SESSION C:

Title: The development and use of fish assemblage assessment tools for determining the ecological benefits of aquatic ecosystem restoration in Maine rivers

Authors: Brandon H. Kulik¹ and Chris O. Yoder^2
1Kleinschmidt Associates, 75 Main Street, Pittsfield , ME. (207) 487-3328. Brandon.Kulik@KleinschmidtUSA.com
²Midwest Biodiversity Institute, Center for Applied Bioassessment and Biocriteria, P.O. Box 21561, Columbus, OH. (614) 403-9592. db8177@dragonbbs.com

Abstract:

This paper outlines the development of indices of assemblage condition based on the concepts of the Index of Biotic Integrity (IBI) being pioneered on Maine’s large rivers. Ecological indicator assessments follow the original guidance of Karr et al. (1986). The approach is flexible as the same data can be used for other resource assessment and management purposes such as assessing restoration of diadromous fishes and ecological effects of altering habitat and habitat connectivity. The principal field sampling approach facilitates landscape-scale annual estimates of relative abundance for fish species for numerous sites located throughout reaches of even large rivers. Use of a single-gear method with known high collection efficiency uniformly measures the quality of the fish assemblage and correlates with other environmental and biological changes resulting from conservation and restoration practices. This approach has become a standard tool for assessing aquatic ecosystem quality, and biological responses to chemical, physical, and biological changes in the west and Midwest. Examples include Gammon (1973, 1976, 1994) in the Wabash River, the State of Ohio (Ohio EPA 1987; Yoder and Rankin 1995), the State of Wisconsin (Lyons et al. 2001), the Ohio River basin (Simon and Emery 1999; Emery et al. 2002), and large coldwater rivers of the Pacific northwest (Hughes and Gammon 1987; Mebane et al. 2001).

We initially sampled the fish community along 100 miles of the Kennebec River between Wyman Lake and Chops Point in Merrymeeting Bay. The initial dataset provided information describing mainstem fish assemblage response to removal of the Edwards Dam. Subsequent data are indicative of responses to water quality, nutrient enrichment, and habitat changes. Other differences were found in various fish community parameters along the lengths of the river, and display changes in trophic patterns following introduction of anadromous as well as non-indigenous species. Next steps in development of this approach include definition and delineation of reference condition, correspondence of species that may be present but not directly included in sampling data, and refining the definition of ecological metrics that are applicable to large Maine rivers. The U.S. EPA Biological Condition Gradient (Davies and Jackson 2006) is used to realte reference conditions to existing fish assemblages respond to change over both time and space.