Download or read book Effects of Dam Removal on Fish Communities and Habitat in the Sandusky River Ohio written by Taylor E. Sasak and published by . This book was released on 2021 with total page 0 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In 2018, the Ballville Dam was removed from the Sandusky River, Ohio. The removal of the dam was expected to reconnect areas of upstream habitat, restore fish passage, and improve the fish community. To assess the quantity and quality of available walleye spawning habitat post-dam removal, a habitat suitability index (HSI) model was developed. Model results indicated that there is more walleye spawning habitat upstream of the former dam. Electrofishing surveys were conducted during the spring of 2020 and 2021 (to assess migratory fish passage above the dam) and during summer 2020 (to assess the resident fish community). Walleye were captured upstream of the dam during the 2021 spawning run. Overall, walleye and white bass catch rates and spawn run strengths were lower in post-assessments compared to values seen pre-dam removal. The results of the 2020 post-assessment suggest that the quality of the resident fish community has declined across the study area since the 2009 pre-assessment. However, changes in habitat quality between assessments were less apparent. This study documents the short-term effects of dam removal on river conditions and the fish community post-dam removal.

Download or read book The Challenges of Dam Removal and River Restoration written by Jerome V. DeGraff and published by Geological Society of America. This book was released on 2013-02-01 with total page 214 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: "River restoration is a societal goal in the United States. This collection of research articles focuses on our current understanding of the impacts of removing dams and the role of dam removal in the larger context of river restoration. The papers are grouped by topic: (1) assessment of existing dams, strategies to determine impounded legacy sediments, and evaluating whether or not to remove the dam; (2) case studies of the hydrologic, sediment, and ecosystem impacts of recent dam removals; (3) assessment of river restoration by modifying flows or removing dams; and (4) the concept of river restoration in the context of historical changes in river systems"--Provided by publisher.

Download or read book Short term Consequences of Lowhead Dam Removal for Fish Community Dynamics in an Urban River System written by Alayna C. Dorobek and published by . This book was released on 2016 with total page pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Shifts in assemblage composition and species richness were not accompanied by changes in the relative abundance of top predators, intermediate, or basal species; however, these metrics might not capture important shifts in trophic guilds that could have implications for other food-web properties. Similar to species richness, network connectivity (i.e., link density, connectance) decreased significantly at the Olentangy River upstream actively restored reach following dam removal (paired t-test: connectance – t = -6.46, p = 0.023; link density – t = -13.54, p = 0.005) and did not return to pre-dam removal levels. Whereas link properties decreased on the Scioto River experimental reaches in the year following dam removal, they increased to pre-dam removal levels by second year (linear mixed models: connectance – F2,12 = 8.38, p = 0.005; link density – F2,12 = 42.26, p

Download or read book The Effect of Dredging on Fish Communities in Agricultural Streams in Crawford Sandusky and Seneca Counties of Ohio written by Justin D. Selden and published by . This book was released on 2013 with total page 110 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Agricultural streams provide infrastructure for flood control and are periodically straightened and dredged to maintain their efficiency to drain farm land. These streams also serve as headwaters and may provide important spawning and refuge habitat for native fish. Twenty study sites were selected in Sandusky, Crawford and Seneca counties (Ohio) and sampled for habitat and fish community variables in June and September during each of four years (2008-2011). Sites had to (1) be surrounded by agricultural land, (2) likely hold water in the summer, (3) lack canopy cover, (4) represent varying times since last dip-out, and (5) have landowner permission for access. I included streams from both lake plain and morainal regions. Measures of stream morphology, time-since-last-dredging and selected habitat variables were correlated with fish community metrics such as abundance, richness, Simpson's Index, Shannon Diversity, and Index of Biotic Integrity. Fish communities were assessed using block seines in 50 m stream segments. Captured fish were identified to species, counted, assigned to an age class, inspected for gravidity and DELT, and released outside of the sampling segment downstream to prevent recapture. A total of 38,074 individual fish were sampled belonging to 35 species. Fathead minnow (10,068), creek chub (5,252), bluntnose minnow (4,737), central stoneroller (4,185), blacknose dace (3,942), blackstripe topminnow (3,803) and Johnny darter (1474) were most common and comprised 88% of the total fish catch. Non-native fish (wild goldfish, common carp, and mosquitofish) comprised only 0.1% of the total abundance. Adult fish data were combined into a June and September dataset to produce a more robust dataset and minimize pseudo replication. Channel morphology, expressed per site as the coefficient of variation of 11 wetted-stream width measurements (CoV-H) correlated weakly with year-since-last-dip-out (r=0.35, p=0.11) with a non-linear regression predicting only 14% of the variation. The coefficient of variation of 11 maximum water depth measurements (CoV-V) did not correlate with year-since-last-dip-out. Only IBI was significantly linked with CoV-V for the combined June and the combined September data (r=53, p=0.02; r=0.60, p=0.01, respectively). Using a non-parametric approach (Mann-Whitney), sites in morainal regions displayed a significantly higher CoV-V (z=3.08; p=0.002), whereas the difference in CoV-H approached significance (z=1.79; p=0.074). Lake plain and morainal sample sites did not differ in their year-since-last-dip-out (z=0.80; p=0.424) and IBI was the only fish community variable that was significantly higher in morainal streams than in lake plain sites for June and September (z=2.43; p=0.015 and z=2.28; 0.023, respectively). Cluster analysis did not produce obvious groupings based on physiography, location in the watershed or season of sampling. The fish community composition in each stream, however, is impacted by a multitude of biotic and abiotic factors that are difficult to separate. Agricultural streams provide habitat to a great number of fish and a substantial number of native species. Such environmental considerations should be considered in the management of these man-made streams.

