1. Michael Sorge Wisconsin Dept. of Natural Resources

2. Focus of Presentation  Biological Monitoring Activities-  Impacts of Nutrients on Aquatic Biology

3. Monitoring Activies  Water Chemistry Sampling (Volunteers)  Fish Surveys- (wadable and nonwadable)  Macroinvertebrate Sampling- (wadable and nonwadable)  Habitat Surveys- (Qualitative and Quantitative)

4. Biological Sampling Methods

5. Wadable Macroinvertebrate Sampling

6. Non-Wadable Macroinvertebrate Sampling

7. Macroinvertebrates Good MIBI, HBI, FBI, higher %EPT Poor MIBI, HBI, FBI, low %EPT  “Good” indicator species of water quality  Mayfly  Stonefly  Caddis Fly  Crane Fly  “Poor” indicator species of water quality  Gammarus  Assellus  Chironomids  “Blood Red” Chironmids

8. Electrofishing

9. Backpack Shocking

10. Stream Boat Shocking

11. Miniboom Shocking

12. Cold Water Species  Trout Species  Mottled Sculpin

13. Warm water Species (non-game)  Redhorse- (Silver, Golden, Shorthead, etc.)-  Darters- (Johnny, Banded, Least, Fantail, etc.)

14. Warmwater species- (non-game)

15. Species of Lower Yahara River- (“Gamefish & Panfish”)

16. Fish Species  Intolerant(s)  Smallmouth Bass  Brook Trout  Slenderhead Darter  Redhorse spp.  Mottled Sculpin  Tolerant(s)  Common Carp  White Sucker  Creek Chub  Bullhead spp.  Central Mudminnow  Green Sunfish

17. Fish Index of Biotic Integrity (IBI)  Warm Water IBI  0-100 Scale  0-19 Very Poor  20-30 Poor  30-49 Fair  50-64 Good  65-100 Excellent  Cold Water IBI  0-100 Scale  0-20 Poor  30-50 Fair  60-80 Good  90-100 Excellent

18. Volunteer Monitoring DATA

19. Value of Citizen Based Nutrient Monitoring  Collection of P data across watershed in one growing season. 6x’s/yr.(TIME/$)  TP criteria, exceedances listing can occur. (0.075 mg/l, large river 0.1 mg/l)  Two year cycle 303d listing.  Biological confirmation, that TP is having a impact on biology.  Your TP sampling is critical and very much APPRECIATED!!!!

20. Volunteer WQ /Nutrient Data Historical locations 2013-2016

21. Streams or Rivers with Excessive Phosphorus  What are the IMPACTS!

22. Impacts  Degradation of available Habitat  Increase in Aquatic Plant Growth  Increase in Filamentous Aglae growth  Increase in Blue Green Algae production  Large Diurnal Dissolved Oxygen Swings  Changes in Macroinvertebrate Communities

23. Impacts cont’d (Fish)  Change in Fish community ( I  T)  Decrease in Diversity and Species Richness  Loss of specialized species (top carnivores and lithophilous spawners)  Increase Abundance/biomass of tolerant species  Loss or change in Age structure  Growth Rates and condition factor

25. Habitat loss - Can affect both Fish and Macroinvertebrates

26. Excessive Macrophyte Growth

27. Blue- Green Algae

29. Filamentous Algae

30. Dissolved Oxygen Sampling

31. Diurnal Dissolved Oxygen Swings  Excessive Swings from 2 mg/l- 20 mg/l  Highly vulnerable to fish kill conditions  Creates habitat/environment for “generalists” species.  Decline in aquatic communities and structure. (Intolerant  Tolerants), decrease in species diversity.

32. DO Diurnal Swings

33. Dissolved Oxygen Fish Tolerance

34. Changes in Community Structure Intolerants    Tolerants Mayfly, Stonefly, and Caddis Fly (EPT’s) Assellus, Gammarus, and Chironmids

35. Changes in Community Structure Intolerant    Tolerant

36. Fish Surveys- Index of Biotic Integrity Sampling (IBI’s) WWIBI, COLD IBI, & COOL IBI Large River IBI  Wadable  Nonwadable

40. Any Questions? Phone- (608) 275-3247 Email- michael.sorge@wisconsin.gov