Counteracting chemicals used in fishery operations: current technology and research
Abstract not submitted to date
Special Publication↗
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Distribution and density of bird species hazardous to aircraft
Only in the past 5 years has it become feasible to map the relative abundance of North American birds. Two programs presently under way and a third that is in the experimental phase are making possible the up-to-date mapping of abundance as well as distribution. A fourth program that has been used successfully in Europe and on a small scale in parts of North America yields detailed information on breeding distribution. The Breeding Bird Survey, sponsored by the U.S. Bureau of Sport Fisheries and Wildlife and the Canadian Wildlife Service, involves 2,000 randomly distributed roadside counts that are conducted during the height of the breeding season in all U.S. States and Canadian Provinces. Observations of approximately 1.4 million birds per year are entered on magnetic tape and subsequently used both for statistical analysis of population trends and for computer mapping of distribution and abundance. The National Audubon Society's Christmas Bird Count is conducted in about 1,000 circles, each 15 miles (24 km) in diameter, in the latter half of December. Raw data for past years have been published in voluminous reports, but not in a form for ready analysis. Under a contract between the U.S. Air Force and the U. S. Bureau of Sport Fisheries and Wildlife (in cooperation with the National Audubon Society), preliminary maps showing distribution and abundance of selected species that are potential hazards to aircraft are presently being mapped and prepared for publication. The Winter Bird Survey, which is in its fifth season of experimental study in a limited area in Central Maryland, may ultimately replace the Christmas Bird Count source. This Survey consists of a standardized 8-kilometer (5-mile) route covered uniformly once a year during midwinter. Bird Atlas programs, which map distribution but not abundance, are well established in Europe and are gaining interest in America
Book chapter↗
Eastern Ecological Science Center — Fish and aquatic animal health
Science provided by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) Eastern Ecological Science Center (EESC) helps to protect fish and aquatic animal health and support disease management of our Nation’s fisheries and aquatic animal populations. Our capabilities and expertise span diverse, yet highly integrated disciplines related to all aspects of biology, ecology, and animal health. Our scientists work to identify novel and emerging pathogens and diseases to assess fish and aquatic animal responses to parasites, pathogens, adverse environmental conditions, and chemical exposures. Eastern Ecological Science Center research is conducted both in laboratories and in the field in various aquatic environments ranging from headwater streams to the ocean. The EESC team provides science leadership and support for fisheries and aquatic species specialists nationwide.
Fact Sheet↗
Status and trends in the Lake Superior fish community, 2020
The Lake Superior fish community within Management Unit WI-2 was sampled in July 2020 with daytime bottom trawls at 11 nearshore stations. The 11 locations sampled were long-term monitoring sites that had been annually sampled since 1974. In 2020, the number of species collected at each site ranged from 0 to 13, with a mean of 6.3 and median of six. All comparisons to 2020 results were limited to past collections from Management Unit WI-2. Mean total biomass was 10.5 kg/ha which was similar to the average observed over the past 10 years (10.3 kg/ha), less than averages over the past 20 and 30-years, 15.3 and 19.8 kg/ha respectively, and higher than the average observed from 1974-84 (4.7 kg/ha). Average biomass in 2020 was highest for Bloater (6.2 kg/ha), Lake Whitefish (2.3 kg/ha), and Cisco (0.9 kg/ha). Rainbow Smelt biomass averaged 0.3 kg/ha. Year-class strength, as measured by age-1 densities, was well below the 5, 10, and 25-year averages for Bloater, Cisco, Lake Whitefish and Rainbow Smelt. Bloater averaged 1 age-1 fish/ha, Cisco, 0.2 age-1 fish/ha, Lake Whitefish, 15 age-1 fish/ha, and Rainbow Smelt 6 age-1 fish/ha. Cisco survival to age-1 has been near non-existent since the 2014- and 2015-year classes and the last moderate sized year class was in 2009. This lack of survival has yet to be adequately explained and continues to be a major concern of fishery managers due to Cisco’s importance in ecosystem dynamics and value to the commercial fishery.
