effects of management strategies on fish distribution in
TRANSCRIPT
EFFECTS OF MANAGEMENT
STRATEGIES ON FISH
DISTRIBUTION IN MICHAUX
STATE FOREST
Sam Albright, Hunter Yaukey, Aaron Lorenz, Maddison Steinberger, Theo Light
Shippensburg University
Salvelinus
fontinalis
INTRODUCTION
▪ Stream ecosystem management in
Michaux State Forest is intended to
improve habitat for aquatic species,
especially Brook Trout (DCNR 2018)
▪ Management strategies have included
▪ Liming of acidified reaches
▪ Removing or improving culverts
▪ Adding large woody materials →
▪ Questions:▪ Do these enhance fish diversity and
Brook Trout abundance?
▪ Do they increase the abundance of
non-native Brown Trout?
METHODS
▪ Sampled 8 sites in the Mountain Creek drainage in summer/fall 2020
▪ Electrofished 50-m reaches, single pass
▪ Fish identified, measured (total length) and released
▪ Measured pH, specific conductance, water temperature and alkalinity
RESULTS
▪ 10 fish species were identified in the study
(up from 6 in 2013, Wingerter 2014)
▪ The highest biodiversity was found at lower elevation sites with higher pH and alkalinity
Spearman’s ρ = -0.72 P = 0.046
ns
ns
RESULTS
▪ Brook Trout were found at all 8 locations →
▪ Most abundant at sites lacking Brown Trout
▪ Abundance was inversely related to stream width
▪ Brown Trout were found at 4 sites
▪ Range increased since 2013
▪ Most abundant at a site restored with LWD
Spearman’s ρ = -0.67 P = 0.066
Brook Trout by stream width
DISCUSSION
▪ The 10 species found in the study exhibit
fair biodiversity for these mountain streams
▪ It is encouraging that Brook Trout were
sampled at every site, although in the sites
where Brown Trout were found the Brook
Trout had lower abundance
▪ Brook Trout are a high conservation priority
for Michaux State Forest and Pennsylvania
▪ Stream restoration can have mixed
effects if it enhances populations of competitively dominant non-native
species such as Brown Trout
FUTURE OF RESEARCH
▪ Continue to sample additional sites in the Michaux
▪ Focus on locations above and below culvert replacements
▪ Revisit these locations regularly to identify trends
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS AND LITERATURE CITED
Many thanks to the Council on Student Research & Creative Activities at Shippensburg University for
awarding a research grant for the project.
Thanks to Dr. Light for being our faculty advisor on the project.
Thanks to Madison Steinberger and Aaron Lorenz who both helped conduct the project but have since
graduated.
Literature cited
DCNR. 2018. Michaux State Forest Resource Management Plan (SFRMP).
(Michaux_DSFRMP_FINAL) 150 pp. Available at elibrary.dcnr.pa.gov.
Fost BA and Ferreri CP. 2015. Preference and avoidance pH of brook trout Salvelinus
fontinalis and brown trout Salmo trutta exposed to different holding pH, Journal of Fish
Biology 87(2): 494-501.
Wingerter, N. 2014. Impacts of direct application liming on biodiversity in three mountain
streams in south-central Pennsylvania. MS Thesis submitted to the Department of Biology,
Shippensburg University, Shippensburg, PA. 47 pp.