Effects of Management Strategies on fish distribution in ...

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.