Consequences of artificially opening coastal lagoons on their fish assemblages

The consequences of artificially opening lagoon entrances on the fish assemblages of coastal lagoons in south-eastern Australia were investigated. Impacts of lagoon opening were assessed by comparing changes in the fish assemblages of Werri and Shellharbour Lagoons, both of which intermittently opened to the sea with that of Lake Illawarra, a third coastal lagoon which remained closed during the study period. Numbers of fish species and individuals did not differ significantly after lagoon openings at Werri Lagoon and Shellharbour Lagoon. However, higher numbers of species and individuals were found in Lake Illawarra before the other lagoons had opened. Abundances of some economically significant species (namelyMugil cephalus, Myxus elongatus andLiza argentea) significantly increased after openings, mainly due to small juveniles (<40 mm FL) recruiting to the seagrass beds. In contrast, these species were caught as larger juveniles (>70 mm FL) in Lake Illawarra. Furthermore, their abundance in Lake Illawarra declined during successive months, coinciding with declining salinity. Abundances of resident species (such asPseudomugil olorum andAfurcagobius tamarensis) remained largely unchanged after openings. Although it was clear that marine-spawning species must benefit from lagoon openings, the number and composition of species able to move into lagoons from adjacent waters may be dependent upon the frequency, duration and time of year that the entrance is connected to the sea. The present study thus provides data which may be useful for fisheries management in intermittently open lagoons. However, these results should not be cited as reason to artificially open lagoon entrances as further detailed studies of other aspects of lagoon biota, such as their invertebrate and avian faunas, are also needed to provide sufficient basis for broader management frameworks.