Sampling Transitional Waters for the Water Framework ...Sampling Transitional Waters for the Water Framework Directive, 2007 - 2009 A summary of the first three year Water Framework

Sampling Transitional Waters for the Water Framework Directive, 2007 - 2009

A summary of the first three year Water Framework Directive fish surveillance monitoring cycle

Fiona Kelly, Andrew Harrison, Lynda Connor, Ronan Matson, Rory Feeney, Emma Morrissey, Ciara Wogerbauer and Kieran Rocks (Roisin O’Callaghan, Grainne Hanna, Trevor Stafford, Brian Hayden, Glen Wightman, Mo Lordan, Trevor Champ)

Plus MANY staff from the 7 Regional Fisheries Boards

Inland Fisheries Ireland

WFD fish monitoring, 2007 - 2009

Overview

• Presentation duration of 20 minutes

• Water Framework Directive transitional waters survey methods

• Key findings from the 2007 – 2009 transitional waters surveys

• Classification tool development

• Questions???

WFD transitional waters, 2007 - 2009

• Interface habitats

• Tidal influence




WFD fish monitoring transitional water bodies, 2007 - 2009

IFI completed surveys

2007 – 8 water bodies



Total – 72 water bodies

Survey methods – Transitional Waters

Multi-method

Combination of beach seining, fyke netting and beam trawling


Beach seining

• 30 m fine-mesh net

• All tidal stages depending on accessibility

• A range of shoreline slopes & substrates

• Team of 4 people


Fyke netting

• Set in trains of 3 fykes

• Left overnight for full tide cycle

• Team of 2 to set fykes, 3 to lift fykes


Beam trawling

• Metal bar holds open net

• Towed slowly along the seabed

• Trawls usually over length of 200 m

• Team of 2 people

• Surveys usually conducted in September & October

• Species composition & relative abundance, indicator species


• Data supports other projects, e.g. National Eel Management Plan

Scale of transitional waters

Lower Shannon = 123 km2 Bridge Lough = 0.08 km2


• 6 days

• 6 staff

• 2 days

• 4 staff

Scale of transitional waters


Lower Shannon = 123 km2 Bridge Lough = 0.08 km2

• 6 days

• 6 staff

• 2 days

• 4 staff


Transitional water surveys, 2007 - 2009

• Species richness related

to size of water body

• 71 species recorded

• 105,336 individual fish

Lowest

• Murree Lough – 2 species

Highest

• Swilly Estuary – 32 species• Lower Shannon – 31 species


Flounder

• Most widespread

• 66 water bodies

• Important species for angling


European eel

• Second most widespread

• 62 water bodies

• Indicator species, declining population

• EC Regulation 1100/2007, CITES


Smelt

• Example of estuarine fish

• Indicator species

• Threatened in Irish Red Data Book

• Smell of cucumber!


Thick-lipped grey mullet

• Harbours, estuaries & brackish

waters

• Often big fish, tiny organic particles

• Difficult target for anglers


Sea bass

• Predator of inshore waters

• Exciting target for anglers

• Protected by Irish law


Dace

• Non-native invasive in Ireland

• Fast-flowing freshwater

• Found in estuaries of invaded rivers


Deep-snouted pipefish

• Eel-grass beds

• Also rock pools, over sand, brackish

waters

• Relative seahorses, males incubate

eggs


Gilthead bream

• Single specimen, Broad Lough

• Mediterranean, Atlantic coasts

• Becoming more established?


Transitional Fish Classification Index (TFCI)Summary of development and outputs

Inland Fisheries Ireland – Research and Development Division

Fiona Kelly and Andrew Harrison

Northern Ireland Environment Agency (NIEA)

Peter Moorehead and Trevor Harrison

Environment Agency (England and Wales)

Steve Coates and Adam Waugh

Transitional Waters Classification Tool

• Introduction to the Transitional Fish Classification Index (TFCI)

• Metrics included in the TFCI

• Ecological status of transitional waters, 2007 - 2009

• Calculation of EQRs for each water body

• Future developments of the TFCI

Transitional Waters Classification Tool

• The TFCI is a multi-metric index using 10 fish metrics

- Species composition- Abundance- Functional guilds- Indicator species

• Individual metric scores are summed

• Summed scores are converted into an EQR between 0 and 1

TFCI – multimetric index

Taxa attributes

Metric 1

Metric 2

Metric 8

Metric 7

Metric 3

Metric 4

Metric 5

Metric 6

Multimetricindex/

Ecological quality class

Score

Score

Score

Score

Score

Score

Score

A metric is defined as “a characteristic of the biota that changes in some predictable way with increases in human disturbance”

TFCI – multimetric index

Species diversity and composition

1) Species composition

2) Presence of indicator species

Species abundance

3) Species relative abundance4) Number of taxa that make up 90% of the abundance

Functional guilds

5) Number of estuarine resident taxa

6) Number of estuarine-dependent marine taxa

7) Functional guild composition8) Number of benthic invertebrate feeding taxa

9) Number of piscivorous taxa

10) Feeding guild composition

TFCI – Metrics

Metric 1) Species composition

• Measure of amount of similarity between a species assemblage and a reference assemblage

• Response to stress/degradation: Decline

• Presence/absence data

TFCI – Metric 1 – Species composition

Metric 1) Species composition: Approach

• Develop reference species list

• Assign scores to results (1 – 5)

• Calculate similarity between reference species list and transitional waters (Bray-Curtis)


Metric 1) Species composition: Reference list?