Download or read book Aquanomics written by Randy Simmons and published by Routledge. This book was released on 2017-07-28 with total page 427 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Water is becoming increasingly scarce. If recent usage trends continue, shortages are inevitable. Aquanomics discusses some of the instruments and policies that may be implemented to postpone, or even avoid, the onset of water crises. These policies include establishing secure and transferable private water rights and extending these rights to uses that traditionally have not been allowed, including altering in-stream flows and ecosystem functions. The editors argue that such policies will help maximize water quantity and quality as water becomes scarcer and more valuable. Aquanomics contains many examples of how this is being accomplished, particularly in the formation of water markets and market-like exchanges of water rights.Many observers see calamity ahead unless water supplies are harnessed and effectively conserved, and unless water quality can be improved. It is also clear that declining water quality is a serious problem in much of the world, as increasing human activities induce high levels of water degradation. Those who voice these concerns, argue the contributors to this volume, fail to consider the forces for improvement inherent in market political-economic systems that can address water issues. The contributors see water quality in economically advanced countries as improving, and they believe this establishes the validity of market-based approaches.

Download or read book Assessment of Fish and In stream Habitat Responses to Dam Removal on the Middle Fork New River written by Nick Campany and published by . This book was released on 2023 with total page 0 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: "Small dams are common throughout the southeastern United States. With push for increased stream connectivity dam removals are becoming popular but, little is known about the removal of small dam removals. The removal of dams on high gradient streams has not been studied often, long term studies are even less common. This study assesses a dam removal comparing data collected in 2014 to data collected in 2023. The Payne Branch Dam on the Middle Fork of the New River was deconstructed in Summer 2020, nearly 50 years after it was decommissioned. The Middle Fork New River historically supported populations of over 20 fish taxa, including several species endemic to the New River Drainage. Fish surveys in 2014, identifying 1,524 fish revealed that 15 species occurred in the Middle Fork upstream from the dam including small, localized populations of two endemics, Kanawha minnow (Phenacobius teretulus) and Toungetied minnow (Exoglossum laurae). This study evaluated the recovery of fish populations in response to the removal of this barrier. In 2023, 1,420 fish were sampled using a backpack electrofishing unit and measured habitat parameters (channel width, depth, flow and substrate composition) to assess recolonization at 4 historically- sampled sites (2 upstream and 2 downstream from the former dam site) as well as 2 new sites: the tailrace, beginning just downstream of the old dam site, and along Boone Greenway becoming the most downstream site. In the impoundment, channel depth and width decreased post-removal whereas velocity and substrate coarseness increased substantially. Habitat conditions in the tailrace and at our upstream reference sites remained largely unchanged. However, increases in fine sediment (primarily sand) and decreased depth was observed at sites further downstream in the Middle Fork. Post removal sampling in the former impoundment revealed that fish communities are composed of species associated with high-gradient habitats. Additionally, communities at upstream reference sites appear largely unchanged following dam removal. Previous sampling shows New River endemics have not been detected upstream of the former dam since 2014. Spring 2023 sampling demonstrated that this is still true, indicating trans-locations may be needed to promote recovery of upstream communities."--Abstract