Lake Superior↗
Application of a putative alarm cue hastens the arrival of invasive sea lamprey ( Petromyzon marinus ) at a trapping location
The sea lamprey Petromyzon marinus is an invasive pest in the Laurentian Great Lakes basin, threatening the persistence of important commercial and recreational fisheries. There is substantial interest in developing effective trapping practices via the application of behavior-modifying semiochemicals (odors). Here we report on the effectiveness of utilizing repellent and attractant odors in a push–pull configuration, commonly employed to tackle invertebrate pests, to improve trapping efficacy at permanent barriers to sea lamprey migration. When a half-stream channel was activated by a naturally derived repellent odor (a putative alarm cue), we found that sea lamprey located a trap entrance significantly faster than when no odor was present as a result of their redistribution within the stream. The presence of a partial sex pheromone, acting as an attractant within the trap, was not found to further decrease the time to when sea lamprey located a trap entrance relative to when the alarm cue alone was applied. Neither the application of alarm cue singly nor alarm cue and partial sex pheromone in combination was found to improve the numbers of sea lamprey captured in the trap versus when no odor was present — likely because nominal capture rate during control trials was unusually high during the study period. Behavioural guidance using these odors has the potential to both improve control of invasive non-native sea lamprey in the Great Lakes as well as improving the efficiency of fish passage devices used in the restoration of threatened lamprey species elsewhere.
Michigan↗
Characterization of ecological risks at the Milltown Reservoir-Clark Fork River Sediments Superfund Site, Montana
A comprehensive field and laboratory approach to the ecological risk assessment for the Milltown Reservoir-Clark Fork River Sediments Site, a Superfund site in the Rocky Mountains of Montana, has been described in the preceding reports of this series. The risk assessment addresses concerns over the ecological impacts of upstream releases of mining wastes to fisheries of the upper Clark Fork River (CFR) and the benthic and terrestrial habitats further downstream in Milltown Reservoir. The risk characterization component of the process integrated results from a triad of information sources: (a) chemistry studies of environmental media to identify and quantify exposures of terrestrial and aquatic organisms to site-related contaminants; (b) ecological or population studies of terrestrial vegetation, birds, benthic communities, and fish; and (c) in situ and laboratory toxicity studies with terrestrial and aquatic invertebrates and plants, small mammals, amphibians, and fish exposed to contaminated surface water, sediments, wetland soils, and food sources. Trophic transfer studies were performed on waterfowl, mammals, and predatory birds using field measurement data on metals concentrations in environmental media and lower trophic food sources. Studies with sediment exposures were incorporated into the Sediment Quality Triad approach to evaluate risks to benthic ecology. Overall results of the wetland and terrestrial studies suggested that acute adverse biological effects were largely absent from the wetland; however, adverse effects to reproductive, growth, and physiological end points of various terrestrial and aquatic species were related to metals exposures in more highly contaminated depositional areas. Feeding studies with contaminated diet collected from the upper CFR indicated that trout are at high risk from elevated metals concentrations in surface water, sediment, and aquatic invertebrates. Integration of chemical analyses with toxicological and ecological evaluations of metal effects on the wetland and fishery has provided an important foundation for environmental decisions at this site.
Montana↗
A systematic surveillance programme for infectious salmon anaemia virus supports its absence in the Pacific Northwest of the United States
In response to reported findings of infectious salmon anaemia virus (ISAV) in British Columbia (BC), Canada, in 2011, U.S. national, state and tribal fisheries managers and fish health specialists developed and implemented a collaborative ISAV surveillance plan for the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. Accordingly, over a 3-1/2-year period, 4,962 salmonids were sampled and successfully tested by real-time reverse-transcription PCR. The sample set included multiple tissues from free-ranging Pacific salmonids from coastal regions of Alaska and Washington and farmed Atlantic salmon ( Salmo salar L.) from Washington, all representing fish exposed to marine environments. The survey design targeted physiologically compromised or moribund animals more vulnerable to infection as well as species considered susceptible to ISAV. Samples were handled with a documented chain of custody and testing protocols, and criteria for interpretation of test results were defined in advance. All 4,962 completed tests were negative for ISAV RNA. Results of this surveillance effort provide sound evidence to support the absence of ISAV in represented populations of free-ranging and marine-farmed salmonids on the northwest coast of the United States.
Pacific Northwest↗
Application of genetic stock identification and parentage-based tagging in a mixed-stock recreational chinook salmon fishery
Genetic methods can guide and improve the management of recreational mixed-stock fisheries by informing stock-specific estimates of harvest. We applied genetic stock identification and parentage-based tagging to a recreational Chinook Salmon Oncorhynchus tshawytscha fishery in the Columbia River to illustrate the value of genetic analysis in management. We sampled landed catch in 2017 and 2018, assigned the fish to genetic reporting groups, explored temporal trends in harvest composition within and between seasons, and assessed the accuracy and precision of genetic methods against estimates from conventional tagging methodology. The genetic stock identification and parentage-based tagging produced concordant stock assignments, and the harvest composition estimates were validated with independent data. High assignment rates, relative to expended sampling effort, and precise harvest composition estimates with adequate sample sizes demonstrate that both genetic methods can be complementary, effective tools in advancing harvest assessment and recreational fisheries management. The success of genetic stock identification and parentage-based tagging supports the expanded application of genetics to similar fisheries, potentially alongside existing or emerging assessment methods, and guides future improvements in data collection and analysis.
