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The
health of a stream can be assessed by finding out just exactly what organisms are living in it.
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The
first fish survey on Chartiers Creek was conducted on the
section by the Idlewood Wetlands across from Rosslyn
Industrial Park in the summer of
1999. Aquatic life specialist Robert Ventorini, with
Civil and Environmental Consultants, Inc. used an
"electro fishing" device that allows collection
without killing.. Aided by volunteers, 97 fish were
caught and 17 species identified.
"This
was quite surprising and encouraging," said
conservationist Mickey Bannon, one of the volunteers, who had
expected only four or five species. Ventorini said the wide
range of fish showed that the waterway was making a
comeback.
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The
largest sized fish were the carp (15") and a freshwater
drum (10").
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About 600 feet of the creek was sampled over
a half hour. Of the 97 fish, 25% were the intermediate
pollution-tolerant emerald shiner, 18% were common carp, and
18% were greenside darter. A couple very young smallmouth
bass, which apparently had been reproduced naturally from
spawning, shows that the creek is indeed fishable for sport
catch and return.
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Three
fish species cannot tolerate pollution at all.
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Two of these
pollution intolerant
species had more than one catch: 2 longnose dace, 5 northern
hogsucker, and 1 banded darter. Nearly two-thirds of the fish
were "intermediate tolerant" while only a quarter of
the population (carp, chub, sucker, bluntnose minnow and
bullhead) could tolerate large amounts of pollution.
The
latest fish survey was performed this past summer. How
does it compare to the first and subsequent surveys? Has
more aquatic habitat been created or have there been setbacks
since hurricane Ivan? How has the dredging of Chartiers
Creek by the Army Corps, which removes vital habitat, affected
the health and variety of aquatic organisms living there?
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