1. Fish Assemblages of the Wabash River Mark Pyron

2. Wabash River Fishes 1.Large river 2.High diversity 3.History of human impact 4.Fish assemblages respond to... 5.What are our goals?

3. Wabash River: a large river & significant natural ecosystem Longest free-flowing river east of Mississippi River 772 km rivertrek.org

4. Wabash River varies from narrow smaller upstream...

5. to downstream sandy beaches on insides of bends...

6. to vegetated riparian buffers.

10. Wabash River Fishes 1.Large river 2.High diversity 3.History of human impact 4.Fish assemblages respond to... 5.What next?

11. High fish diversity > 100 species

12. High fish diversity River carpsucker Freshwater drum Gizzard shad fishbase.org

13. High mollusk diversity 30+ mussels (18 extinct) > 9 gastropods inhs.illinois.edu

14. Wabash River Fishes 1.Large river 2.High diversity 3.History of human impact 4.Fish assemblages respond to... 5.What next?

15. James Gammon Depauw U Evaluated fish communities as biological indicators 1967 – 1998 Middle Section of Wabash River PSI (Duke) + Eli Lilly funded

16. Gammon showed: Fish assemblage quality decreased with impacts = agriculture + point source Poor fish assemblages 1967 – 1984 Improved point source treatment

17. Historic causes of degradation Pollution – Industrial point source – Municipal waste – Agricultural practices – Reservoir releases

18. Legislative Improvements Clean water act = decrease industrial pollution Agricultural programs = reduction in silt loss, nutrient loss Combined sewage overflows = improving

19. Wabash River Fishes 1.Large river 2.High diversity 3.History of human impact 4.Fish assemblages respond to... 5.What next?

20. Gammon Long term Wabash River Fishes: 1974-98

21. Index of Biotic Integrity

22. Discharge at Montezuma

23. Four large floods at Montezuma

24. Were there patterns with floods and fish abundances? No simple patterns with flood timing, duration, frequency, rise rate;

25. Were there patterns with floods and fish abundances? No simple patterns with flood timing, duration, frequency, rise rate; Patterns with other hydrology variables = 90-day max, low pulse number

26. Species richness higher with gravel substrate and depth variation

27. Fish assemblages respond to... Point source pollution Disturbance = floods, droughts Habitat quality

28. Current issues Nutrient release – Sewage treatment plants – Agriculture toxics.usfs.gov

29. Current issues Hydrologic alterations – Reservoir release does not mimic natural flow regime – Agriculture: fields drain rapidly, causing fluctuation in rivers flickr.com

30. Current issues Hydrologic alterations – Majority of streams – Increased minimum flows, decreased maximum flows, increased fall rates, decreased high pulse count, increased zero flow days

31. Current issues Riparian zone quality – Degraded with erosion Floodplain connections – Downstream reaches – Off-channel habitats connected with flooding – Fishes, plants – Soil improvement wesselmannaturesociety.org

32. Current issues Invasive species – Common carp – Silver and bighead carp – Grass carp – Zebra mussels – Others?

33. Wabash River Fishes 1.Large river 2.High diversity 3.History of human impact 4.Fish assemblages respond to... 5.What next?

34. Collaborative restoration projects BMPs across watershed

35. BMPs Successful at small scales High cost at scale of entire watersheds streams.osu.edu

36. Collaborative restoration projects BMPs across watershed Rehabilitate off-channel habitat

37. Off-channel habitat can be productive for fishes – Degraded from siltation – Isolation from main channel Reconnect to main channel by removing barrier or adjusting hydrograph nishurs.blogspot.com

38. Collaborative restoration projects BMPs across watershed Rehabilitate off-channel habitat Reconnect floodplains

39. Significant plant, macroinvertebrate, and fish production sites Remove levees Modify hydrograph / dam release regime stacey.peak-media.co.uk

40. Collaborative restoration projects BMPs across watershed Rehabilitate off-channel habitat Reconnect floodplains Dam release modification – Successful elsewhere – Before / after details?

41. Dam release modification Predicted to improve ecosystem health > 20 successful projects in US – Green River, Kentucky – Bill Williams River, Arizona – Savannah River, Georgia – Tallapoosa River, Alabama flickr.com

42. Best strategy for Wabash River: combination of projects Increase BMPs Dam release modification Gravel supplements Reconnect off-channel habitat Riparian improvements Monitor for results or modify activities

43. Can we create new collaborative Wabash River projects?