Download or read book Nearshore Restoration Associated with Large Dam Removal AndI Implications for Ecosystem Recovery and Conservation of Northeast Pacific Fish written by J. Anne Shaffer and published by . This book was released on 2017 with total page pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This dissertation addresses the relationship between large-scale dam removal and the nearshore ecosystem function for fish. The work is based on almost a decade's worth of collaborative field work in the nearshore of the largest dam removal in the world recently completed on the Elwha River. The data analyzed span seven years prior to, during, and throughout the first year of each dam removal (January 2008 to November 2015). As of September 2015, approximately 2.6 million m3 of sediment material increased the area of the Elwha delta to over 150 ha. Long term study of fish in the estuary reveals fish community response to dam removal, and indicates likely interactions in the nearshore between hatchery and wild fish, including chum salmon critical to watershed recovery. Continued hatchery releases may therefore further challenge chum salmon recovery, and this interaction should be considered when planning for future watershed recovery. Community analysis revealed that, while species richness and taxonomic diversity do not appear to have a significant response to dam removal, functional diversity in the nearshore does respond significantly to dam removal. Three main shifts occurred in the nearshore: large scale and rapid creation of estuary habitats; delivery of large amounts of sediment to the delta/estuary in a short period of time, and; a shift in original habitats from tidally influenced to non-tidally influenced habitats resulted in changes in estuary function. Changes in functional diversity occur disproportionately in the new sites, which have more unstable, and so less resilient, communities. Functional diversity in the original estuary sites appears to be more resilient than in the newly created sites due to the large-scale environmental disruption that, ironically, created the new sites. However, the functional diversity at the original sites may be defined in part by management activities, including hatcheries that could mute/mask/inhibit other community responses. Further, functional diversity at the newly formed nearshore areas is predicted to stabilize as the habitats are vegetated and mature. Principal components analysis of Elwha fish community over the course of this study reveals that the fish communities of the Elwha are predictably grouped, indicating that while a few new species are observed, dam removal has not resulted in observable disruptions in fish community assemblages. And finally, nearshore habitats are critical for many forage fish species, and an emerging topic for large-scale dam removals. Forage fish spawning response to dam removal appears to be complex and may be related to multiple factors including high interannual variability in physical habitat conditions, geographic factors and complex life histories of forage fish. Habitat suitability for forage fish spawning should increase as restored ecosystem processes and newly created habitats mature and stabilize, indicating that time may be an important factor in nearshore restoration for forage fish spawning. It is therefore important to implement long-term monitoring and incorporate nearshore ecosystem process and function for multiple life history stages of nearshore species, including forage fish, into large-scale dam removal restoration and management planning.

Download or read book Effects of Dam Removal on Resident Fish Movement in Cijiawan River Taiwan written by Chia-Hsiu Chen and published by . This book was released on 2012 with total page 50 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Freshwater fish change their movement patterns in response to natural or anthropogenic changes in habitat. Dam removal, a major restoration practice to restore river longitudinal connectivity, can affect river habitat with changes in flow regimes and morphological changes due to the sudden release of dam-trapped sediments. In Taiwan, a mid-size dam, Cijiawan #1 dam, was removed in 2011 to provide access to upstream habitat for the endangered target species, Taiwan salmon (Oncorhynchus masou formosanus). A three-phase radio telemetry tracking experiment was conducted to identify the movement patterns before, during and after dam removal. Some tagged fish were also displaced downstream to observe homing behavior. The movements of non-displaced fish showed reduced movement over time and persistence of location which indicates that the influence of disturbance due to capture and tagging was temporary. Displaced fish showed significant long distance movement toward their original home range immediately after release, but became as sedentary as non-displaced fish over time. The displaced fish homing behavior was limited by the barrier effect before dam removal, but daily movements and total absolute stream distance covered both increased after dam removal as fish began accessing upstream habitat. During the dam removal phase, fish below the dam moved very little when the heavy machinery was in the stream and then made long distance movements when upstream habitat was accessible after deconstruction. The rapid response of Taiwan salmon in this study confirmed that the new habitat opened by the dam removal project could be utilized almost immediately, but the sensitivity to habitat degradation indicates that extra attention to short-term habitat impacts should be considered for future stream restoration practices.

