Exclude fish with barriers

Overall effectiveness category Unknown effectiveness (limited evidence)
Number of studies: 1
Share Tweet Email

View assessment score

How is the evidence assessed?

Effectiveness

30%
Certainty

20%
Harms

0%

Calculating overall effectiveness category

Background information and definitions

Fish can have negative impacts on amphibian populations, either through predation of eggs and larvae or through competition for food. In some cases barriers can be constructed within water bodies to create refuge areas for amphibians.

Study locations

Key messages

One controlled study in Mexico found that excluding fish using a barrier increased weight gain of axolotls.

About key messages

Key messages provide a descriptive index to studies we have found that test this intervention.

Studies are not directly comparable or of equal value. When making decisions based on this evidence, you should consider factors such as study size, study design, reported metrics and relevance of the study to your situation, rather than simply counting the number of studies that support a particular interpretation.

Supporting evidence from individual studies

A controlled study in 2009 of a canal within agricultural land in Xochimilco, Mexico (Valiente et al. 2010) found that filters to exclude competitive fish and improve water quality resulted in increased weight gain in axolotls Ambystoma mexicanum. Only four of 12 previously marked axolotls were recaptured; however, their weight had increased by 16%. Weight gain was greater than that of axolotls in control colonies over the same period. Farmers traditionally created canals linking lakes and wetlands. Working with farmers in 2009, one canal used as a refuge by axolotls was isolated from the main system using filters made of wood to exclude fish and improve water quality.
Study and other actions tested
Referenced paper
Valiente E., Tovar A., Gonzalez H., Eslava-Sandoval D. & Zambrano L. (2010) Creating refuges for the axolotl (Ambystoma mexicanum). Ecological Restoration, 28, 257-259.

Please cite as:

Smith, R.K., Meredith, H. & Sutherland, W.J. (2020) Amphibian Conservation. Pages 9-64 in: W.J. Sutherland, L.V. Dicks, S.O. Petrovan & R.K. Smith (eds) What Works in Conservation 2020. Open Book Publishers, Cambridge, UK.

Where has this evidence come from?

List of journals searched by synopsis

All the journals searched for all synopses

This Action forms part of the Action Synopsis:

Amphibian Conservation

Related Actions

Actions	Effectiveness	Studies	Category
Exclude fish with barriers Action Link	Unknown effectiveness (limited evidence)	1	Synopsis Link
Remove or control fish by catching Action Link	Likely to be beneficial	6	Synopsis Link
Remove or control invasive bullfrogs Action Link	Likely to be beneficial	2	Synopsis Link