• Least impacted (pristine) systems

• Expert opinion

• Historical data


• Survey data


• Determine reference species richness


• Select reference taxa

Metric 1) Species composition: Reference species ri chness


• Rank species richness data

0

5

10

15

20

25

30

35

1 5 9 13 17 21 25 29 33 37 41 45 49 53 57 61 65 69

Rank

Ric

hnes

s

• Select upper quintile (80th percentile)

• Calculate the mean richness of the upper quintile

Mean = 22


• Determine reference species richness (22)


• Select reference taxa

Metric 1) Species composition: Reference taxa


• Rank the frequency of occurrence of each species

Species Bann-A05Connswater-A05Lagan-A05Newry-A05Roe-A05Bandon EstuaryA06BoyneA06FrequencyPlatichthys flesus 7 23 5 29 548 92 64Pomatoschistus minutus 532 22 4 113 542 181 59Anguilla anguilla 2 5 56Sprattus sprattus sprattus 110 12 76 46Pleuronectes platessa 1 58 17 37Gasterosteus aculeatus aculeatus 1 4 18 34Pollachius pollachius 10 34Ciliata mustela 1 10 19 31Clupea harengus 1 1 1 27Spinachia spinachia 1 1 25 1 27Pomatoschistus microps 15 26Salmo trutta trutta 1 26Chelon labrosus 21 24Ammodytes tobianus 1 22Gadus morhua 2 11 21Myoxocephalus scorpius 7 20Atherina presbyter 19Merlangius merlangus 1 42 5 18Syngnathus rostellatus 2 17Salmo salar 1 2 14Solea solea 14Dicentrarchus labrax 13Symphodus melops 2 7 12Syngnathus acus 2 12Agonus cataphractus 1 11Osmerus eperlanus 1 11Entelurus aequoreus 1 10Gobius niger 72 10

• Select most frequently occurring taxa corresponding to reference species richness

Reference species richness (22)

Reference assemblage

Metric 1) Species composition: Calculate similarity

• Bray-Curtis similarity (presence/absence)


32/21+22

2C/A+ R

22

R

74.4%

BC

21

A

16Shannon

CSystem A

2C/A+R x 100

C = number of common taxaA = number of taxa in system AR = number of reference taxa

Metric 1) Species composition: Calculate similarity

• Assign scores


5>80%

460-80%

340-60%

220-40%

1<20%

ScoreSimilarity




Species abundance


Functional guilds






TFCI – Metrics

Metric 2) Indicator species

• Measure of disturbance-sensitive taxa



TFCI – Metric 2 – Indicator species

Metric 2) Indicator species: Approach

• Develop indicator species list


• Count number of indicator species present


Metric 2) Indicator species: Indicator species list

• IUCN Red List of Threatened Species

• OSPAR List of Threatened and/or Declining Species and Habitats

• EU Habitats Directive (Annex II & Annex IV)


• NI Priority Species & Species of Conservation Concern (Convention on Biological Diversity)

• Bern Convention

Metric 2) Indicator species: Indicator species list (9 species)


Scientific NameAcipenser sturio Alosa alosa Alosa fallax Anguilla anguilla Lampetra fluviatilisOsmerus eperlanus Petromyzon marinus Salmo salar Salmo trutta trutta

Metric 2) Indicator species

• Assign scores


5>80%

460-80%

340-60%

220-40%

1<20%

Score% Indicator species present




Species abundance


Functional guilds






TFCI – Metrics

Metric 5) Number of estuarine resident taxa

• Resident taxa are susceptible to degradation



TFCI – Metric 5 – Estuarine resident taxa

Metric 5) Number of estuarine resident taxa: Approa ch

• Compare actual richness with reference richness

• Establish estuarine resident reference richness



Metric 5) Number of estuarine resident taxa

• Assign scores


5>80%

460-80%

340-60%

220-40%

1<20%

ScorePercent of reference




Species abundance


Functional guilds






TFCI – Metrics

TFCI – EQR calculation

• Sum the metric scores

• TFCI converted to an EQR: (TFCI -10) / (50 -10)

• Scores range from 10 - 50

High>0.8

Good0.6-0.8

Moderate0.4-0.6

Poor0.2-0.4

Bad<0.2

WFD Quality ClassEQR

• Metric score (1 – 5) for each metric

Ecological classification

TFCI – Fish versus other BQE and water chemistry

• Durnesh Lough

- High/Good (Water chemistry/Phytoplankton)

- Moderate (Fish)

- 6 species (low numbers)


• Durnesh Lough


• Durnesh Lough


• Durnesh Lough

TFCI – Future developments

• Define typologies

- Assess whole estuary rather than individual water bodies?

• Fix reference conditions for each typology

• Define typology specific reference conditions

• Confidence of Class

• Intercalibration

TFCI – Future developments

Thankyou

Sampling Transitional Waters for the Water Framework ...Sampling Transitional Waters for the Water Framework Directive, 2007 - 2009 A summary of the first three year Water Framework

Documents