Download or read book Monitoring Fish community Contaminant Body Burdens Following Lowhead Dam Removal in an Urban River System written by Robert Paul Davis and published by . This book was released on 2017 with total page pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Recent increases in lowhead dam removals have prompted research on ecological and geomorphic river responses, yet contaminant dynamics following dam removals are poorly understood. We investigated changes in sediment concentrations and fish-community body burdens of mercury (Hg), selenium (Se), polychlorinated biphenyls (PCB), and chlorinated pesticides before and after two lowhead dam removals in the Scioto and Olentangy Rivers (Columbus, Ohio). We related these changes to documented shifts in fish food-web structure. We surveyed seven study reaches that included two controls, upstream and downstream (of previous dams), and restored vs. unrestored upstream reaches. For most contaminants, fish-community body burdens declined following dam removal and converged across study reaches by the last year of the study in both rivers. Aldrin and dieldrin body burdens in the Olentangy River declined more rapidly in the upstream-restored vs. the upstream-unrestored reach, but were indistinguishable by year three. No upstream-downstream differences were observed in body burdens in the Olentangy River, but aldrin and dieldrin body burdens were 138 and 148 % higher, respectively, in downstream reaches than in upstream reaches of the Scioto River following dam removal. The strongest relationships between trophic position and body burdens were observed with PCBs and Se in the Scioto River, and with dieldrin in the Olentangy River. Food-chain length – a key measure of trophic structure – was only weakly related to aldrin body burdens, and unrelated to other contaminants. Overall, we demonstrate that lowhead dam removal may effectively reduce ecosystem contamination. This study presents some of the first findings documenting ecosystem contamination following dam removal and will be useful in informing future dam removals.

Download or read book Degradation Ecological Restoration and Adaptive Management of Estuarine Wetlands under Intensifying Global Changes written by Tian Xie and published by Frontiers Media SA. This book was released on 2023-04-04 with total page 279 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:

Download or read book Federal Register written by and published by . This book was released on 2014 with total page 140 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:

Download or read book The Abundance and Distribution of Fish Communities in the Middle Ohio River written by Brandon Harris Kulik and published by . This book was released on 1978 with total page 140 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:

Download or read book Abstracts from the Conference on Great Lakes Research written by and published by . This book was released on 2007 with total page 252 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:

Download or read book The Impact of a Small Dam on Fish Community Composition and Structure in the Ottawa River Ohio written by Amanda Irene Arceo and published by . This book was released on 2005 with total page 86 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:

Download or read book Wild Ohio written by and published by . This book was released on 2009 with total page 200 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:

Download or read book Sandusky Bay Pre restoration Fish Community written by Kelsi Wygant and published by . This book was released on 2022 with total page 0 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Sandusky Bay is both a valuable nursery for important sport and commercial fishes like Walleye and White Bass, and a degraded system with excessive sediment and nutrient inputs from the agricultural watershed. Proposed restorations could alter the bay from a uniformly turbid system to one capable of supporting submerged aquatic vegetation and accompanying changes in the fish community. The current bay conditions support rapid growth of larval and juvenile Walleye and Yellow Perch, but it also harbors Channel Catfish and Walleye fisheries. With the potential changes in habitat through restoration, I aimed to quantify the abundance and composition of large fish predators (piscivores) before proposed restoration begins, so the possible impacts to the bay as a nursery habitat can be assessed. Fish abundance was determined in early June 2021 when larval and juvenile fishes are in the bay. Using Dual Frequency Identification Sonar (DIDSON) and accompanying software, I quantified the abundance of fishes in Sandusky Bay (i.e., dividing the bay into four sectors, with multiple recordings in each sector). Due to species-specific size distributions, I divided the observations into size classes (100-250mm, 251-450mm, >451-mm total length (TL)) and then coupled these with proportions of species by size class from experimental gillnet sets in each sector to obtain abundance by species. By using the areal estimator in the ODNR Coastal Viewer and correcting for actual depth of water surveyed, I extrapolated these densities to determine that there were 29.6 ℗ł 9.3 million (mean ℗ł 1SE) fish >100mm TL in Sandusky Bay at the time we sampled. Gizzard Shad dominated the system (46% of all fish), but notably ~4.1 million Channel Catfish and ~2.9 million Walleye inhabit the bay. With absolute numbers, bioenergetic models may be built to predict community-wide impacts to larval and juvenile fishes and predict how restoration may affect this fish community.

Download or read book Pennsylvanian Sharon Formation Past and Present written by and published by . This book was released on 2003 with total page 104 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: