Sustaining Aquatic Biodiversity Chapter 13

Key Concepts  Economic and ecological importance  Effects of human activities  Protecting and sustaining aquatic diversity  Protecting and sustaining fisheries  Protecting and restoring wetlands

The Importance of Aquatic Biodiversity  Coral reefs  Estuaries  Deep ocean floor  Food items  Lakes and streams  Medicines and drugs

Marine Species

Human Impacts on Aquatic Biodiversity  Species loss and endangerment  Marine habitat loss and degradation  Freshwater habitat loss and degradation  Overfishing  Nonnative species

Bulrush Bluegill White bass Brook trout White waterlily Water lettuce Rainbow trout Muskellunge Bowfish Water hyacinth Rainbow darter Bladderwort Black crappie White sturgeon Yellow perch Largemouth black bass Walleyed pike American smelt Eelgrass Longnose gar Duckweed Common piranha Carp African lungfish Egyptian white lotus Channel catfish Velvet cichlid

Protecting and Sustaining Marine Biodiversity  Protect endangered and threatened species  International agreements  Integrated coastal management  Reconciliation ecology  Sustainable management of marine fisheries

Managing and Sustaining the World’s Marine Fisheries  Fishery regulations  Economic approaches  Bycatch reduction  Protected areas  Nonnative species  Consumer information  Aquaculture

Solutions Managing Fisheries Fishery Regulations Set catch limits well below the maximum sustainable yield Improve monitoring and enforcement of regulations Economic Approaches Sharply reduce or eliminate fishing subsidies Charge fees for harvesting fish and shellfish from publicly owned offshore waters Certify sustainable fisheries Protected areas Establish no-fishing areas Establish more marine protected areas Rely more on integrated coastal management Consumer Information Label sustainably harvested fish Publicize over fished and threatened species Bycatch Use wide-meshed nets to allow escape of smaller fish Use net escape devices for seabirds and sea turtles Ban throwing edible and marketable fish back into the sea Aquaculture Restrict coastal locations for fish farms Control pollution more strictly Depend more on herbivorous fish species Nonnative Invasions Kill organisms in ship ballast water Filter organisms from ship ballast water Dump ballast water far at sea and replace with Deep-sea water

Global freshwater Year Mean trophic level

Global marine Mean trophic level Year

Whale Seal Turtle Sea lion Bowhead whale Humpback whale Northern right whale Fin whale Hawksbill turtle Hawaiian monk seal Hawksbill turtle Green turtle Leatherback turtle Green turtle Humpback whale Fin whale Humpback whale Hawksbill turtle Green turtle Hawksbill turtle Kemp's ridley turtle Leatherback turtle Olive ridley turtle Fin whale Humpback whale Bowhead whale Northern right whale Mediterranean monk seal Leatherback turtle Hawksbill turtle Olive ridley turtle Leatherback turtle Humpback whale Fin whale Leatherback turtle Green turtle Olive ridley turtle Japanese sea lion Bowhead whale Hawksbill turtle Saimaa seal

Loggerhead 119 centimeters Olive ridley 76 centimeters Leatherback 188 centimeters Hawksbill 89 centimeters Green turtle 124 centimeters Kemp's ridley 76 centimeters Black turtle 99 centimeters Australian flatback 99 centimeters

Atlantic white-sided dolphin Harbor porpoise Common dolphin Killer whale Beluga whale Bottlenose dolphin False killer whale Pilot whale Cuvier's beaked whale Pygmy sperm whale Sperm whale Narwhal Squid Baird's beaked whale Odontocetes (Toothed Whales) m ft

Humpback whale Bowhead whale Right whale Minke whale Blue whale Feeding on krill Fin whale Sei whale Gray whale Mysticetes (Baleen Whales)

Protecting, Sustaining, and Restoring Wetlands  Regulations  Mitigation banking  Wetlands protection  Wetlands restoration  Control of invasive species

Protecting, Sustaining, and Restoring Rivers  Pollution  Disruption of water flow  Loss of biodiversity  Invasive species

Natural Capital Ecological Services of Rivers Deliver nutrients to sea to help sustain coastal fisheries Deposit silt that maintains details Purify water Renew and renourish wetlands Provide habitats for wildlife

Life Cycle of Wild Salmon Fish change form Fish enter rivers and head for spawning areas Grow to smolt and enter the ocean... Grow to maturity in Pacific Ocean in 1-2 years Eggs and young are cared for in the hatchery Fry hatch in the spring... Fingerlings migrate downstream In the fall spawning salmon deposit eggs in gravel nests and die Normal Life Cycle Fingerlings are released into river And grow in the stream for 1-2 years Human capture Salmon processing plant Eggs are taken from adult females and fertilized with sperm “milked” from males Modified Life Cycle To hatchery

Rebuilding Salmon Populations  Build upstream hatcheries  Repopulating streams  Build fish ladders  Transport salmon around dams  Reduce silt runoff  Restrict dam construction  Build upstream hatcheries  Repopulating streams  Build fish ladders  Transport salmon around dams  Reduce silt runoff  Restrict dam construction

Solutions Rebuilding Salmon Populations Building upstream hatcheries Releasing juvenile salmon from hatcheries to under- populated streams Releasing extra water from dams to wash juvenile salmon downstream Building fish ladders so adult salmon can bypass dams during upstream migration Using trucks and barges to transport salmon around dams Reducing silt runoff from logging roads above salmon spawning streams Banning dams from some stream areas