <4 m off the bottom. Oxygen concentrations in most of the hypolimnion dropped to <5.0 mg l−1 in June and by late August to <1.0 mg l−1; indicating pygmy whitefish can tolerate low oxygen conditions. The catch of pygmy whitefish in gillnets set below the thermocline was highly skewed: 53% of the nets were empty, 37% caught 18 or less fish, and 10% caught 70% of the total catch (742 fish). Trap nets produced similarly skewed results: most trap net sets caught no pygmy whitefish but one set caught over 2,000 individuals. Our catch data suggest that in Dina Lake #1 some pygmy whitefish aggregate.
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Acknowledgments
The Peace/Williston Fish and Wildlife Compensation Program supported this study with financial assistance from BC Hydro. Ray Pillipow and, especially Arne Langston helped with the field work. Additional thanks to Cynthia Powell and Ted Zimmerman for reviewing earlier drafts of this manuscript.
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Zemlak, R., McPhail, J.D. The biology of pygmy whitefish, Prosopium coulterii, in a closed sub-boreal lake: spatial distribution and diel movements. Environ Biol Fish 76, 317–327 (2006). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10641-006-9035-2
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10641-006-9035-2