Oregon, Washington↗
Crims Island habitat restoration in the Columbia River estuary-fisheries monitoring and evaluation, 2004
No abstract available
Report↗
Assessment of interim flow water-quality data of the San Joaquin River restoration program and implications for fishes, California, 2009-11
After more than 50 years of extensive water diversion for urban and agriculture use, a major settlement was reached among the U.S. Departments of the Interior and Commerce, the Natural Resources Defense Council, and the Friant Water Users Authority in an effort to restore the San Joaquin River. The settlement received Federal court approval in October 2006 and established the San Joaquin River Restoration Program, a multi-agency collaboration between State and Federal agencies to restore and maintain fish populations, including Chinook salmon, in the main stem of the river between Friant Dam and the confluence with the Merced River. This is to be done while avoiding or minimizing adverse water supply effects to all of the Friant Division contractors that could result from restoration flows required by the settlement. The settlement stipulates that water- and sediment-quality data be collected to help assess the restoration goals. This report summarizes and evaluates water-quality data collected in the main stem of the San Joaquin River between Friant Dam and the Merced River by the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation for the San Joaquin River Restoration Program during 2009-11. This summary and assessment consider sampling frequency for adequate characterization of variability, sampling locations for sufficient characterization of the San Joaquin River Restoration Program restoration reach, sampling methods for appropriate media (water and sediment), and constituent reporting limits. After reviewing the water- and sediment-quality results for the San Joaquin River Restoration Program, several suggestions were made to the Fisheries Management Work Group, a division of the San Joaquin River Restoration Program that focuses solely on the reintroduction strategies and health of salmon and other native fishes in the river. Water-quality results for lead and total organic carbon exceeded the Surface Water Ambient Monitoring Program Basin Plan Objectives for the San Joaquin Basin, and results for copper exceeded the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Office of Pesticide Programs' aquatic-life chronic and acute benchmarks for invertebrates. One sediment sample contained detections of pyrethroid pesticides bifenthrin, lambda-cyhalothrin, and total permethrin at concentrations above published chronic toxicity thresholds.
California↗
Survey evaluation of Florida’s freshwater fisheries long-term monitoring program
Natural resource monitoring programs benefit from routine evaluation. Here, Florida’s statewide Freshwater Fisheries Long-Term Monitoring (LTM) program is used to show how stakeholder surveys can be integral to this process. In 2022, an online questionnaire was sent to internal stakeholders, i.e., state agency personnel who collect, enter, or use freshwater fisheries data for fisheries and habitat management purposes. The survey’s primary objective was to evaluate the program at its 15-year mark; secondary objectives were to compare results with a similar survey conducted at the 4-year mark, compare results among respondents based on experience and functional role, and develop recommendations for strategic initiatives to further improve the program. The survey consisted of 43 questions across six sections of program evaluation: demographics; field sampling; data entry, summary, and reporting; management decision support; programmatic views; and additional input. Respondents generally had positive views of the LTM program, but the survey revealed differences among respondents with different functional roles (e.g., fisheries researchers and managers viewed the decisional value, priority, and sample sizes of LTM data more favorably than habitat managers) while highlighting high-priority future initiatives (e.g., database development). Our results demonstrate the utility of stakeholder surveys as an important step in evaluating monitoring programs.
