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Visfauna - Juvenile and adult fishes in riparian habitats along the river Yser in Flanders, Belgium

Citation

Mouton A, Brosens D, Desmet P (2021). Visfauna - Juvenile and adult fishes in riparian habitats along the river Yser in Flanders, Belgium. Version 9.5. Research Institute for Nature and Forest (INBO). Occurrence dataset https://doi.org/10.15468/keplkx accessed via GBIF.org on 2025-05-17.

Description

Visfauna - Juvenile and adult fishes in riparian habitats along the river Yser in Flanders, Belgium is a species occurrence dataset published by the Research Institute for Nature and Forest (INBO). The dataset contains over 5,800 fish occurrences sampled in 2008 in riparian habitats along the river Yser. The dataset includes 22 fish species. The data are collected to evaluate the role of restored riparian habitats for the spawning and nursery of juvenile fish and are discussed in Mouton et al. 2011. The dataset also includes the length of the caught fishes. Issues with the dataset can be reported at https://github.com/LifeWatchINBO/data-publication/tree/master/datasets/visfauna-ijzer-occurrences

To allow anyone to use this dataset, we have released the data to the public domain under a Creative Commons Zero waiver (http://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/zero/1.0/). We would appreciate it however if you read and follow these norms for data use (http://www.inbo.be/en/norms-for-data-use) and provide a link to the original dataset (https://doi.org/10.15468/keplkx) whenever possible. If you use these data for a scientific paper, please cite the dataset following the applicable citation norms and/or consider us for co-authorship. We are always interested to know how you have used or visualized the data, or to provide more information, so please contact us via the contact information provided in the metadata, opendata@inbo.be or https://twitter.com/LifeWatchINBO.

Purpose

For many years, navigable lowland rivers have been embanked artificially or suffered from substantial shipping wave action, leading to habitat degradation. Recently, riparian habitats were restored by creating foreshores and spawning grounds in the river Yser, a lowland river in Flanders, Belgium. The aim of the research was to evaluate the role of these restored habitats for spawning and nursery of juvenile fish. To cover a wide range of anthropogenic disruption, four riparian mesohabitat types were selected and compared, ranging from semi‐natural, over artificial spawning grounds and foreshores, to artificial embankments. Juvenile fish were subjected to sampling by using electrofishing between June and September 2009 at different microhabitats located in five sites of each riparian mesohabitat type. The study (Mouton et al. 2011) found that juvenile fish strongly preferred natural riparian habitats, whereas artificial embankments showed the lowest species richness, abundance and functional organization of juvenile fish species. Restored riparian habitats appeared to be an appropriate alternative for artificial embankments in navigable lowland rivers, but still score significantly less than natural habitats. Juvenile fish avoided bare microhabitats, but did not prefer any other microhabitat type (reed, woody or grassy vegetation), emphasizing the importance of microhabitat diversity.

Sampling Description

Study Extent

Five microhabitat sites for each of the four riparian mesohabitat types along the river Yser in Flanders, Belgium.

Sampling

The juvenile fish were sampled using electrofishing, between June and September 2009. The number of individuals was recorded, as well as fork length (tip of snout to fork of tail in millimeter).

Quality Control

All records are validated.

Method steps

  1. Electrofishing was used to sample the riparian habitats.

Taxonomic Coverages

All 22 species in this dataset are fishes (Actinopterygii). The top 3 recorded species are Abramis brama (29%), Rutilus rutilus (29%), and Gasterosteus aculeatus (14%).
  1. Animalia
    common name: animals rank: kingdom
  2. Actinopterygii
    common name: ray-finned fishes rank: class
  3. Abramis brama
    common name: common bream rank: species
  4. Alburnus alburnus
    common name: bleak rank: species
  5. Anguilla anguilla
    common name: European eel rank: species
  6. Barbatula barbatula
    common name: stone loach rank: species
  7. Blicca bjoerkna
    common name: silver bream rank: species
  8. Carassius gibelio
    common name: Prussian carp rank: species
  9. Cobitis taenia
    common name: spined loach rank: species
  10. Cyprinus carpio
    common name: common carp rank: species
  11. Esox lucius
    common name: northern pike rank: species
  12. Gasterosteus aculeatus
    common name: three-spined stickleback rank: species
  13. Gobio gobio
    common name: gudgeon rank: species
  14. Gymnocephalus cernuus
    common name: Eurasian ruffe rank: species
  15. Leuciscus idus
    common name: ide rank: species
  16. Perca fluviatilis
    common name: European perch rank: species
  17. Platichthys flesus
    common name: European flounder rank: species
  18. Pseudorasbora parva
    common name: stone moroko rank: species
  19. Pungitius pungitius
    common name: ninespine stickleback rank: species
  20. Rhodeus amarus
    common name: European bitterling rank: species
  21. Rutilus rutilus
    common name: common roach rank: species
  22. Sander lucioperca
    common name: zander rank: species
  23. Scardinius erythrophthalmus
    common name: common rudd rank: species
  24. Tinca tinca
    common name: tench rank: species

Geographic Coverages

Riparian habitats along the river Yser in Flanders, Belgium. The river enters Belgium in the province of West Flanders and drains into the sea near the town of Nieuwpoort.

Bibliographic Citations

  1. Mouton A, Buysse D, Stevens M, Van den Neucker T, Coeck J (2011) Evaluation of riparian habitat restoration in a lowland river. River Research and Applicatioins 28(7): 845-857. https://doi.org/10.1002/rra.1500 -

Contacts

Ans Mouton
originator
Research Institute for Nature and Forest (INBO)
BE
email: ans.mouton@inbo.be
Dimitri Brosens
originator
Research Institute for Nature and Forest (INBO) / Belgian Biodiversity Platform
BE
email: dimitri.brosens@inbo.be
userId: http://orcid.org/0000-0002-0846-9116
Peter Desmet
originator
Research Institute for Nature and Forest (INBO)
BE
email: peter.desmet@inbo.be
userId: http://orcid.org/0000-0002-8442-8025
Ans Mouton
metadata author
Research Institute for Nature and Forest (INBO)
BE
email: ans.mouton@inbo.be
Dimitri Brosens
metadata author
Research Institute for Nature and Forest (INBO) / Belgian Biodiversity Platform
BE
email: dimitri.brosens@inbo.be
userId: http://orcid.org/0000-0002-0846-9116
Peter Desmet
metadata author
Research Institute for Nature and Forest (INBO)
BE
email: peter.desmet@inbo.be
userId: http://orcid.org/0000-0002-8442-8025
Ans Mouton
administrative point of contact
Research Institute for Nature and Forest (INBO)
BE
email: ans.mouton@inbo.be
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