Fish Communities of the Lamprey River Watershed Objectives Collect - - PowerPoint PPT Presentation

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Fish Communities of the Lamprey River Watershed Objectives Collect - - PowerPoint PPT Presentation

Apr 07, 2023 266 likes •542 views

Fish Communities of the Lamprey River Watershed Objectives Collect information on the status of Eastern Brook Trout in the Lamprey River Watershed and as part of an ongoing project using survey protocols developed for the Eastern Brook

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Fish Communities of the Lamprey River Watershed

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Objectives

Collect information on the status of Eastern Brook Trout in the Lamprey River Watershed and as part of an ongoing project using survey protocols developed for the Eastern Brook Trout Joint Venture.

Collect information on the distribution and status of fish species of concern, listed in New Hampshire’s Wildlife Action Plan, and recommend strategies to promote healthy populations and prevent declines of these species.

Collect baseline fish community data that will help monitor water and habitat quality throughout the Lamprey River

  • watershed. Identify species that may be used as indicators of

healthy water quality and good habitat.

Recommend potential conservation strategies that will protect aquatic habitats and promote water quality throughout the Lamprey River watershed.

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The Lamprey River watershed can be divided into 9 subwatersheds based on the USGS Hydrologic Unit Code (HUC) system.

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Survey Methods

  • Electrofishing surveys were

conducted at 105 sites.

  • Sample length was usually 100

meters.

  • All fish species were counted,

measured, and weighed.

  • Habitat features and potential impacts

were noted at each site.

Results

  • 25 different fish species were recorded.
  • A total of 4,226 fish were counted.
  • Fallfish, white suckers, and common

shiners were the most widespread and abundant species encountered.

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Common white sucker Golden shiner

Beaver Dam Upper North Branch River Old mill dam or road

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Unnamed tributary of the Little River

Abandoned beaver pond

Fallfish Brown bullhead

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North River looking upstream North River looking upstream Cobble/boulder substrate Gravel substrate

Longnose dace Blacknose dace

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Chain pickerel Pumpkinseed

North River Lamprey River in Raymond

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Creek chubsucker Yellow Perch Common shiner (top) and Fallfish (bottom) Margined Madtom

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Lamprey River Mainstem

Bunker Pond Dam

Smallmouth bass Redbreast sunfish Largemouth bass

Downstream

  • f dam
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Diadromous Fish Species of Concern in the Lamprey River Watershed

Sea lamprey American eel River herring

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Freshwater Fish Species of Concern in the Lamprey River Watershed

Banded Sunfish Swamp Darter Bridle Shiner Redfin Pickerel

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Map of SOC

Swamp Darter = Red Redfin Pickerel = Green Banded Sunfish = Yellow

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Bridle shiners appear to have been extirpated from a number of water bodies where their presence was recorded in the late 1930’s

Mill Pond (Oyster River)

Wheelright Pond (Lee)

Canobie Lake (Windham)

Merrimack River (Boscawen)

Heads Pond (Hooksett)

Jones Brook (Middleton)

Exeter River (Fremont)

Cocheco River (Farmington)

Lamprey River (Raymond)

Isinglass River (Barrington)

Examples of water bodies where bridle shiners appear to be extirpated Examples of water bodies where bridle shiners are still present

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Eastern Brook Trout Joint Venture

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Brook trout depend on spring fed streams in southeastern New Hampshire

Stratified drift aquifers in the Lamprey River Watershed Brook trout focus areas

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Rum Brook

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Aunt Mary Brook

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Depending on the source of groundwater, spring fed streams can be surprisingly resilient or extremely sensitive habitat. A driveway culvert and excavation within the stream channel resulted in subsurface flow downstream.

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Remaining catchments with less than 6% impervious surface coverage (blue) in the Lamprey River watershed. Existing conservation land is outlined in green.

  • A study in Maryland

showed that brook trout were not present in watersheds with greater than 4% impervious land cover.

  • A USGS study showed

impacts to aquatic invertebrates at impervious surface coverages of between 5 and 10%.

Land protection alone cannot prevent declines in aquatic habitat and water quality.

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Riparian Zones and Healthy Fish Communities

Removing vegetation along waterbodies results in:

  • Alterations to natural aquatic habitats
  • Increased water temperature
  • Increased pollution/sediment introduction rates
  • Reduction of stream bank stability
  • A loss of cover for fish and wildlife

Riparian buffers should range from 30 m to 300 m depending on the desired level of protection.

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Stream Crossing Design

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Stormwater Management

UNH Stormwater Center

  • 2005 Data Report shows that low impact development designs (LID)

performed better than traditional designs like retention ponds.

  • Porous asphalt reduces runoff and improves groundwater recharge.

Disconnecting stormwater runoff from headwater streams will have lasting benefits for aquatic habitats and water quality.

U.S. Forest Service publication: Environmentally Sensitive Road Maintenance

Practices for Dirt and Gravel Roads. Available: http://www.fs.fed.us/eng/pubs/pdf/11771802.pdf

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Impervious surfaces (red) and stream crossings (green) in the Lamprey River Watershed

Where to begin?

  • Stream crossing surveys
  • Stormwater outfall surveys
  • Riparian buffer mapping
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Education and Outreach

The Full Lamprey River Fish Survey Report is available on the Lamprey River Advisory Committee (LRAC) website.