International Journal of Aquaculture, 2025, Vol.15, No.4, 175-183 http://www.aquapublisher.com/index.php/ija 180 Figure 2 Fish sampling sites in Hog Island and South Bay seagrass meadows in the Virginia Coast Reserve (VCR) along the Atlantic coast of Virginia (USA) (gray, extent of seagrass in 2012; purple, extent of seagrass in 2018; points, sampling sites; colored points, presence [blue] and absence [orange] of seagrass at sampling sites when fish surveys began in 2012). Some sites that were initially unvegetated became vegetated during the study period (e.g., bottom left inset) (Adopted from Hardison et al., 2023) Figure 3 Mean (±standard error) (A) abundance of all fishes and mobile decapods by site type; (B) abundance of all fishes and mobile decapods per sampling event for each treatment type over time (shading = 95% CI); (C) biomass of all fishes and mobile decapods by site type; and (D) biomass of all fishes and mobile decapods per sampling event for each treatment type over time (shading = 95% CI). Letters represent significant differences among treatment types, as determined by Tukey HSD post hoc tests (p < 0.05) (Adopted from Mahoney et al., 2021) 6.2 Improvement of biodiversity and ecological functions With the recovery of fish populations, the overall biodiversity and ecological functions of aquatic ecosystems have also been improved. Healthy fish can restore the multi-level transmission effect of the ecological chain and regulate downstream resources such as algae and invertebrates. During the restoration of important wetlands such as Poyang Lake, the recovery of fish resources has promoted the regression of waterfowl and other biological species, forming an ecological pattern of symbiosis of multiple species. China's Yangtze River Research found that the fishing ban has increased the population of top predators such as the Yangtze River porpoise. The prosperity of this symbolic species means that the basic productivity and food chain of the entire ecosystem are connected. In addition, the recovery of fish has also improved the purification function of river wetland water bodies. Fish feeding behavior can promote the recycling of organic and nutrients, help maintain clear water
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy MjQ4ODYzNA==