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Title: Effectiveness and outcomes of invasive species removal in Hawaiian streams

Journal Article · · Biological Invasions
ORCiD logo [1];  [2];  [3];  [3];  [4];  [3];  [5];  [6]
  1. Univ. of Tennessee, Knoxville, TN (United States); Tulane Univ., New Orleans, LA (United States). The ByWater Inst.; Oak Ridge National Lab. (ORNL), Oak Ridge, TN (United States)
  2. Univ. of Tennessee, Knoxville, TN (United States); Tulane Univ., New Orleans, LA (United States). The ByWater Inst.
  3. Texas A & M Univ., Corpus Christi, TX (United States)
  4. Univ. of Wisconsin, Madison, WI (United States). Center for Limnology
  5. Univ. of Wisconsin, Madison, WI (United States). Center for Limnology; Cornell Univ., Ithaca, NY (United States)
  6. Univ. of Tennessee, Knoxville, TN (United States); Tulane Univ., New Orleans, LA (United States). The ByWater Inst.; Tulane Univ., New Orleans, LA (United States)

Despite aquatic invasive species (AIS) being a widely recognized threat to native biodiversity in streams on subtropical and tropical oceanic islands across the Pacific, AIS management has been constrained by concerns that methods of removal could result in more harm than good. In this study, we assessed the effectiveness and outcomes of combining hand-netting and streamside sequestration of native species with AIS removal via three-pass electrofishing tailored for Hawaiian Island watersheds. Removals were conducted in 13 watersheds on the island of O‘ahu following a before-after, control-impact design to assess how AIS removal and post-removal community reassembly varied by surface flow and target species of interest. We found that removals resulted in a sharp reduction in AIS densities without altering native species densities. Removal efficacy was greatest in streams with intermediate mean discharge irrespective of target group or pre-removal AIS densities. Long-term monitoring demonstrated that removals led to persistent shifts in community composition reflecting sustained reductions in AIS densities. These findings indicate that electrofishing can be a valuable tool for AIS management in Hawaiian and other subtropical Pacific island streams, so long as steps are taken to minimize potential harm to at-risk and culturally important native species.

Research Organization:
Oak Ridge National Lab. (ORNL), Oak Ridge, TN (United States)
Sponsoring Organization:
USDOE
Grant/Contract Number:
AC05-00OR22725
OSTI ID:
1772639
Journal Information:
Biological Invasions, Vol. 23, Issue 6; ISSN 1387-3547
Publisher:
Springer NatureCopyright Statement
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English

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