R1/R4 (Northern/Intermountain Regions) fish and fish habitat standard inventory procedures handbook

Abstract

management activities on fish and fish habitat. This requires an understanding of the conditions, processes, and interactions between the human, aquatic, riparian, and terrestrial features at multiple landscape scales. Data characterizing fish and fish habitat are required to complete these evaluations. Such data must be standard to compare and contrast across the landscape from fine to broad scale.This handbook describes the standard inventory procedures for collecting fish habitat and salmonid fish species data for streams managed by the Northern Region (R1) and Intermountain Region (R4) of the Forest Service. The inventory defines the structure (pool/riffle, forming features), pattern (sequence and spacing) and dimensions (length, width, depth, area, volume, and so forth) of fish habitat; describes species composition, distribution, and relative abundance of salmonid species; and facilitates the calculation of summary statistics for habitat descriptors.A standard core-set of fish habitat variables and their measurement protocols helps the user observe and contrast fish population and habitat status and condition across multiple landscape scales. The successful implementation of site-specific projects, watershed analyses, and PACFISH standards and guidelines require standard data elements for extrapolation and monitoring and must fall within the constraints of personnel and budgets. Moreover, a standarized data collection system is the only affordable (time and funds) approach for applying research and decision support tools and transferring information across broad geographical areas and to a diverse group of resource specialists and managers.

Habitat Use of the Tuxedo Darter (Etheostoma lemniscatum) at Macrohabitat and Microhabitat Spatial Sclaes

“…Substrate was visually classified according to the modified Wentworth scale as either sand (<2 mm), gravel (2-64 mm), cobble (64-256 mm), boulder (256-5 12 mm), or bedrock (solid rock). Habitat was visually identified as run, riffle, and pool at each point as well (Overton et al 1997). Discharge was available through USGS real-time online data from nearby gauging stations.…”

An Analysis of Potential Stream Fish and Fish Habitat Monitoring Procedures for the Inland Northwest: Annual Report 1999.

“…Inventoried reaches were usually delineated by tributary junctions or changes in reach type, channel type, or management (Overton et al 1997). Thus, reach lengths and the number of channel units therein, depended upon local geologic features or management boundaries rather than prespecified sample size requirements.…”

“…These are thoroughly described in Overton et al (1997) and are briefly reviewed here. All streams were surveyed during summer baseflows.…”

“…For example, a statistically significant water temperature increase would have greater biological significance for coldwater fishes in a stream that is near the upper limit of their thermal tolerance when compared to a stream that is much cooler. It would be preferable from both a biological and legal standpoint to be able to assess biologically and statistically significant changes when monitoring (Adler 1995 (Overton et al 1997) to collect fish and fish habitat data for a wide variety of purposes ranging from baseline data collection to impact assessment. Although sampling objectives may have varied, the R1/R4…”

Challenges in Aquatic Physical Habitat Assessment: Improving Conservation and Restoration Decisions for Contemporary Watersheds

“…Percent cover is calculated by dividing the number of steps within each category by the total number of steps. An even more rapid method, employed for fish habitat inventories [39] simply assesses whether the dominant vegetation cover type in a surveyed stream reach is wooded (trees) or meadow (herbaceous plants and shrubs). The former cover type has the potential to supply large quantities of woody debris (habitat) to the stream channel, while the latter does not.…”