The resilience of commercial fisheries in large temperate and subtropical floodplain rivers to climate change: examples from the Volga (Russia) and Paraná (Argentina) rivers

GÓRSKI KONRAD; ANA PIA RABUFFETTI; NAGELKERKE LAJ; WINTER HV ; MININ AE; ESPÍNOLA LUIS ALBERTO; DE LEEUW JJ

Simposio; EIFAAC International Symposium Adaptation of inland fisheries and aquaculture to climate change 3 ? 6.09.2017, Stare Jabłonki, Poland; 2017

Periodic flooding (flood pulse) plays a key role in the ecology of floodplain rivers. Flood pulse characteristics e.g., magnitude, duration, are the primary driving force of the recruitment of commercially exploited fish in these systems. These flood pulse characteristics are primarily driven by climatic and resulting hydrologic fluctuations. We analysed the effects of hydrologic fluctuations in the last decades of the 20th century on fisheries catches in the Lower Volga and the Middle Paraná rivers. We found that large floods resulted in increased abundances and commercial fish catches in both rivers, probably due to enhanced recruitment. Specifically, large floods produced increased fish biomass one year later in the Volga and two years later in the Paraná. This effect was the strongest for species that use floodplain habitats as areas of larval nurseries. We discuss potential changes in fisheries catches in these rivers in projected future climate scenarios.