Florida↗
Mycobacterial infection in Northern snakehead ( Channa argus ) from the Potomac River catchment
The Northern snakehead, Channa argus (Cantor), is a non-native predatory fish that has become established regionally in some temperate freshwater habitats within the United States. Over the past decade, Northern snakehead populations have developed within aquatic ecosystems throughout the eastern USA, including the Potomac River system within Virginia, Maryland and Washington, D.C. Since this species was initially observed in this region in 2002, the population has expanded considerably (Odenkirk & Owens 2007 ). In the Chesapeake Bay watershed, populations of Northern snakehead exist in the lower Potomac River and Rappahannock Rivers on the Western shore of the Bay, and these fish have also been found in middle or upper reaches of river systems on the Eastern shore of the Bay, including the Nanticoke and Wicomico Rivers among others. Over the past several years, many aspects of Northern snakehead life history in the Potomac River have been described, including range and dispersal patterns, microhabitat selection and diet (Lapointe, Thorson & Angermeier 2010 ; Saylor, Lapointe & Angermeier 2012 ; Lapointe, Odenkirk & Angermeier 2013 ). However, comparatively little is known about their health status including susceptibility to parasitism and disease and their capacity to serve as reservoirs of disease for native wildlife. Although considered hardy by fisheries biologists, snakehead fish have demonstrated susceptibility to a number of described piscine diseases within their native range and habitat in Asia. Reported pathogens of significance in snakehead species in Asia include snakehead rhabdovirus (Lio-Po et al . 2000 ), aeromonad bacteria (Zheng, Cao & Yang 2012 ), Nocardia (Wang et al . 2007 ) and Mycobacterium spp . (Chinabut, Limsuwan & Chantatchakool 1990 ; ). Mycobacterial isolates recovered from another snakehead species ( Channa striata ) in the previous studies have included M. marinum and M. fortuitum , as identified through molecular-based diagnostics (Puttinaowarat et al . 2002 ). We have conducted health screenings of Northern snakehead from the Potomac River system over the past several years and have detected few associated pathogens. Typical observations have largely consisted of incidental identification of parasitism with protozoal, monogenean or trematode organisms (unpublished data). We have also identified largemouth bass virus (LMBV) in clinically normal Northern snakehead collected from the Potomac River (Iwanowicz et al . 2013 ). Continued research concerning these and other pathogens of this introduced species is important to fully understand the potential impacts of these fish on indigenous wildlife and aquatic ecosystems.
Potomac River, Pohick Bay↗
Trawl-based assessment of Lake Ontario pelagic prey fishes including Alewife and Rainbow Smelt
Managing Lake Ontario fisheries in an ecosystem-context, requires reliable data on the status and trends of prey fishes that support predator populations. We report on the community and population dynamics of Lake Ontario pelagic prey fishes, based on bottom trawl surveys. We emphasize information that supports the international Lake Ontario Committee’s Fish Community Objectives. In 2016, 142 bottom trawls were collected in U.S. waters, and for the first time 46 trawls were conducted in Canadian waters. A total of 420,386 fish from 24 species were captured. Alewife were 89% of the total fish catch and 93% of the pelagic prey fish catch. The Rainbow Smelt abundance index in U.S. waters increased slightly in 2016 relative to 2015. Interestingly, the Rainbow Smelt abundance index from tows in Canadian waters was 35% higher than the U.S. index. Abundances of Threespine Stickleback and Emerald Shiners in both U.S. and Canadian waters were low in 2016 relative to their peak abundances in the late 1990s, but Cisco abundance indices suggest a recent increase in their abundance. This year, the reported Alewife abundance time series was truncated to only include values since 1997, which were collected with the same trawl and eliminated the need to adjust values for different trawls. The 2016 adult Alewife abundance index was the second lowest abundance ever observed in the time series. This value was expected to decline from the 2015 value since the indices of juvenile Alewife were low in 2014 and the lowest ever observed in 2015. The fall condition index of adult Alewife increased in 2016 and is consistent with lower abundance and reduced competition for zooplankton resources. The 2016 Age-1 Alewife index increased relative to 2014 and 2015, and suggested lake conditions were favorable for Age-1 survival and growth during the summer of 2015 and the 2015-2016 winter. Interestingly, the catch of adult and Age1 Alewife was higher in trawls conducted in Canadian waters relative to U. S. waters. The larger trawl catches in Canadian waters suggest there may be important spatial differences in lake-wide distribution of prey fishes in April when trawling is conducted. Future surveys should to continue to sample at the whole-lake scale to understand the year to year variability in spatial distribution and the physical or biotic factors driving those distribution differences.
Report↗
Hubbard Glacier, Alaska: growing and advancing in spite of global climate change and the 1986 and 2002 Russell Lake outburst floods
Hubbard Glacier, the largest calving glacier on the North American Continent (25 percent larger than Rhode Island), advanced across the entrance to 35-mile-long Russell Fiord during June 2002, temporarily turning it into a lake. Hubbard Glacier has been advancing for more than 100 years and has twice closed the entrance to Russell Fiord during the last 16 years by squeezing and pushing submarine glacial sediments across the mouth of the fiord. Water flowing into the cutoff fiord from mountain streams and glacier melt causes the level of Russell Lake to rise. However, both the 1986 and 2002 dams failed before the lake altitude rose enough for water to spill over a low pass at the far end of the fiord and enter the Situk River drainage, a world-class sport and commercial fishery near Yakutat, Alaska.
