Clear bankside vegetation
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Overall effectiveness category Evidence not assessed
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Number of studies: 1
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How is the evidence assessed?
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Effectiveness
not assessed -
Certainty
not assessed -
Harms
not assessed
Study locations
Supporting evidence from individual studies
A replicated, controlled study in 2001–2002 in a stream in North Island, New Zealand (Jowett et al. 2009) found that clearing bankside vegetation, along with removing in-stream woody debris, led to higher elver density, lower longfin eel Anguilla dieffenbachii density, and similar numbers of shortfin eels Anguilla australis compared to uncleared stream sections. Results are not based on tests of statistical significance. After six months, cleared stream sections had higher average densities of elvers (1.7 elvers/m) and lower average densities of longfin eels (0 eels/m) than uncleared sections (0.8 elvers/m, 0.2 eels/m). Overall, similar numbers of shortfin eels were caught in cleared (total 11 eels) and uncleared sections (total 10 eels). In November 2001, bankside vegetation was cleared (including overhanging branches of larger trees/shrubs), and in-stream woody debris removed, from five 15-m-long stream sections. Immediately upstream of each cleared section, a second 15-m section was left uncleared and used as a comparison. Eels were surveyed monthly in each stream section from December 2001 to May 2002 by electrofishing. Stop nets were placed at the ends of each section to stop fish escaping. Eels <100 mm length (elvers) were not identified to species.
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Where has this evidence come from?
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This Action forms part of the Action Synopsis:
Eel Conservation in Inland Habitats