Primary Production and Fish Yields in Chinese Ponds and Lakes

Abstract
A strong correlation between fish yields and gross photosynthesis by phytoplankton occurs for the lakes and ponds along the Yangtze River, near Wuhan, China. Gross photosynthesis is calculated as the difference in oxygen concentration between light and dark bottles and incorporates respiration by heterotrophic and autotrophic plankton. Among the eighteen waters included in this analysis, net fish yields (total harvest minus weight of stocked juveniles) range from 59 to 14,586 kg (fresh weight) hectare−1·year−1. Two planktivorous fishes, silver carp Hypophthalmichthys molitrix and bighead carp Aristichthys nobilis constitute the majority of the stocked fish. The regression equation describing the relation between net fish yields (FYn) and gross photosynthesis (PGv, mg O2 liter−1·day−1) measured at one subsurface depth is log10 FYn = 0.047PGv + 2.44; N = 18; r2 = 0.76; P < 0.001.

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