Barriers to Movements of Aquatic Organisms
Kyle Bradford, Ethan McElwain, Bradley Stewart
Problem Statement:
Barriers influence populations of aquatic organisms by restricting or altering their movement through the Lake Champlain Basin.
Purpose Statement:
We intend to quantify the extent to which barriers in the Lake Champlain Basin (LCB) affect the movement of aquatic organisms through the ecosystem, guided by the Lake Champlain Relative Environmental Risk Assessment (LC/RERA). Data produced will identify sources that restrict or alter movement, and determine habitat types that are influenced by barriers.
Justification:
Barriers that disrupt the flow of water in the LCB influence the movement of aquatic organisms. These barriers may include dams, culverts, roads, and other man made structures. These barriers are of concern because they pose complications for species that need to migrate up and/or downstream in the basin. One example is the landlocked Atlantic salmon that needs to migrate to spawning sites. Lake sturgeon populations may be affected because they also migrate for spawning (NYSDEC, 2011). Another example is native mussels, which move upstream in their juvenile stages.
Dams and associated reservoirs also have impacts on water flow. Urban areas may also play a role in water flow. An increase or decrease in water flow could impact the movement of aquatic organisms (Berry, Bryant, & Wilkinson, 2006).
It is important to understand the risk of barriers to aquatic organism movement in the LCB because barriers may have impacts on recreational and commercial fishing. There could also be impacts to the functionality of the Lake Champlain ecosystem as well as other ecosystems throughout the basin such as tributaries of the Lake. Dams are important for hydroelectric power production but it is necessary to understand the impacts that dams may have on aquatic species so that ways to allow passage of aquatic species of concern can be implemented at dam sites if necessary.
It is important to understand the risk of aquatic organism movement in the basin in order to understand how new dam, road, and culvert projects can potentially affect aquatic organism movement. This assessment will show which areas in the basin are at high, medium, and low risk for affecting aquatic organism movement. Land planners and managers can use this assessment to determine where barriers should not be implemented or where management to allow for un-fragmented waterways should be considered at barriers that already exist.
Literature Review:
1. Conserving Lake Champlain’s Biodiversity
http://www.nature.org/wherewework/northamerica/states/vermont/files/lake_champlain_biodiversity_report.pdf
This document produced by The Nature Conservancy outlines tasks associated with the removal of barriers to aquatic organisms, with a focus on conserving biodiversity.
2. Vermont Fish and Wildlife Aquatic Organism Passage Webpage
http://www.vtfishandwildlife.com/fisheries_AOP.cfm
This website offers State of Vermont Fish and Wildlife Department data, helpful links, and contacts concerning aquatic organism passage, in a user friendly format.
3. Maine Stream Connectivity Workgroup Webpage
http://www.state.me.us/spo/coastal/coastal-habitat-restoration.htm
This website details stream connectivity efforts in Maine, with an emphasis coastal habitat restoration. Barriers to migratory fish such as the alewife, a Lake Champlain species, are profiled.
4. Lake Champlain Basin Program Opportunities for Action
http://plan.lcbp.org/ofa-database/chapters/managing-fish-wildlife-and-plants#section-threats
The Lake Champlain Basin Program has recently released a comprehensive management plan detailing specific tasks to improve the health of the basin. Tasks 6.3.1-6.3.12 are of particular interest to our focus.
5. Vermont Wildlife Action Plan (Appendices)
http://www.vtfishandwildlife.com/swg_cwcs_report.cfm
This document provides valuable information about many species of interest, including Lake Sturgeon and Landlocked Atlantic salmon, two highly mobile species familiar to the public.
6. New York State Department of Environmental Conservation Endangered and Threatened Species of New York List
http://www.dec.ny.gov/animals/26035.html
This list will help our group identify species (receptors) of concern.
Proposed Effort:
The group will need to gather information from previous research in order to determine which sources of barriers to aquatic organism movement are most important. This will be accomplished by reviewing research articles as well as mining GIS data to determine different barrier types and the number of each type in the region.
The group will also need to research which species will act as receptors of concern i.e. which species are most affected by barriers in waterways. This will be achieved by looking at research articles and other resources that are available. The team will develop a table that shows the effects filter scores for each of the sources the team determines to be most important to the stressor of barriers to the movement of aquatic organisms in the LCB.
Lastly, the group will research and determine which habitats are likely to be most affected by barriers to aquatic organisms, again by examining research papers and other resources that are available, such as unpublished data and GIS data. When determining habitats of concern, we will take into account important refugia for individual species, spawning and juvenile development areas, areas with low biological diversity, areas with compromised habitat quality, and areas where barriers may be desired to exclude invasive exotic species.
With all of these research objectives, compromises may have to be made if research data is not available in the LCB, by looking at research done at sites which are similar to the LCB. The team will be responsible for sharing information that is needed by other groups working on the LC/RERA.
During the course of the risk assessment, we anticipate difficulty in a variety of problem areas. GIS data may not be available for barriers in the watershed; our current assumption is that data are available. If data does exist, we may encounter that it is neither accurate nor recent. If data are not available from the LCB region, reference site data may not offer an accurate substitution in the circumstance that it must be used as a surrogate.
Effort Assignment:
Each team member will be responsible for specific tasks and all team members will work cooperatively for other tasks. Kyle Bradford will be responsible for gathering information from previous research in order to determine which sources of barriers to aquatic organism movement are most important. Ethan McElwain will be responsible for researching which species will be our receptors of concern i.e. which species are most affected by barriers in waterways. Brad Stewart will be responsible for researching and determining which habitats are likely to be most affected by barriers to aquatic organisms. All team members will be responsible for sharing information that is needed by other groups working on the Lake Champlain Relative Risk Model (LC/RERA).
Each team member will take a source that has been identified as important. For example the important sources could be dams, culverts, and roads. Each team member will research their respective source in order to determine an effect filter score and will write a rationale for their decision. All group members will discuss the scores that each member has assigned for their source and all members will need to come to an agreement on the scores based on their fellow team member’s rationale.
Each team member will be responsible for creating PowerPoint presentation slides for their specific source score and rationale for their score. Together team members will finalize a presentation which will be presented to the rest of the groups working on the LC/RERA including the clients which this proposal is written for.
Works Cited:
1. Berry, T., Bryant, D., & Wilkinson, T. (2006). Conserving Lake Champlain’s Biological Diversity. Unpublished manuscript, The Nature Conservancy, Retrieved from http://www.nature.org/wherewework/northamerica/states/vermont/files/lake_champlain_biodiversity_report.pdf
2. NYSDEC. (2011). Lake sturgeon fact sheet. Retrieved from http://www.dec.ny.gov/animals/26035.html