Abstract
Fish communities were sampled at 14 sites along the lower 120 km of the Fraser River, British Columbia by beach seine four times in 1972–1973 and three times in 1993–1994. Of the 37 species collected, peamouth chub, largescale sucker, starry flounder, and northern squawfish were predominant in either density or biomass. Densities and biomass of most species and all fish combined were higher in 1993–1994. Strong rank correlations of species abundance or biomass indicated that the overall fish community structure was very similar in both periods. At smaller spatial scales (reaches of 2–3 sites) and shorter time scales (by season), less than half the comparisons showed any significant correlation indicating changes in community composition. Largescale sucker, one of the largest contributors to biomass in both periods, showed decreased abundance, i.e., lower density, lower biomass, and large differences in the size-frequency distribution, specifically very low representation of small size classes. Other species, especially small-bodied forms, generally increased in numbers. Despite large changes in the lower Fraser River ecosystem in the past 21 years, the overall fish community has shown remarkably little change over that interval.
Similar content being viewed by others
References cited
Connell, J.H. & W.P. Sousa. 1983. On the evidence needed to judge ecological stability or persistence. Amer. Nat. 121: 789-824.
Gregory, R.S. & C.D. Levings. 1998. Turbidity reduces predation on migrating juvenile Pacific salmon. Trans. Amer. Fish. Soc. 127: 275-285.
Grossman, G.D., P.B. Moyle & J.O. Whitaker, Jr. 1982. Stochasticity in structural and functional characteristics of an Indiana stream fish assemblage: a test of community theory. Amer. Nat. 120: 423-454.
Grossman, G.D., J.F. Dowd & M. Crawford. 1990. Assemblage stability in stream fishes: a review. Environ. Manage. 14: 661-671.
Hall, K.J., H. Schreier & S.J. Brown. 1991. Water quality in the Fraser River basin. pp. 41-75. In: A.H.J. Dorcey & J.R. Griggs (ed.) Water in Sustainable Development: Exploring Our Common Future in the Fraser River Basin, Westwater Research Centre, University of British Columbia, Vancouver.
Hansen, M.J. & C.W. Ramm. 1994. Persistence and stability of fish community structure in a southwest New York stream. Amer. Midl. Nat. 132: 52-67.
Healey, M.C. & J.S. Richardson. 1996. Changes in the productivity base and fish populations of the lower Fraser River (Canada) associated with historical changes in human occupation. Arch. Hydrobiol. Suppl. 113: 279-290.
Herbold, B. 1984. Structure of an Indiana stream fish association: choosing an appropriate model. Amer. Nat. 124: 561-572.
Hynes, H.B.N. 1989. Keynote address. pp. 5-10. In: D.P. Dodge (ed.) Proceedings of the International Large River Symposium, Can. Spec. Publ. Fish. Aquat. Sci. 106, Ottawa.
Karr, J.R. 1993. Defining and assessing ecological integrity: beyond water quality. Environ. Toxic. Chem. 12: 1521-1531.
Lane, E.D. 1991. Status of the white sturgeon, Acipenser transmontanus, in Canada. Can. Field-Natur. 105: 161-168.
Lavkulich, L.M., K. Hall & H. Schreier. 1999. Land and water interactions-present and future. pp. 170-201. In: M. Healey (ed.) Seeking Sustainability in the Lower Fraser Basin: Issues and Choices, University of British Columbia Press, Vancouver.
Levings, C.D. 2000. Fish ecology: current knowledge and its application to habitat management. In: B. Groulx & J. Luternauer (ed.) Fraser Delta: Issues in an Urban Estuary, Geological Survey of Canada and American Association for the Advancement of Science (in press).
Li, H.W., C.B. Schreck, C.E. Bond & E. Rexstad. 1987. Factors influencing changes in fish assemblages of Pacific northwest streams. pp. 193-202. In: W.J. Matthews & D.C. Heins (ed.) Community and Evolutionary Ecology of North American Stream Fishes, University of Oklahoma, Norman.
Moyle, P.B. & R.A. Leidy. 1992. Loss of biodiversity in aquatic ecosystems: evidence from fish faunas. pp. 127-169. In: P.L. Fiedler & S.K. Jain (ed.) Conservation Biology: the Theory and Practice of Nature Conservation, Preservation and Management, Chapman and Hall, London.
Northcote, T.G. 1996. Effects of human population growth on the Fraser and Okanagan River systems, Canada: a comparative inquiry. GeoJournal 40: 127-133.
Northcote, T.G. & M.D. Burwash. 1991. Fish and fish habitats of the Fraser River basin. pp. 117-141. In: A.H.J. Dorcey & J.R. Griggs (ed.) Water in Sustainable Development: Exploring our Common Future in the Fraser River Basin, Westwater Research Centre, University of British Columbia, Vancouver.
Northcote, T.G. & P.A. Larkin. 1989. The Fraser River: a major salmonine production system. pp. 172-204. In: D.P. Dodge (ed.) Proceedings of the International Large River Symposium, Canadian Special Publications in Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences 106, Ottawa.
Odum, E.P. 1985. Trends expected in stressed ecosystems. BioScience 35: 419-422.
Richardson, J.S. & M.C. Healey. 1996. A healthy Fraser River? How will we know when we achieve this state? J. Aquatic Ecosystem Health 5: 107-115.
Richardson, J.S. & C.D. Levings. 1996. Chlorinated organic contaminants in benthic organisms of the lower Fraser River, British Columbia. Water Quality Research Journal of Canada 31: 153-162.
Rosenberg, D.M. & V.H. Resh. 1993. Freshwater biomonitoring and benthic macroinvertebrates. Chapman and Hall, London. 488 pp.
Ross, S.R., W.J. Matthews & A.A. Echelle. 1985. Persistence of stream fish assemblages: effects of environmental change. Amer. Nat. 126: 42-40.
Sparks, R.E. 1995. Need for ecosystem management of large rivers and their floodplains. BioScience 45: 168-182.
Underwood, A.J. 1993. The mechanics of spatially replicated sampling programmes to detect environmental impacts in a variable world. Australian J. Ecology 18: 99-116.
Yodzis, P. 1988. The indeterminacy of ecological interactions as perceived through perturbation experiments. Ecology 69: 508-515.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Richardson, J.S., Lissimore, T.J., Healey, M.C. et al. Fish Communities of the Lower Fraser River (Canada) and a 21-year Contrast. Environmental Biology of Fishes 59, 125–140 (2000). https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1007681332484
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1007681332484