Guidelines for characterizing fish habitat in wadeable streams of the Catskill Mountain Region, New York

Mulvihill, Christiane I.; Baldigo, Barry P.; Gallagher, A.S.; Eskeli, Phillip

doi:10.3133/ofr02484

Cited by 4 publications

(3 citation statements)

References 37 publications

(31 reference statements)

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“…Habitat conditions were characterized at each study reach shortly before or during corresponding fish community surveys using point-and-transect methods described by Mulvihill et al (2003). Habitat survey reaches were 20 MSWs in length (Meador et al 1993;Simonson et al 1993Simonson et al , 1994.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Response of Fish Populations to Natural Channel Design Restoration in Streams of the Catskill Mountains, New York

Baldigo

Warren

Ernst

et al. 2008

N American J Fish Manag

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Many streams and rivers throughout North America have been extensively straightened, widened, and hardened since the middle 1800s, but related effects on aquatic ecosystems have seldom been monitored, described, or published. Beginning in the early 1990s, reach-level restoration efforts began to base projects on natural channel design (NCD) techniques and Rosgen's (1994bRosgen's ( , 1996 river classification system in an effort to duplicate or mimic stable reference reach geomorphology. Four reaches in three streams of the Catskill Mountains, New York, were restored from 2000 to 2002 using NCD techniques to decrease bed and bank erosion rates, decrease sediment loads, and improve water quality. The effects of restoration on the health of fish assemblages were assessed through a before-after, control-impact (BACI) study design to quantify the net changes in population and community indices at treatment reaches relative to index changes at unaltered reference reaches from 1999 to 2004. After restoration, community richness and biomass at treatment reaches increased by more than one-third. Changes in fish communities were caused mainly by shifts in dominant species populations; fish community biomass and total fish abundance were generally dominated by daces or daces and sculpins before restoration and by one or more salmonid species after restoration. Density and biomass of eastern blacknose dace Rhinichthys atratulus, longnose dace R. cataractae, and slimy sculpin Cottus cognatus did not change appreciably, whereas net salmonid density and biomass increased substantially after restoration. These changes were driven primarily by large increases in populations of brown trout Salmo trutta. The findings demonstrate that the structure, function, and ultimately the health of resident fish populations and communities can be improved, at least over the short term, through NCD restoration in perturbed streams of the Catskill Mountains.

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Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Response of Fish Populations to Natural Channel Design Restoration in Streams of the Catskill Mountains, New York

Baldigo

Warren

Ernst

et al. 2008

N American J Fish Manag

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“…Information needed to estimate total sample area and general habitat conditions was collected at each study site generally following methods described in Mulvihill et al . The total length of each study reach was recorded along with wetted channel width at 10 equally spaced transects along the thalweg.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Potential estrogenic effects of wastewaters on gene expression in Pimephales promelas and fish assemblages in streams of southeastern New York

Baldigo

George

Phillips

et al. 2015

Enviro Toxic and Chemistry

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Direct linkages between endocrine-disrupting compounds (EDCs) from municipal and industrial wastewaters and impacts on wild fish assemblages are rare. The levels of plasma vitellogenin (Vtg) and Vtg messenger ribonucleic acid (mRNA) in male fathead minnows (Pimephales promelas) exposed to wastewater effluents and dilutions of 17a-ethinylestradiol (EE2), estrogen activity, and fish assemblages in 10 receiving streams were assessed to improve understanding of important interrelations. Results from 4-d laboratory assays indicate that EE2, plasma Vtg concentration, and Vtg gene expression in fathead minnows, and 17b-estradiol equivalents (E2Eq values) were highly related to each other (R 2 ¼ 0.98-1.00). Concentrations of E2Eq in most effluents did not exceed 2.0 ng/L, which was possibly a short-term exposure threshold for Vtg gene expression in male fathead minnows. Plasma Vtg in fathead minnows only increased significantly (up to 1136 mg/mL) in 2 wastewater effluents. Fish assemblages were generally unaffected at 8 of 10 study sites, yet the density and biomass of 79% to 89% of species populations were reduced (63-68% were reduced significantly) in the downstream reach of 1 receiving stream. These results, and moderate to high E2Eq concentrations (up to 16.1 ng/L) observed in effluents during a companion study, suggest that estrogenic wastewaters can potentially affect individual fish, their populations, and entire fish communities in comparable systems across New York, USA.

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“…Habitat conditions.-Habitat conditions were characterized at each study reach by using the point and transect methods described in Mulvihill et al (2003). The habitat study reaches were about 20 mean wetted channel widths in length (Meador et al 1993;Simonson et al 1993Simonson et al , 1994.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Effects of Natural‐Channel‐Design Restoration on Habitat Quality in Catskill Mountain Streams, New York

et al. 2010

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Stream restoration has received much attention in recent years, yet there has been little effort to evaluate its impacts on physical habitat, stability, and biota. A popular but controversial stream restoration approach is natural channel design (NCD), which cannot be adequately evaluated without a long-term, independent assessment of its effects on stream habitat. Six reaches of five Catskill Mountain streams in southeastern New York were restored during 2000-2003 following NCD techniques to decrease bed and bank degradation, decrease sediment loads, and improve water quality. Habitat surveys were conducted during summer low flows from 2001 to 2007. The effects of the NCD projects on stream condition were assessed via a before-after-control-impact study design to quantify the net changes in stream and bank habitat variables relative to those in unaltered control reaches. Analysis of variance tests of three different measures of bank stability show that on average stream stability increased at treatment sites for 2-5 years after restoration. Mean channel depth, thalweg depth, and the pool-riffle ratio generally increased, whereas mean channel width, percent streambank coverage by trees, and shade decreased. Habitat suitability indices for local salmonid species increased at four of six reaches after restoration. The changes in channel dimensions rendered them generally more characteristic of stabler stream forms in the given valley settings. Although these studies were done relatively soon after project completion, our findings demonstrate that habitat conditions can be improved in degraded Catskill Mountain streams through NCD restoration.

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Guidelines for characterizing fish habitat in wadeable streams of the Catskill Mountain Region, New York

Cited by 4 publications

References 37 publications

Response of Fish Populations to Natural Channel Design Restoration in Streams of the Catskill Mountains, New York

Response of Fish Populations to Natural Channel Design Restoration in Streams of the Catskill Mountains, New York

Potential estrogenic effects of wastewaters on gene expression in Pimephales promelas and fish assemblages in streams of southeastern New York

Effects of Natural‐Channel‐Design Restoration on Habitat Quality in Catskill Mountain Streams, New York

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