Int. J. Aquat. Biol. (2018) 6(5): 274-280 ISSN: 2322-5270; P-ISSN: 2383-0956 Journal homepage: www.ij-aquaticbiology.com © 2018 Iranian Society of Ichthyology Original Article How did dams affect length-weight and length-length relationships of Capoeta razii (Cyprinidae) in Sefid River, the southern Caspian Sea basin? Hamed Mousavi-Sabet*1,2, Adeleh Heidari1, Meysam Salehi3 1Department of Fisheries Sciences, Faculty of Natural Resources, University of Guilan, Sowmeh Sara, Guilan, Iran. 2The Caspian Sea Basin Research Center, University of Guilan, Rasht, Iran. 3Abzi-Exir Aquaculture Co., Agriculture Section, Kowsar Economic Organization, Tehran, Iran. s Article history: Received 11 July 2018 Accepted 14 October 2018 Available online 2 5 October 2018 Keywords: Sefid River Caspian Sea Population Dam Abstract: Fish populations are affected by dams in terms of morphology, reproduction, migration, growth rate and etc. To examine the hypothesis; how dams can affect the length-weight and length- length relationships in cyprinids, four Capoeta razii segregated populations (by dams) were studied. The length-weight (LWR) and length-length (LLRs) relationships were calculated for three populations from upstream, dam lakes and downstream of Manjil and Tarik dams in Sefid River, in the southern Caspian Sea basin. Also, one independent population from the damming impacts was considered as the control, to examine other possible annual effects on LWR. The b values in the LWR ranged from 2.893 to 3.586 in downstream and dam lakes populations, respectively. The r2 value ranged from 0.966 to 0.988. The averages of recorded length and weight in dam lake population were up to two and six times (respectively) more than the ranges in up and downstream populations. Monthly LWR is presented for the control population. The sex and maturity were found as effective factors on LWR in the control population. No significant differences were observed in LWR by seasons. All LLRs were highly significant (r2> 0.95). This study presents that the dams and the sex and maturity can be considered as effective non-biological and biological factors (respectively) affecting growth patterns as expressed by length and weight relationships in cyprinid (C. razii) populations. The results may be helpful in future fisheries studies and conservation programs. Introduction Knowledge of length-weight relationship (LWR) and length-length (LLRs) relationships is an important tool for the adequate management of fish stocks and populations (King, 2007; Ndome et al., 2012; Qiang et al., 2013; Mousavi-Sabet et al., 2013, 2014, 2015a; Zamani Faradonbeh et al., 2015). The LWR is useful in local and interregional morphological and life- history comparisons across species and populations, also represent an important fishery management tool. LLRs also have great importance for comparative growth studies (Moutopoulos and Stergiou, 2002; Heidari et al., 2018, Mousavi-Sabet et al., 2015b, c). Sefid River is one of the most important rivers in the southern Caspian Sea basin with 765 km in length. The Manjil and Tarik dams were constructed on Sefid River in 1962 and 1968, respectively (Najmaii, 2004), *Correspondence: Hamed Mousavi-Sabet DOI: https://doi.org/10.22034/ijab.v6i5.534 E-mail: mousavi-sabet@guilan.ac.ir which have effectively fragmented the river into upstream and downstream and have probably blocked the migration of the fish among up and downstream. The Manjil Dam (also known as the Sefidroud Dam) is a buttress dam on the Sefid River near Manjil (Guilan Province, Iran). It was constructed as a water reservoir for irrigation and produce hydroelectric power. It is 106 m high and forms a reservoir with a capacity of 1.82 km3. The Tarik Dam is located 35 km downstream from Manjil Dam and diverts releases from Manjil Dam for irrigation (Najmaii, 2004). Heidari et al. (2013, 2014) showed that the dams could affect morphological traits of fish populations in the river. The genus Capoeta contains potamodromous cyprinid fishes, which Capoeta razii being an important native species in Sefid River (Zareian et al., 275 Int. J. Aquat. Biol. (2018) 6(5): 274-280 2016; Esmaeili et al., 2018) and for this species LWR studies are still poorly known from the southern Caspian Sea basin. Also, there is currently no report about the impact of dams on LWR and LLRs for any fish species, inhabiting the Caspian Sea basin. According to litterateurs (Jageret al., 2001; Heidari et al., 2013, 2014; Mousavi-Sabet et al., 2015a, 2016a, b): (1) the LWR can be affected by biological and non- biological factors, and (2) dam separate fish populations and make different habitats in upstream and downstream which impacts on fish morphology and growth parameters; therefore, the present study aimed to assess the impact of dams on length-weight and length-length relationships of C. razii as the case species here. Materials and Methods Fish were collected from upstream, dam lake and downstream of dams and a population as control, specimen’s measurements, analysing and estimating possible relations of the studied parameters with different habitats caused by dam constructor. For this purpose, a total of 439 individuals of C. razii were collected by electrofishing (energy level: 200-300 V; distance between electrodes: 10-50 meters; area covered each time: 100 meters; water depth covered: 40-120 cm; substrate of the fishing areas: with diverse structures, including pools, riffles, gravel bed, sandy shore, etc.) from Sefid River in the southern Caspian Sea basin, northern Iran. Of the total samples, 108 adult specimens (sex ratio 1:1) were caught in November 2014 from three sampling sites according to dams locations in the river, including upstream of Manjil Dam (37°18′29″N, 49°15′25″E; n = 44), dam lake (36°46′52.86″N, 50°1′18″E; n = 30) and downstream of Tarik Dam (37°39′15″N, 49°58′11″E; n = 33) (Fig. 1). Also, to estimate the effects of biological factors on LWR, 331 specimens were Figure 1. Location of sampling sites. Upstream and downstream of Manjil and Tarik dams on the Sefid River, southern Caspian Sea Basin, Iran 276 Mousavi-Sabet et al./ Effect of dam on length-weight and length-length relationships of Capoeta razii collected monthly (during September 2013 to August 2014) from Tutkabon stream in the river drainage, as an independent and protected stream from the damming impacts (37°01′16.82″ to 36°50′44.71″N, 49°37′56.86″ to 49°35′01.23″E), which considered as control population. The sampled fish were fixed in 10% formaldehyde upon capture and transported to the laboratory for further analysis. In the laboratory for each individual, total length (TL), standard length (SL) and fork length (FL) (cm) were measured and whole-body weight (W) was taken using a digital balance to the nearest 0.1 g. The LWR of the fishes was calculated by using the formula W = a Lb (Le Cren, 1951; Froese, 2006; Froese et al., 2011), where W is the total body weight in grams and L is the total length (TL) in cm. Regression parameters a and b of the LWR were estimated by linear regression equation Log TW = log a + b log TL. For LWR with r2< 0.95, the regression was repeated after removing outliers (Froese, 2006). Additionally, 95% confidence limits (CL) of b were estimated. The model fit to the data was measured by the coefficient of the Pearson r-squared (r2) test. The null hypothesis that b = 3 was tested using two tailed t-test as described by Zar (1999). TL vs FL, TL vs SL and SL vs FL relationships were also estimated by linear regression (Zar, 1999). All statistical tests were at  = 0.05. Results The mean (±SD) and range of total length, sample size, weight range, length-weight parameters a and b, the standard error of the slope, and the coefficient of determination (r2) for the studied populations of C. razii are given in Table 1. Monthly LWR for the control population is given in Table 2. Maximum recorded total length and body weight were 23.5 cm and 162.60 g respectively. Also, LLRs were found to be highly correlated (in all cases: r²>0.95, P<0.001) (Table 3). The average recorded TL in dam lake population was 17.51±2.91 cm (vs. 9.99±3.41 and 9.24±2.02 in up and downstream populations) and average recorded weight was 79.66±43.64 g (vs. 13.76±11.93 and 11.50±9.88 in up and downstream populations). The values of coefficient of determination ‘r2’ calculated for all relationships viz., TL-Wt, TL-SL, TL-SL and SL-FL for the studied populations of C. razii are shown in Tables 1 and 3 which are highly significant (P<0.001). Discussion This study presents new records of maximum total length for C. razii in Sefid River from the southern Caspian Sea basin. Maximum recorded total length for Capoeta gracilis (now is C. razii in the southern Caspian Sea basin) was reported to be 41 cm from Turkey in FishBase database (Froese and Pauly, 2015). The b values in the LWR ranged from 2.893 in downstream to 3.586 in dam lake populations, which Table 1. Descriptive statistics and estimated parameters of length-weight relationship for Capoeta razii in up and downstream of Manjil and Tarik dams in Sefid River, Iran. Locality n Total length (cm) Total weight (g) Relationship parameters t value Gro wth Range Mean ± SD Range Mean ± SD log a b r2 SEb ±95% CI of b Upstream 40 5.8- 15.3 9.99±3.41 4.7- 44.6 13.76±11.93 -1.9303 2.939 0.988 0.052 2.835-3.43 -1.1731 -A Dam Lake 30 11.3- 21.7 17.51±2.91 15.4- 162.6 79.66±43.64 -2.6089 3.586 0.966 0.172 3.218-3.953 3.4011 +A Downstream 34 6.9- 16.2 9.24±2.02 4.1- 57.3 11.50±9.88 -1.7937 2.893 0.983 0.067 2.758-3.029 -1.5970 -A Tutkabon Stream (control population) 33 1 3.9- 23.5 11.26±3.30 2.3- 126.7 21.38±20.57 -4.8735 2.735 0.903 0.025 2.67-2.83 -1.5825 -A SD = standard deviation, n = sample size; a and b, the parameters of the length-weight relation, SEb = standard errorof the slope, r2 = the coefficient of determination, t value (difference of b from 3), CI = confidence interval, +A = allometric (+), -A = allometric (-) 277 Int. J. Aquat. Biol. (2018) 6(5): 274-280 Table 2. Descriptive statistics and estimated monthly LWRs for both sexes of Capoeta razii in Sefid River from the southern Caspian Sea basin (Sep 2013 to Aug 2014). Month Sex n Total length (cm) Weight (g) Regression parameters Min Max Min Max a b r2 Sep M 18 7.1 13.1 4.45 23.97 0.0170 2.827 0.975 F 12 7.5 14.2 5.11 32.10 0.0159 2.863 0.983 Oct M 13 7.0 13.4 3.16 19.77 0.0127 2.874 0.986 F 5 6.7 9.3 2.74 8.010 0.0054 3.262 0.971 Nov M 17 7.7 14.5 5.80 37.30 0.0161 2.864 0.990 F 14 6.2 17.5 3.03 53.07 0.0194 2.769 0.989 Dec M 30 7.3 14.2 4.40 41.00 0.0087 3.121 0.982 F 16 5.6 15.3 2.30 36.50 0.0161 2.836 0.992 Jan M 9 7.5 19.5 4.21 96.42 0.0080 3.141 0.996 F 10 6.0 14.8 2.77 32.42 0.0195 2.738 0.997 Feb M 41 7.2 17.8 4.10 55.88 0.0114 2.978 0.968 F 8 9.2 20.0 8.13 109.93 0.0050 3.331 0.991 Mar M 27 8.5 15.3 7.63 37.92 0.0255 2.694 0.974 F 4 14.5 20.7 34.65 99.00 0.0136 2.943 0.992 Apr M 25 10.2 15.3 13.20 42.40 0.0202 2.800 0.968 F 5 14.7 21.13 43.30 126.00 0.0200 2.848 0.979 May M 4 13.0 18.5 21.90 65.00 0.0071 3.112 0.988 F 5 12.0 15.0 18.10 33.00 0.0403 2.478 0.970 Jun M 12 9.5 15.0 11.39 35.29 0.0433 2.465 0.973 F 8 7.0 23.5 3.74 124.66 0.0124 2.929 0.998 Jul M 34 7.5 16.5 6.20 62.70 0.0209 2.819 0.984 F 3 15.0 18.5 40.90 70.00 0.0308 2.644 0.981 Aug M 14 7.0 16.0 4.24 44.12 0.0108 3.034 0.991 F 3 14.0 15.5 35.10 48.01 0.0085 3.158 0.985 Over all M 244 7.0 19.5 3.16 96.42 0.0151 2.894 0.966 