Enric Aparicio

• PhD
• Researcher at University of Girona

Peixos continentals de Catalunya (Inland fish of Catalunya) is the first book exclusively dedicated to the fish of the fluvial systems of Catalunya, and is the result of many years of enthusiastic dedication to learning about the country’s inland fish and the ecology of the habitats in which they live. The main part of the book is concerned with th...

We examined changes in the distribution of 9 native and 18 introduced freshwater fishes in the south-eastern Pyrenees watershed, Iberian Peninsula, using data from 1996, 1984–1988 and historical information. This region suffers many modifications to its freshwater ecosystems that are linked to human activity in the Mediterranean regions. Fish commu...

A multimetric Index of Biotic Integrity (IBI) based on fish data was developed to assess the ecological status of Iberian streams, in the context of the European Water Framework Directive.Fish assemblages were determined by electrofishing at 114 sites from 10 basins of the Júcar River Basin District. The sampled streams were typical Mediterranean s...

Five qualitative and seven quantitative colouration and spotting pattern features were measured in 23 brown trout Salmo trutta populations and two hatchery stocks. Simultaneously, the LDH-C1*, a diagnostic locus fixed for *90 and *100 alleles in stocking and native populations from southern Europe, respectively, was analysed to classify the brown t...

Biodiversity is currently declining in the Med-iterranean, particularly in freshwater ecosystems. The Iberian Peninsula is not an exception with many fish species threatened or endangered. This is the case of Parachondrostoma arrigonis, which has experienced a marked reduction of more than 80 % in both number and area of occupancy in the last 20 ye...

The Iberian Peninsula, in southwestern Europe, is home to a distinctive freshwater fish fauna, predominantly composed of endemic species. This is a consequence of the prolonged isolation from western Europe caused by the Pyrenees, the diverse geological and climatic gradients, and the isolation of river basins. Freshwater and diadromous fishes have...

The European Fish Index EFI+ is the only fish-based multimetric index for the assessment of the ecological status of running waters that is validated and thus applicable across most countries of the European Union. Metrics of the index rely on several attributes of the species present in the fish assemblage, irrespective of their native/alien statu...

The European Fish Index EFI+ is the only fish-based multimetric index for the assessment of the ecological status of running waters validated and thus applicable across the European Union. Metrics of the index rely on several attributes of the species present in the fish assemblage, irrespective of their native/alien status. The abundance of alien...

The cover image is based on the Original Article Invaders they are a‐changing: A recent, unexpected surge of invasive loaches in Catalonia, by Miguel Clavero et al., https://doi.org/10.1111/fwb.14051.

Risk analyses for invasive species often assume that the characteristics of future invaders will resemble those already successful, but these features may change. Here, we use data from more than 3,500 fish sampling events, sequencing of mitochondrial and nuclear genes and analyses of several traits describing non‐native fish to describe the irrupt...

In order to prevent the introduction in high mountain lakes of species such as the european minnow (Phoxinus sp.), it is necessary to know which species are being introduced and the possible routes of introduction. This study focuses on the genetic analysis of different populations from high mountain lakes and streams from the National Park and oth...

The European brown trout, Salmo trutta, is a cold-adapted fish reported as a Least Concern species in the IUCN Red List. This species colonized new territories from southern refuges during the last glacial melting, but during the 20th century suffered from anthropic impacts on its habitats. The long-time survival of the species relies on the geneti...

The Mediterranean brown trout (Salmo trutta complex) is native to basins draining to the Western Mediterranean Sea, and natural populations are currently declining in abundance and distribution due to habitat degradation and introgression with stocked trout of the Atlantic lineage. Data on its life history traits are limited, although is an essenti...

Citation: Peñuelas, J.; Germain, J.; Álvarez, E.; Aparicio, E.; Arús, P.; Basnou, C.; Blanché, C.; Bonada, N.; Canals, P.; Capodiferro, M.; et al.

