Conservation & Sustainability Flashcards

Asian carp (bighead and silver carp) threaten native fisheries in the Midwest primarily through:

Answer: Competition for zooplankton, depleting food resources for native filter feeders and juvenile fish

Bighead and silver carp are voracious filter feeders that consume massive quantities of phytoplankton and zooplankton, collapsing the food base for native planktivores and juveniles.

Under the Lacey Act, it is illegal to:

Answer: Import, export, transport, sell, or purchase fish taken in violation of federal, state, tribal, or foreign law

The Lacey Act prohibits trafficking in wildlife, fish, and plants that have been taken, possessed, or sold in violation of any applicable law, making it a powerful anti-poaching tool.

The 100-year floodplain is considered critical fisheries habitat because periodic flooding:

Answer: Provides access to floodplain wetlands for spawning, rearing, and foraging

Floodplain inundation connects rivers to productive riparian wetlands where many fish species spawn, rear juveniles, and access high-quality invertebrate food resources.

Which technique is most commonly used to control sea lamprey (Petromyzon marinus) populations in the Great Lakes?

Answer: Application of lampricide (TFM) to spawning streams

3-trifluoromethyl-4-nitrophenol (TFM) is selectively toxic to larval sea lamprey in streams and has been a cornerstone of Great Lakes lamprey management since the 1950s.

The ESA Section 7 consultation process requires federal agencies to:

Answer: Ensure their actions do not jeopardize listed species or adversely modify critical habitat

Section 7 requires federal agencies to consult with USFWS or NMFS to ensure their actions will not jeopardize listed species or destroy/adversely modify designated critical habitat.

Stocking hatchery fish to supplement wild salmon populations can NEGATIVELY affect conservation goals by:

Answer: Reducing genetic diversity and fitness of wild fish through interbreeding

Hatchery fish adapted to artificial conditions can interbreed with wild fish, introducing domestication selection traits that reduce survival and fitness in natural environments.

Which of the following best describes the purpose of a fishway (fish ladder) at a dam?

Answer: Provide upstream and downstream passage for migratory fish around an obstruction

Fish ladders create a stepped series of pools that allow migrating fish to pass upstream over a barrier by swimming up sequential low-drop pools.