Interactions between fisheries and birds in IJsselmeer, The Netherlands

IJsselmeer, a eutrophic, shallow lake (mean depth 4 m) of 180,000 ha, is heavily exploited by a fishery that catches dfl 11 million worth of eel Anguilla anguilla , perch Perca fluviatilis , pikeperch Stizostedion lucioperca and of the small zooplanktivorous smelt Osmerus eperlanus, the main prey for perch and pikeperch and for the piscivorous birds of IJsselmeer. The population of cormorant Phalacrocorax carbo affects the fisheries through its predation on perch and pikeperch, whereas black tern Chlidonias niger and black-headed gull Larus ridibundus are affected by the availability of smelt... Mehr ...