The effectiveness of non-native fish eradication techniques in freshwater ecosystems: a systematic review protocol

BACKGROUND: This systematic review will address the need for having a better understanding of the evidence-base for the effectiveness of different management techniques focussed on the eradication of non-native fish species in the freshwater environment. Many resource management agencies around the world attempt to eradicate non-native fish species to achieve management goals with respect to ecological integrity. There is a need to better understand the effectiveness of each management technique to provide resource managers with the information necessary to effectively manage aquatic resources, and to choose the best technique to yield desired outcomes given different ecological and biological conditions. The findings of this systematic review will inform evidence-based management and conservation activities for resource managers around the globe that deal with non-native fish eradication programs. METHODS: This systematic review will search for, compile, summarize, and synthesize evidence on the effectiveness of fisheries management techniques used for the eradication of non-native fish species in global freshwater systems. The review will use public search engines and specialist websites, and will include both primary and grey literature. All studies that assess the effectiveness of a fish eradication technique, in freshwater, will be included in the review. Potential effect modifiers will be identified to obtain a better understanding of the factors that affect the success of different eradication techniques, given different environmental conditions and biological factors. Study quality will be assessed to allow for critical evaluation, including study design, confounding factors and statistical analysis. Data will be compiled into a narrative synthesis and a meta-analysis will be conducted where data availability and quality allow.