Fishes in the Campus of the Czech University of Life Sciences

Fishes in the Campus of the Czech University of Life Sciences Prague
Lukáš Kalous, Miloslav Petrtýl, Jiří Patoka & Kateřina Rylková
Czech University of Life Sciences, Faculty of Agrobiology, Food and Natural
Resources, Department of Zoology and Fisheries, 165 21 Praha 6 - Suchdol,
Czech Republic; e-mail: [email protected]
Abstract
We present the checklist of fish taxa in the campus of the Czech University of
Life Sciences Prague based on the surveys from the period 2012 - 2013. The
checklist includes 10 taxa (genus, species) and the current status of found fish
in the Czech Republic.
Key words: Actinopterygii, fish introduction, human impact, faunistics
1. Introduction
The Czech University of Life Sciences Prague is known for its garden
like campus. It is situated about 6 km in a beeline north from the historical
center of Prague. The campus includes also two small artifitial rectangular
reservoirs (Fig. 2a, b). These two small reservoirs attract the attention of many
people and they are also suspected to be recipients of various fish species.
Introduced fishes are of human origin and they are most likely released by
students or staff of the university. Since the campus is open for public it is also
visited by many people from surrounding residential areas, especialy parents
with small children for whom the feeding of fish is a great attraction. Here we
present the list of species cought in two reservoirs during 2012 - 2013.
2. Material and Methods
2. 1. Description of locality
Reservoir one is situated in front of the Faculty of Agrobiology, Food
and Natural Resources under deciduous trees. The reservoir is equipped with
the „fountain sculpture“ in the shape plowed furrow in the middle of water
surface. (Fig 2a). The total water area covers about 90 m2 (6.9 m x 13.0 m) with
the maximum depth reaching 80 cm. Reservoir two is situated in front of the
Faculty of Engineering and serves also as fire tank (Fig. 2b). The area of water
surface is 540 m2 (30.0 m x 18.0 m) with the maximum depth of 2.5m.
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Fig. : Map of the campus of the Czech University of Life Sciences Prague with
the indications of reservoir one () and reservoir two (). Source ©
Přispěvatelé OpenStreetMap.
2. 2. Collecting methods
Fish samples were collected once by the seine net 10 m long and 3 m
high with the mesh size of 2 mm. The three subsequently made hauls in each
reservoir took place in June 2012. Two persons operated the net from the banks
of the reservoirs by guide robes. Further, the hand lift net of an area 1m2, mesh
size of 5 mm was employed irregulary through the time period. Collected
individuals were identified directly after catching using the determination
characteristics given in Baruš & Oliva (1995) and Kottelat & Freyhof (2007).
The conservation status for the Czech Republic of each species was determined
following Lusk et al. (2004). Fishes were released back into water after
identification.
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a)
b)
Fig. 2: Reservoir one (a) GPS: 50° 7'46.71" N; 14°22'23.61"E and reservoir two
(b) GPS: 50° 7'47.12"N; 14°22'28.80"E. Photo by Lukáš Kalous.
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3. Results
Table 1. Checklist of fish species cought in the campus of the Czech University
of Life Sciences Prague within the period 2012-2013.
Czech common names
Scientific names
Status
Carassius gibelio, Bloch 1782
non-native
karas stříbřitý
Carassius auratus, Linnaeus 1758
non-native
karas zlatý
Cyprinus carpio, Linnaeus 1758
non-native
kapr obecný
Cyprinus rubrofuscus Lacepède non-native
kapr koi
1803
Tinca tinca, Linnaeus 1758
native, LC
lín obecný
Gobio gobio, Linnaeus 1758
native, LC
hrouzek obecný
Rutilus rutilus, Linnaeus 1758
native, LC
plotice obecná
Esox lucius Linnaeus 1758
native, LC
štika obecná
Perca fluviatilis, Linnaeus 1758
native, LC
okoun říční
Pseudorasbora parva, Temminck & non-native
střevlička východní
Schlegel, 1846
LC = least concern sensu Lusk et al. (2004)
4. Conclusions and discussion
Although our contribution can be understood somewhat grotesquely, it
brings some important information. Firstly, there must be a strong compulsion
among people to release live fish to any possible waterbody they meet. Even,
we could consider people visiting the university campus as educated ones.
Secondly, when the waterbody is more close to the ordinary occurrence of a
potential releaser, and more people (potential releasers) roam nearby, the more
probable is that uncontrolled release of fish will be realised This is in
agreemnet with the work of Copp et al. (2004). Moreover, from all ten species
found in the campus reservoirs five of them (half) were non-native and the
second half was classified as “least concern” in regards to their vulnerability.
We assume that such finding shows that non-native fish and the more common
native ones have either higher probability to be released, or to survive in the
new man made environment. Although the abundance of fish is usually higher
then a natural food capacity of the artificial waterbodies, the survival of fish is
secured by people that provide feeding to fish for their own amusement.
Our study is a negligible contribution to fish faunistics but brings
alarming evidence of the human uncontrolled fish stocking to waterbodies in
densly inhabited areas.
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5. Acknowledgements
This paper was supported by the grant of Technology Agency of the
Czech Republic No. TD010045.
6. References
Baruš V. & Oliva O. eds 1995: Fauna CR a SR. Mihulovci a ryby Academia
Praha. Vol. I, 698 pp and Vol. II, 623 pp.
Copp G. H., Wesley K. J., & Vilizzi L. 2005: Pathways of ornamental and
aquarium fish introductions into urban ponds of Epping Forest
(London, England): the human vector*. Journal of Applied
Ichthyology, 21(4), 263-274.
Kottelat M., & Freyhof J. 2007: Handbook of European freshwater fishes.
Cornol: Publications Kottelat. 646 pp
Lusk S., Hanel L., & Luskova V. 2004: Red List of the ichthyofauna of the
Czech Republic: Development and present status. Folia Zoologica
53(2), 215-226
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