Fact Sheet↗
Tributary-stream infiltration in Marsh Creek Valley, north-central Pennsylvania
The geohydrology of infiltration from five tributary streams along a 3.6-mile reach of Marsh Creek valley in north-central Pennsylvania was investigated during 1983-85. Marsh Creek valley is underlain by up to 100 feet of stratified drift that overlies Devonian bedrock. The stratified drift is overlain by up to 30 feet of alluvial-fan deposits near the tributary streams. Four of the five tributary streams lose large amounts of water to the stratified-drift aquifer in Marsh Creek valley. Along reaches away from the valley wall, infiltration losses from the streams averaged about 2 cubic feet per second per 1,000 feet of wetted channel length. Estimated hydraulic conductivity of the deposits near these streams ranges from 31 to 100 feet per day and averages 61 feet per day. Silty beds of lower permeability near the streams may significantly affect infiltration. The low permeability of the sediments near the fifth stream, which probably consist largely of fine-grained alluvium and swamp deposits, may account for the lack of infiltration losses along this stream. Tributary-stream infiltration accounted for more than 70 percent of the estimated recharge to the stratified-drift aquifer along the reach investigated during water year 1985, in which annual precipitation was below average. The sources of recharge and their estimated rates were: (1) direct infiltration of precipitation on the valley, 1.7 cubic feet per second; (2) unchanneled runoff and ground-water inflow from the uplands, 2.7 cubic feet per second; and (3) tributary-stream infiltration from Asaph Run, 3.7 cubic feet per second, Straight Run, 3.7 cubic feet per second, Dantz Run, 1.2 cubic feet per second, and Canada Run, 1.9 cubic feet per second. The temporal variation in recharge from tributary-stream infiltration greatly affects drawdowns caused by pumping from the wellfield at the National Fisheries Research and Development Laboratory near Straight Run.
Pennsylvania↗
The Detroit River, Michigan: an ecological profile
A part of the connecting channel system between Lake Huron and Lake Erie, the Detroit River forms an integral link between the two lakes for both humans and biological resources such as fish, nutrients, and plant detritus. This profile summarizes existing scientific information on the ecological structure and functioning of this ecosystem. Topics include the geological history of the region, climatic influences, river hydrology, lower trophic-level biotic components, native and introduced fishes, waterfowl use, ecological interrelationships, commercial and recreational uses of the river, and current management issues. Despite urbanization, the river still supports diverse fish, waterfowl, and benthic populations. Management issues include sewer overflows; maintenance dredging for navigation and port activities; industrial discharges of potentially hazardous materials; and wetland, fishery, and waterfowl protection and enhancement.
Biological Report↗
Habitat Suitability Index Models: American eider (breeding)
INTRODUCTION The common eider (Somateria mollissima) consists of five subspecies; four are found in North America (Palmer 1976). Six management populations of common eiders have recently been defined in eastern Canada and the United States (Reed and Erskine 1986). The American edier (S. mollissima dresseri), of which three populations are recognized (Reed and Erskine 1986), is the southernmost subspecies and the focus of this paper. The common eider is a member of the order Anseriformes, family Anatidae, and the tribe Mergini. A seabird of the northern latitudes of the world, the common eider is the largest duck of North America, ranging in weight from 1.2 to 2.8 kg and having a total length from 53.3 to 68.6 cm (Bellrose 1980). The American subspecies averages 2.0 kg and 61.0 cm for males, and 1.5 kg and 57.0 cm for females (Bellrose 1980). The drake is distinctly patterned,, having a white back and breast and a black belly and sides. The smaller female is brown and heavily barred with dark brown. Both sexes have a leathery extension of the bill which forms a Y-shaped frontal shield that reaches almost to the eyes. Maine, which supports part of the Atlantic population of common eiders (Reed and Erskine 1986), is the only major eider breeding population in the lower 48 States. American eiders are colonial nesters and use a variety of nesting sites, but they prefer relatively small, uninhabited islands (Mendall 1976). The coastal islands of Maine, which are essential to the eider's life cycle, are increasingly subjected to recreation and development, creating potential disturbances to eider breeding colonies. During recent years, aesthetic and sporting interest in eiders has increased. Sea ducks in Maine are experiencing increased hunting pressure. Compared to hunting seasons and bag limits for inland ducks, sea duck seasons and limits are liberal (Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife [MDIFW] 1983).
FWS/OBS↗