Unexpected recent records of twaite shad (Alosa fallax) in two Northeastern Iberian rivers: recolonization or recovery of remnant populations? The presence of twaite shad Alosa fallax (Lacépède, 1803), an anadromous fish that migrates to lower and middle river reaches to spawn, has been reported in the Fluvià and Ter rivers (NE Spain) after several...

The Pyrenean sculpin (Cottus hispaniolensis) is one of the most threatened freshwater fish in Catalonia and Spain. Its status in the Aran Valley drastically deteriorated as a result of the floods of 2013, to the point of reaching its practical disappearance. Since then, their populations have been progressively recovering, with a slow increase in t...

In the last forty years, continental vertebrates have suffered a sharp decline in Catalonia. Many autochthonous species are threatened due to habitat loss and fragmentation, environmental pollution, and interaction with invasive alien species. A hybridization between autochthonous species and exotic or domestic species is occurring. The number of e...

The genus Phoxinus is comprised of at least 15 currently recognized species inhabiting Eurasia. Morphological traits have been traditionally used to delineate species in Phoxinus; however, the high level of phenotypic plasticity observed in the genus has confounded this process. Molecular genetic analyses have revealed a higher than expected geneti...

Radiotelemetry was used to investigate seasonal movement and home range of brown trout Salmo trutta (size range 188–420 mm fork length, N = 30) in two reaches of the Noguera Pallaresa River (Ebro Basin, north‐east Spain) subjected to different flow regulation schemes. NP‐1 reach is a bypassed section with near natural flow conditions, whereas the d...

El delta del Llobregat és un dels territoris més fascinants de la geografia catalana. Malgrat la seva proximitat a la ciutat de Barcelona, ha estat un lloc remot i desconegut fins ben recentment a causa de les seves dures condicions de vida —que mantenien una baixíssima densitat de població— i de la manca d’infraestructures de comunicació —que el f...

Dispersal is a critical determinant of animal distribution and population dynamics, and is essential information for management planning. We studied the movement patterns and the influence of habitat and biotic factors on Mediterranean brown trout ( Salmo trutta ) by mark-recapture methods in three headwater streams of the Ebro Basin (NE Iberian Pe...

The construction of fish-pass in dams and weirs is an environmental measure of recognized importance in the case of migratory species. The brown trout (Salmo trutta) has often been considered a species that makes important longitudinal movements along the rivers, especially during the breeding period, thus justifying the need to build fish-pass. In...

First record of the asp Leuciscus aspius introduced into the Iberian Peninsula The asp Leuciscus aspius (L.), a large piscivorous cyprinid fish, is reported for the first time in the Iberian Peninsula. Six individuals were captured in July 2017 and many other were observed in the Darnius-Boadella Reservoir (Muga river basin, NE Spain). Our observat...

In order to evaluate the conservation status of Montseny's fish fauna, in 2008, 2009 and 2016 inventories were conducted at 21 points in rivers and 5 in reservoirs. A total of 11 species were captured, of which three are native (Mediterranean barbel Barbus meridionalis, Catalan chub Squalius laietanus and European eel Anguilla anguilla), one of unc...

En las poblaciones de trucha (Salmo trutta) de las cuencas de los Pirineos se ha observado, en varios estudios independientes llevados a cabo durante las últimas décadas, un comportamiento reiterado y selectivo de movilidad por parte de determinados individuos de la especie, en una proporción inferior al 20% del total de la población. En todos los...

The mechanisms that can contribute in the fish movement strategies and the associated behaviour can be complex and related to the physiology, genetic and ecology of each species. In the case of the brown trout (Salmo trutta), in recent research works, individual differences in mobility have been observed in a population living in a high mountain ri...

Since the end of the 20th century, some headwaters of rivers in the eastern Pyrenees have been designated as genetic refuges to protect remaining native brown trout (Salmo trutta) diversity. The declaration was based on limited or no evidence of genetic impact from released non-native Atlantic hatchery fish. Hatchery releases were completely banned...

