Data from: Direct and indirect effects of a fishing ban on lacustrine fish community do not result in a full recovery

Protected areas are increasingly being promoted as an important means of protecting freshwater biological diversity and ecological processes. A robust assessment of ecological changes in protected areas is fundamental to optimize conservation policies and adaptive management. China's efforts to establish aquatic reserves have attracted worldwide attention, especially the "10-year fishing ban" implemented in the Yangtze River basin. We focused on Liangzi Lake, a freshwater protected area in the Yangtze River basin, to understand the effect of a fishing ban occurring after a short period of overfishing. In this aim, the time series of fish community taxonomic and functional structure encompassing the overfishing period and a post-ban period have been analyzed. Fish community metrics with direct, indirect, and no responses to fishing bans were identified. The results indicate that in the early period of the fishing ban, the trophic level and body size structure of the fish community were in the way of recovery. However, species that prefer benthic habitats did not recover after fishing-induced habitat degradation. Functional traits were more sensitive than taxonomic indices and revealed subtle community changes, such as the recovery of some ecological functions, despite a non-recovering species richness. Synthesis and applications. This study provides a rare case of a freshwater protected area in which the effects of conservation measures are studied with a temporal survey. The effectiveness of the functional trait approach in the application of protected area assessment was demonstrated by revealing the recovery of trophic level and body size structure of fish communities after the implementation of the fishing ban and the inadequacy of habitat restoration efforts. We suggest that in freshwater protected areas, insistence on a fishing ban is necessary but not sufficient for full biodiversity recovery, and other measures are needed, such as habitat restoration and species-focused stocking.保护地（Protected Areas）正日益被推崇为保护淡水生物多样性与生态过程的重要手段。对保护地生态变化开展稳健评估，是优化保护政策与适应性管理（Adaptive Management）的核心基础。中国设立水生生物保护区（Aquatic Reserves）的举措备受全球关注，尤以长江流域实施的“十年禁渔”为甚。本研究聚焦长江流域淡水保护地梁子湖，旨在探究短期过度捕捞后实施禁渔令的生态效应。为此，本研究对覆盖过度捕捞期与禁渔后时期的鱼类群落分类学与功能结构时间序列展开分析，识别出对禁渔令存在直接、间接及无响应的鱼类群落指标。研究结果显示，禁渔初期鱼类群落的营养级与体型结构呈现恢复态势；然而，因捕捞活动导致栖息地退化后，偏好底栖生境（Benthic Habitats）的鱼类物种并未实现恢复。功能性状（Functional Traits）较分类学指标更为敏感，即便物种丰富度未获恢复，仍能揭示群落的细微变化——例如部分生态功能的恢复。研究总结与实践启示：本研究通过长期时序调查，为淡水保护地保护措施的效应评估提供了罕见的实证案例。本研究通过揭示禁渔实施后鱼类群落营养级与体型结构的恢复情况，以及栖息地修复工作的不足，验证了功能性状方法在保护地评估中的应用有效性。本研究建议，在淡水保护地中，坚持禁渔虽为必要条件，但不足以实现生物多样性的全面恢复，还需辅以栖息地修复、针对性物种放流等其他措施。

搜集汇总

背景与挑战

背景概述

该数据集基于长江流域梁子湖淡水保护区的研究，分析了过度捕捞后实施禁渔令对鱼类群落的直接和间接影响。研究发现，禁渔初期鱼类群落的营养级和体型结构部分恢复，但底栖栖息地物种因栖息地退化未恢复；功能性状分析显示生态功能有所恢复，而物种丰富度未恢复，表明禁渔措施对生物多样性恢复不充分，需结合栖息地恢复等其他措施。