Variation in numbers of eel Anguilla anguilla caught by constant effort in an Irish lake, 1981–1994 |
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| Authors: | C Moriarty |
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| Institution: | Department of the Marine, Fisheries Research Centre, Abbotstown, Dublin, Ireland |
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| Abstract: | Abstract– A total of 8,903 eels were collected in 503 fyke-net samples during the months March to December from 1981 to 1994 in a small bay in Lough Derg, a mesotrophic lake. Variations in catch between months and between years are described. In addition to expected decreases in catch in the colder months, a regular reduction was observed in June. Low catches were observed from 1985 to 1987, coinciding with low water temperatures. A very low catch in August 1994 may have been a chance variation but could have been a first indication of the effects of poor recruitment or of increased commercial fishing effort. The results support the initial hypothesis that a long-term study is required to determine the extent of variation in an eel population. |
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| Keywords: | eel Anguilla anguilla population lake |
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