Net design for selective control of the “plague minnow” Gambusia holbrooki that minimises impact on native Australian fishes

Morgan, D.L., Lear, K.O., Ebner, B.C. and Beatty, S.J.ORCID: 0000-0003-2620-2826 (2021) Net design for selective control of the “plague minnow” Gambusia holbrooki that minimises impact on native Australian fishes. Journal of Fish Biology . Early View.

Abstract

Gambusia holbrooki is one of the world's most environmentally damaging introduced species, being notoriously difficult to control once established. A composite double-winged fyke net comprising four vertically stacked compartments was developed to determine the potential to control G. holbrooki, while reducing negative interactions of this aggressive species with small threatened fishes. The stacked fyke net captured three times as many G. holbrooki as a conventional fyke net while maintaining consistent catches of native fishes relative to that from a conventional fyke net, and detected species-specific vertical distributions. This stratified net design represents a valuable management option for controlling this agonistic species or for limiting antagonistic interactions between G. holbrooki and native species during typical fyke sampling of native ecosystems.

Item Type:	Journal Article
Murdoch Affiliation(s):	Centre for Sustainable Aquatic Ecosystems Harry Butler Institute
Publisher:	Wiley-Blackwell
Copyright:	© 2021 Fisheries Society of the British Isles.
URI:	http://researchrepository.murdoch.edu.au/id/eprint/62397

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