F 83 5.3 23.5 2.30 126 0.0105 3.036 0.990 Immature 4 7.0 9.5 4.35 10.95 0.0139 2.946 0.989 Table 2. Length-length relationships between total length, fork length and standard length of Capoeta razii in Sefid River, Iran. Locality Equation n a b r2 TL = a + bFL 0.057 1.010 0.994 Upstream FL = a + bSL 44 0.014 0.057 0.994 SL = a + bTL 0.968 0.119 0.994 TL = a + bFL 1.073 0.130 0.974 Dam Lake FL = a + bSL 30 1.090 0.146 0.990 SL = a + bTL 0.820 0.285 0.957 TL = a + bFL 0.018 0.056 0.989 Downstream FL = a + bSL 34 1.042 0.083 0.983 SL = a + bTL 0.918 0.153 0.979 Tutkabon Stream (control population) TL = a + bFL 0.986 0.062 0.992 FL = a + bSL 331 0.972 0.099 0.989 SL = a + bTL 1.029 0.137 0.991 n = sample size, a = intercept, b = slope, r2= coefficient of determination 278 Mousavi-Sabet et al./ Effect of dam on length-weight and length-length relationships of Capoeta razii was 2.735 in the control population. Overall, the values of parameter b, which varies between 2 and 4, mostly remained within the expected range of 2.5-3.5 (Froese, 2006), with extreme values of 2.893 in downstream and 2.939 in upstream populations. In terms of growth type, the results showed that upstream, downstream and control populations had negative allometric growth pattern while the dam lake population had positive allometric growth. The differences between growth patterns can be explained by the differences between the different habitats and food availability, which up and downstream habitats are shallow and free flowing river with low primary production in compare with the dam lake (Fig. 2). In addition, water flow and quality in the up and downstream are affected by the damming, which are normally fast and muddy (Fig. 2). The present study has revealed that the Manjil and Tarik dams on the Sefid River have created differences in length and weight relationship of C. razii in upstream and downstream. The LWR in fishes can be affected by a number of factors, including season, habitat, gonad maturity, sex, diet, health and preservation techniques of the captured specimens (Jager et al., 2001; Mousavi-Sabet et al., 2017a, b; Alavi‐Yeganeh et al., 2018), which were considered for the control population in the present study. Thus, differences in LWR among different studied populations could be potentially attributed to differentiation of habitats caused by the dams construction. It was also previously suggested that these dams separated Capoeta populations morphologically (Heidariet al., 2013, 2014), which could be cause by the differences in growth parameters. Dams influence on upward migration of fish especially that of the migratory species and prevent of migration them resulting in an ecological trap for fishes that ascend the fish passages (Pelicice and Agostinho, 2008). Fragmentation of the river converts a free-flowing river into reservoir habitat, affecting the ecosystem and this in turn affects the migration patterns of fish populations (Jageret al., 2001; Mohadasi et al., 2013; Jalili et al., 2015). In conclusion, the present study indicates that there exist different length-weight and length-length relationships in populations of C. razii in upstream, Figure 2. Habitats in the sampling sites: (a) upstream of Manjil dam, (b) Manjil Dam Lake, (c) downstream of Tarik Dam, (d) Stream Tutkabon. 279 Int. J. Aquat. Biol. (2018) 6(5): 274-280 Dam Lake and downstream of the Manjil and Tarik dams on the Sefid River, and the probable reason for the differentiation of these populations are the construction of the dams. This study provides basic information and suggests that biological variations observed in C. razii should be considered in fisheries management and commercial exploitation of this species and any stock enhancement program. 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