The status of Pyrenean sculpin Cottus hispaniolensis was assessed in the Spanish part of the Garonne drainage on the basis of its distribution and abundance from 2001 to 2016. Population trends showed a progressive reduction in range extension and density, exacerbated by a severe spate occurred in 2013. However, C. hispaniolensis was resilient to t...

* Diploma to the best student poster communication * * For more information about the methodology, see: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RmQa5P-PNjY * The pattern of movements of a stream-resident population of brown trout (Salmo trutta L.) was investigated in the river Flamisell (Ebro basin, North East Spain) over an 11-month period (April 2013 - F...

A de novo transcriptome sequencing strategy (RNA-seq) was performed to identify Single Nucleotide Polymorphisms (SNPs) as suitable genetic markers of Salmo trutta expressed genes in muscle and telencephalon. The two tissues were obtained from 25 individuals of a wild population in the Flamisell River (Catalan Pyrenees). Samples were immediately fro...

Understanding animal behavior adaptation and its underlying molecular basis is an important role in evolutionary biology. “Upstream” stimulus behavior is defined as an exploratory impulse exhibited by a proportion of individuals that swim long distance upstream. This stimulus behavior has been considered a proxy for the most complex migratory behav...

The mobility pattern of brown trout related to the spawning season was studied in two reaches along the Noguera-Pallaresa River (NE Spain). One reach was located downstream of a hydroelectric plant presenting an altered flow regime with fluctuating daily flows (i.e. hydropeaking). The second reach was located upstream the hydropower plant and was c...

For more information about the methodology, see: https://youtu.be/dz0OMqHA1VY Abstract: The influence of pulsed discharges associated with hydroelectric power generation (i.e. hydropeaking) on feeding activity and diet composition of adult brown trout (Salmo trutta) was studied during the summer by comparing two sites: upstream (control site) and...

Physical habitat assessment techniques were originally developed to be used in decision-making framework for assessing the impacts of water development projects on aquatic ecosystems. However, the wider application of these techniques, at least in the European Union, now concerns the calculation of environmental flows. Spain is a good example of th...

This work reports for the first time in Spain the presence of the non-native salmonid Alpine charr, usually included into Salvelinus alpinus, but recently revised to Salvelinus umbla. The species was found in a high mountain lake in the Pyrenees belonging to the Garonne catchment (Lake Obago, Val d’Aran, province of Lleida). This is probably not a...

Since the end of the 20th century, some headwaters of rivers in the eastern Pyrenees have been designated as genetic refuges to protect remaining native brown trout (Salmo trutta) diversity. The declaration was based on limited or no evidence of genetic impact from released non-native Atlantic hatchery fish. Hatchery releases were completely banned...

The density and population structure of brown trout (Salmo trutta) were monitored during three years (2011-2013) in two sites of the Noguera Pallaresa River (Northeast Iberian Peninsula). The first one was located immediately below a hydropower plant and it was subjected to pulsed flow discharges (i.e. hydropeaking) on a daily basis for hydropower...

Fish communities of the estuarine areas of the Ter and Daró rivers is very similar to the closest estuarine area of the Fluvià-Muga. Compared to other Mediterranean estuaries such as the Ebro delta, the fish community of Ter-Daró is relatively poor. The missing species compared to the Ebro delta are mostly of marine colonization. Unlike the Ebro es...

Distribution and population characteristics of the ichthyofauna of the Montnegre i el Corredor Nature Park The distribution and population characteristics of the ichthyofauna of Montnegre Nature Park were studied between 1996 and 1998 in the Olzinelles, Montnegre, Fuirosos, Ramió, Vallmanya, Pineda and Vallalta streams. Three autochthonous species...

1. Introduced species often thrive in modified systems, although it is not clear whether they have negative effects on native biota that might also be present or, alternatively, occupy niches that have been left empty due to the original habitat modification. 2. We used 247 surveys of fish assemblages (48 species in all) in riverine reservoirs acro...

All Iberian populations of the genus Gobio have been ascribed to G. lozanoi to date. In northeastern (NE) Iberian catchments, the Gobio populations are not native and several species may have been involved in the introductions. To identify the species present, specimens were collected in several Ebro River and NE Iberian catchments. Their identific...

