Using instream stationary antennas to monitor the movements of warm water fishes in a reach of stream bisected by a culvert

<p>In this study I investigated the differences in the non-migratory movement patterns of six fish species in a 280m reach of stream bisected by a culvert (impeded), and a 300m reach of stream with no movement barriers (unimpeded). This study took place between July 1, 2018 and November 14, 2018 in Raccoon Creek, Paulding County, Georgia. I used 12mm passive integrated transponder tags and four instream stationary antennas to monitor the movements 429 fishes. The antennas redetected 262 of the 429 individuals (61.1%), and 48% of fishes were redetected more than 10 times. The proportion of tagged individuals detected by species ranged from 53.3% (<em>Lepomis auritus</em>) to 90% (<em>Hypentelium etowanum</em>). The proportion of detected fishes that moved at least 150m in the unimpeded reach ranged from 41% for <em>L auritus</em> to 100% for <em>Moxostoma duquesni</em>. A multi-state model was implemented to estimate the probability of weekly upstream and downstream movement in the unimpeded reach (upstream= 0.11, 95% CI = 0.08 - 0.16, downstream= 0.07, 95% CI = 0.04 - 0.10), and in the impeded reach (upstream= 0.01, 95% CI = 0.001 -0.04, downstream= 0.01, 95% CI = 0.004-0.02). The patterns of movement observed in this study suggest that conservation managers should consider movements of 150m as a potentially frequent weekly occurrence for the species monitored, and other closely related fishes. This study demonstrates the potential long-term impact a culvert can have on the natural movement patterns of stream fishes.</p>

Name thesis:degree_name

Master of Science in Integrative Biology (MSIB)

Level thesis:degree_level

Thesis

Discipline thesis:degree_discipline

Biology

Year dc:date.available

2019

Author dc:creator

• Commins, William

Contributors dc:contributor

• Herman Ray, Ph. D.
• Troy Mutchler, Ph. D.

• Fish Movement
• Culvert
• PIT tags
• HDX Instream Antennas
• Multi-state model
• Biology
• Integrative Biology

Repository record dc:identifier

https://digitalcommons.kennesaw.edu/integrbiol_etd/46

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:digitalcommons.kennesaw.edu:integrbiol_etd-1048