1. Freshwater Matters
What’s happening at the FBA?
Inland Waters awarded impact factor
The journal Inland Waters, which is published by the FBA on behalf of the
International Society of Limnology (SIL), has just been awarded its first Impact
Factor. The Impact Factor (for 2012) is 1.533, which is an excellent start for a
new journal. If you are interested in reading papers published in the journal, the
plenary lectures from the previous Congress are available as open-access on the
journal website (Vol. 1 (1)), as are all Research Briefs; SIL members are entitled
to free access to other papers, with journal subscriptions also available for non-
SIL members and institutions. Visit the journal website for more details: https://
www.fba.org.uk/journals/index.php/IW.
Latest issue of Freshwater Reviews published
The latest issue of the FBA journal Freshwater Reviews (Vol. 6 (1)) has now been
published, with a paper by former FBA Director on family-level keys to freshwater
fly (Diptera) larvae. A list of contents and abstracts can be viewed online at:
https://www.fba.org.uk/journals/index.php/FRJ/issue/view/113. Full-text articles
can be downloaded by subscribers, with all articles made open access after 36
months. If you do not currently subscribe and wish to have access to the journal,
please email info@fba.org.uk or recommend the journal to your library at https://
www.fba.org.uk/journals/index.php/FRJ/user/recommendLibrary.
Gilson Le Cren Memorial Award 2014: £4000 grant for research from the FBA
Looking for a small research grant? Thanks to a bequest from the former FBA
Director, David Le Cren, the Hugh Cary Gilson Memorial Award has been re-
named the Gilson Le Cren Memorial Award. The award will continue to operate in
the same way, with an annual grant (up to £4000) given by the FBA to support
scientific research into freshwater biology. Applications for the 2014 award will
be accepted between 15 October and 15 November 2013. Application is open to
FBA members in good standing who joined the FBA on or before 1 July 2013. The
award will be made in April 2014 and last for a period of 12 months. Visit the FBA
website for terms and conditions, and more details about the application process
(http://www.fba.org.uk/gilson-le-cren-memorial-award).
Hire FBA facilities for your meeting, field-/training-course, or research
Looking for an inspiring venue for your conference, meeting or field course, or to
hire laboratory or experimental facilities? The FBA has a diverse range of facilities
available for hire at two sites in Dorset (the River Laboratory) and Cumbria
July 2013
Freshwater Matters is a monthly electronic bulletin of the most recent
freshwater news from around the world, compiled by the Freshwater Biological
Association (FBA). It includes updates of what is happening at the FBA and ways
to get involved.
Contents
What’s happening at the FBA?
This month’s articles
River dredging reduces fish numbers and diversity
Small dam construction to reduce greenhouse emissions is causing
ecosystem disruption
Farming carbon: study reveals potent carbon-storage potential of
human-made wetlands
Panama expects benefits from world’s first gm salmon
Current affairs make life hard for stickleback dads
Darwin’s frogs are in steep decline
Scientists turn to the streets for help in monitoring waterways
Mekong giant catfish under threat from new Xayaburi dam
Plunging fish numbers linked to dam releases
Blue Lake in Australia remains unchanged for 7,500 years

2. (Windermere). These include (but are not limited to) conference suites, office
facilities, laboratories, hatchery facilities, experimental channels, and access to
sites such as lowland chalk rivers (Dorset) and lakes/tarns (Cumbria). Facilities
are available for short or long-term use. For more information, please see our
website http://www.fba.org.uk/research-conference-facilities, or contact us by
email info@fba.org.uk or telephone (+44 (0)1929 405111 for Dorset,
+44 (0) 15394 42468 for Cumbria). We look forward to hearing from you!
This month’s articles
River dredging reduces fish numbers and diversity
Dredging rivers can reduce populations of fish and overall aquatic diversity
according to research published this month in the journal Freshwater Biology.
The study expands our understanding of the effects of dredging by explicitly
examining impacts on deeper sections of rivers.
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/06/130610113008.htm
Small dam construction to reduce greenhouse emissions is causing
ecosystem disruption
The construction of small dams to provide power and reduce greenhouse gas
emissions may be causing significant losses of habitat and biodiversity according
to results from a five year study. The study concludes that per megawatt hour the
impact of small dams can be far greater than that of a single large main channel
dam.
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/06/130618125114.htm
Farming carbon: study reveals potent carbon-storage potential of human-
made wetlands
As well as providing benefits to the wider environment by trapping agrochemicals,
artificial wetlands can play a key role in accumulating carbon according to
research published in the Journal of Environmental Quality. Researchers
studying two artificial wetlands next to agricultural land in Ohio found that they
accumulated carbon at a rate of one ton per year, far faster than even natural
wetland systems.
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/06/130620132116.htm
Panama expects benefits from world’s first gm salmon
This month, the US Food and Drug Administration is expected to licence a rapidly
growing strain of Atlantic salmon that would become the world’s first commercially
sold genetically modified animal.
http://www.enn.com/sustainability/article/46085
Current affairs make life hard for stickleback dads
The heavy rain this spring may have made life a little harder for male three-spined
sticklebacks. The male of the species constructs a nest of algae, sand and debris
glued together with a protein called “spiggin” that they produce in their kidneys.
However, the increased flow rates in rivers mean that the fish has had to construct
stronger nests, requiring more energy, which in turn may impact the number of
young they can produce.
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/06/130614082506.htm
Darwin’s frogs are in steep decline
A unique species of frog that swallows its young at the tadpole stage is at risk of
extinction according to research published in PLoS ONE. Darwin’s frog is found in
Chile’s temperate forests, however habitat loss and fragmentation has led to a
sharp decline in the species over the last decade.
http://news.yahoo.com/darwins-frogs-steep-decline-210200741.html
Scientists turn to the streets for help in monitoring waterways
A crowd sourcing project in the US aims to employ citizen scientists to help
monitor water levels across three states. The project, called CrowdHydrology,

3. provides people with a tool to collect information from gauging stations and report
it back to a central data store where it can be freely accessed by anyone. It is
hoped that the project will allow more detailed monitoring of rivers as traditional
funding sources are put under pressure.
http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2013-06/uab-stt061713.php
Mekong giant catfish under threat from new Xayaburi dam
A planned dam on the lower Mekong River threatens the survival of the Mekong
giant catfish according to a study commissioned by WWF. When constructed
the dam will form an impassable barrier to the fish, preventing it from reaching
spawning grounds. Although protected by a number of laws, populations of the
catfish have severely declined over the last decades and it is thought that the
project may push the species to extinction.
http://www.practicalfishkeeping.co.uk/content.php?sid=5780
Plunging fish numbers linked to dam releases
A significant decline in the number of fish in Australia’s Murray-Darling Basin may
be linked to the release of dam water that is too cold for species to breed in.
The research, published in Freshwater Biology, shows that 90% of golden perch
breed in unregulated rivers that naturally dry up in the hot summer months. This
contrasts with stretches of regulated river where the constant flow of cold water
may inhibit breeding and reduce the amount of available food.
http://esciencenews.com/articles/2013/06/11/plunging.fish.numbers.linked.dam.
releases
Blue Lake in Australia remains unchanged for 7,500 years
Some good news as a study in this month’s Freshwater Biology details the
remarkable history of Blue Lake, which according to historical records assembled
from fossils and algae, has remained in pristine condition for the last 7,500 years.
The stability of the lake over such a long period of time makes it almost unique
globally.
http://frenchtribune.com/teneur/1318545-blue-lake-australia-remains-
unchanged-7500-years
Please forward this bulletin to any of your colleagues who may be
interested!