Las infraestructuras hidráulicas construidas en los ríos son elementos que dificultan los movimientos de los peces migradores y de otra fauna acuática y de ribera, produciendo en algunos casos el efecto de una barrera física sobre el continuo fluvial. El grado de afectación a las diversas especies de peces varía según sus respectivos requerimientos...

For more information about the methodology, see: https://youtu.be/dz0OMqHA1VY To test the influence of hydropeaking operations on summer feeding activity of brown trout (Salmo trutta), stomach fullness coefficient (SFC) and diet composition was examined at two study sites with very different flow regimes in the upper reaches of the river Noguera Pa...

Pseudorasbora parva (Temminck & Schlegel, 1846) has become an invasive fish in many parts of Europe. In the Iberian Peninsula, until now, P. parva has been recorded only from the Ebro and Ter Rivers, NE Spain. The first record in the Guadiana River basin (SW Spain) of P. parva is reported. The origin of the population is presumably an accidental in...

Nonnative brook trout are abundant in Pine Creek and its tributary, Bogard Spring Creek, California. These creeks historically provided the most spawning and rearing habitat for endemic Eagle Lake rainbow trout. Three-pass electrofishing removal was conducted in 2007–2009 over the entire 2.8-km length of Bogard Spring Creek to determine whether bro...

Fish passage assessment at the most downstream barrier of the Ebro River (NE Iberian Peninsula) Fish passage at artificial barriers is necessary for the conservation of healthy fish stocks. The first barrier that migratory fish encounter when ascending the Ebro River is the Xerta Weir, where a pool-type fishway was constructed in 2008. From 2007 to...

1. A multimetric Index of Biotic Integrity (IBI) based on fish data was developed to assess the ecological status of Iberian streams, in the context of the European Water Framework Directive. 2. Fish assemblages were determined by electrofishing at 114 sites from 10 basins of the Júcar River Basin District. The sampled streams were typical Mediterr...

Nonnative brook trout Salvelinus fontinalis are abundant in Pine Creek and its main tributary, Bogard Spring Creek, California. These creeks historically provided the most spawning and rearing habitat for endemic Eagle Lake rainbow trout Oncorhynchus mykiss aquilarum. Three-pass electrofishing removal was conducted in 2007–2009 over the entire 2.8-...

Implementation of the Water Framework Directive requires tools for measuring and monitoring the ecological status of aquatic ecosystems. Several indices are in use in the Iberian Peninsula, although there has been little comparison among them. We sampled the fish assemblage and limnological features of the Tordera stream (NE Spain) quarterly from S...

Ecology of the redtail barbel (Barbus haasi) and assessment of their conservation status in Catalonia The redtail barbel (Barbus haasi Mertens 1924) is an endemic fish from the Mediterranean basins of the Iberian Peninsula. This study was carried out in the Riera de Vallvidrera, a small tributary of the Llobregat River. The growth rate and longev...

The retention of visible implant (VI) tags was assessed in the cyprinid, Barbus haasi Mertens 1924, in a small stream. Tags were implanted in fish measuring 80-254 mm fork length. A partially clipped left pelvic fin was used as a mark to test tag retention in subsequent recaptures. After 84-310 days, overall retention was 30% (n = 1911). Fish <110...

Most adult Barbus haasi, at a 1950 m-long site in Vallvidrera creek, were highly sedentary and resided within a home range <20 m (32 m2), while a small group were more mobile. On successive sampling occasions, between 52·3 and 64·9% of fish were recaptured in the same 10-m-long section in which they had previously been captured. Movements over long...

We studied age, growth and reproduction of Barbus haasi, an endemic cyprinid of the Northeast Iberian peninsula, in a small Mediterranean stream of the Llobregat river basin. The females live for 8 years (7+) while the males only live for 7 years (6+). The males grow more slowly than the females; the maximum fork lengths observed were 153 mm in mal...