The Importance of Including Water Temperature Simulations in a 2D Fish Habitat Model for the St. Lawrence River.

Ouellet, Valérie; St-Hilaire, André; Secretan, Yves; Mingelbier, Marc; Morin, Jean et Dugdale, Stephen J. (2021). The Importance of Including Water Temperature Simulations in a 2D Fish Habitat Model for the St. Lawrence River. Water , vol. 13 , nº 13. p. 1736. DOI: 10.3390/w13131736.

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Résumé

Extreme climatic conditions likely caused a massive fish mortality during the summer of 2001 in the St. Lawrence River. To corroborate this hypothesis, we used a physical habitat simulation approach incorporating hydraulic and water temperature models. Spawning Habitat Suitability Indices (HSI) for common carp (Cyprinus carpio) were developed using fuzzy logic and applied to the model outputs to estimate habitat weighted usable area during the event. The results revealed that areas suitable for common carp spawning (HSI > 0.3) were severely reduced by high water temperatures, which exceeded 28 °C during the mortality event. During the mortality event, the amount of suitable habitat was reduced to <200 ha/day, representing less than 15% of the maximum potential suitable habitat in the study reach. In addition, the availability of cooler habitats that could have been used as thermal refuges was also reduced. These results indicate that the high water temperature in spawning areas and reduced accessibility to thermal refuge habitats exposed the carp to substantial physiological and environmental stress. The high water temperatures were highly detrimental to the fish and eventually led to the observed mortalities. This study demonstrates the importance of including water temperature in habitat suitability models.

Type de document:	Article
Mots-clés libres:	2D model; common carp; fish habitat; fuzzy logic; water temperature
Centre:	Centre Eau Terre Environnement
Date de dépôt:	15 juill. 2021 15:05
Dernière modification:	15 juill. 2021 15:05
URI:	https://espace.inrs.ca/id/eprint/11884

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