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Ecology and Vulnerability
Rainbow Smelt
Photo Credit: OhanaUnited
Scientific name
Osmerus mordax
Profile: Rainbow Smelt ▾▸
Warmer temperatures, higher salinity, lower dissolved oxygen, increasing ocean acidification, and changing water currents have, and will continue to, affect already declining populations of diadromous...
Warmer temperatures, higher salinity, lower dissolved oxygen, increasing ocean acidification, and changing water currents have, and will continue to, affect already declining populations of diadromous fishes (Kerr et al., 2009), from shifts in range, depth, or elevation (e.g., Nye et al., 2009); changes to phenology (e.g., Staudinger et al., 2019; Otero et al., 2014); and increased mortality risk from hypoxia in warming ocean water (e.g., Secor and Gunderson 1998). Secondary effects of climate change may include decreased prey availability (e.g., in American shad [Alosa sapidissima] nurseries; Crecco and Savoy 1984) and increased disease risk (e.g., sea lice [Lepeophtheirus salmonis] in the Gulf of Maine; Bricknell et al., 2021). Climate change has impacted recruitment in some diadromous fish, including Alewife (Tommasi et al., 2015) and American Eels (Miller and Casselman 2014). Overall, because of the complex early life history, migration, and use of multiple habitats (freshwater and marine) of RSGCN diadromous fish, all but one are considered at “Very High” climate change vulnerability risk; American Eels are listed as “High” (Hare et al., 2016 and see Chapter 3). Further, the cumulative responses of shifts towards smaller body size and lower reproductive potential suggest that climate change may lead to a cycle of population decline in the warmer parts of diadromous fishes’ ranges. Contraction of phenophases, as demonstrated in studies (e.g., Atlantic Salmon [Dempson et al., 2016]; Alewife and Blueback Herring [Lombardo et al., 2019]), can increase the likelihood of risk to extreme events from spring storms (e.g., Nor'easters) (Lynch et al., 2015) or anthropogenic actions like water releases from hydropower facilities.
Relevant articles were found for all RSGCN species except Hickory Shad. Despite relatively good coverage of diadromous fish in the literature, most research focused on Atlantic Salmon and, to a lesser extent, Alewife. Only three species were represented in the Bioshifts database (Atlantic Salmon, American Shad, and Alewife; Lenoir et al., 2020, Rubenstein et al., 2023).
References
Bricknell et al., 2021
Crecco, V. A., & Savoy, T. F. (1984). Effects of fluctuations in hydrographic conditions on yearclass strength of American Shad (Alosa sapidissima) in the Connecticut River. Canadian Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences, 41, 1216–1223.
Dempson et al., 2017
Hare, J. A., Morrison, W. E., Nelson, M. W., Stachura, M. M., Teeters, E. J., & Griffis, R. B. (2016). A vulnerability assessment of fish and invertebrates to climate change on the northeast U.S. Continental Shelf. PLoS ONE, 11(2)
Kerr, L. A., Connelly, W. J., Martino, E. J., Peer, A. C., Woodland, R. J., & Secor, D. H. (2009). Climate Change in the U.S. Atlantic Affecting Recreational Fisheries. Reviews in Fisheries Science, 17, 267–289.
Lenoir, J., Bertrand, R., & Comte, L. (2020). Species better track climate warming in the oceans than on land. Nature Ecology and Evolution, 4, 1044–1059.
Lombardo, S. M., Buckel, J. A., Hain, E. F., Griffith, E. H., & White, H. (2019). Evidence for temperature-dependent shifts in spawning times of anadromous alewife (Alosa pseudoharengus) and blueback herring (Alosa aestivalis). Canadian Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences, 77(4), 741–751.
Lynch, P. D., Nye, J. A., Hare, J. A., Stock, C. A., Alexander, M. A., & Scott, J. D. (2015). Projected ocean warming creates a conservation challenge for river herring populations. ICES J. Mar. Sci, 72, 374–387.
Miller, T. A., Brooks, R. P., Lanzone, M., Brandes, D., Cooper, J., O’Malley, K., Maisonneuve, C., Tremblay, J., Duerr, A., & Katzner, T. (2014). Assessing Risk to Birds from Industrial Wind Energy Development via Paired Resource Selection Models: Assessing Risk to Birds from Wind Energy. Conservation Biology, 28(3), 745–755. https://doi.org/10.1111/cobi.12227
Nye, J. A., Link, J. S., Hare, J. A., & Overholtz, W. J. (2009). Changing spatial distribution of fish stocks in relation to climate and population size on the Northeast United States continental shelf. Marine Ecology-Progress Series, 393, 111–129.
Otero, J., L’Abée-Lund, J. H., Castro-Santos, T., Leonardsson, K., Storvik, G. O., & Jonsson, B. (2014). Basin-scale phenology and effects of climate variability on global timing of initial seaward migration of Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar. Global Change Biol, 20(1), 61–75.
Rubenstein, M. A., Weiskopf, S. R., & Bertrand, R. (2023). Climate change and the global redistribution of biodiversity: Substantial variation in empirical support for expected range shifts. Environ Evid, 12, 7.
Secor, D. H., & Gunderson, T. (1998). Effects of hypoxia and temperature on survival, growth, and respiration of juvenile Atlantic sturgeon, Acipenser oxyrinchus. Fishery BulletinNational Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, 96, 603–613
Staudinger, M. D., Mills, K. E., Stamieszkin, K., Record, N. R., Hudak, C. A., Allyn, A., Diamond, A., Friedland, K. D., Golet, W., Henderson, M. E., & Hernandez, C. M. (2019). It’s about time: A synthesis of changing phenology in the Gulf of Maine ecosystem. Fisheries Oceanography, 28(5), 532–566.
Tommasi, D., Nye, J., Stock, C., Hare, J. A., Alexander, M., & Drew, K. (2015). Effect of Environmental Conditions on Juvenile Recruitment of Alewife (Alosa pseudoharengus) and Blueback Herring (A. aestivalis) in freshwater: A coastwide perspective. Can J Fish Aquat Sci, 72(7), 1037–1047.