Graduation date: 1999

The average size and age of chinook salmon (Oncorhynchus tshawytscha) caught in commercial fisheries along the Pacific Coast of North America have decreased substantially in this century. These declines might be caused in part by changes in size and age at maturity within the stocks contributing to those fisheries. Upriver Brights (Brights), a stock of fall chinook salmon in the Columbia River, are one of those stocks. The purposes of this study were to (1) determine if average size and age at maturity of Brights have declined, (2) gain a better understanding of the factors that may contribute to such declines, and (3) describe potential consequences of these changes. Data from in-river fisheries suggest that the average weight of mature Brights returning to the Columbia River has decreased approximately 2.7 kg since the 1910s, an average rate of about 0.1 lb·yr⁻¹ (45 g·yr⁻¹ ). Most of the potential biases in these data tend to make this estimate conservative. Insufficient data were available to describe changes in average age at maturity. There are many potential causes for the decline in average size of mature Brights, including factors that affect very early life stages. Other researchers have determined that size at maturity appears to be highly influenced by inheritance, gender, and growth rate. I describe how maternal size can influence -- through time of spawning, choice of spawning site, and egg size -- the viability of the young, which carry the dam's genes for size. The size-related ability to produce viable offspring may have been changed by modifications in the environment. Very little is known about how changes in the natural environment for spawning, incubation, and rearing may have contributed to a decline in average size at maturity. Artificial propagation and rearing, such as at Priest Rapids Hatchery, seems to produce adult Brights that are smaller, younger, and more likely to be male than their natural counterparts. The net result is that the average hatchery fish may have only about 0.80 of the reproductive potential of the average natural fish. Changes in growth conditions in the ocean probably did not contribute to the change in size, although the ocean fisheries of Southeast Alaska and British Columbia appear to select, in the genetic sense, against large size and old age in Brights. Since 1978, in-river commercial fisheries have caught larger Brights and a higher proportion of females than are found in the escapement of the Priest Rapids Hatchery component of the stock, but the fisheries impact the two sexes differently by taking the larger males and the smaller females. The effect on the natural component may differ because of their apparently larger average size. I found no evidence that larger fish or more females were caught when 8-in. minimum restrictions were in effect on gillnet mesh size relative to periods when mesh size was not restricted. Impounding the mainstem during the last 50+ yr may have removed obstacles to migration (e.g., Celilo Falls) that selected for large size in Brights, but that hypothesis could not be tested. The perserverance of larger and older phenotypes in the Bright stock suggests that countervailing selection -- perhaps during spawning, incubation, and/or early rearing -- may have resisted the effects of a century of size- and age-selective fisheries. That resistance, however, may reduce the productivity of the stock. Declines in average size and age at maturity can have undesireable consequences. Lower average size means less biomass landed and lower commercial value. Lower average fecundity and a diminished ability to reproduce in some environments are also expected. Loss of size and age classes may reduce the ability of the stock to adapt to environmental variations. These results are relevant to several management practices. A holistic approach to fishery management issues is necessary to avoid erroneous conclusions based on narrow perspectives. Measuring reproductive potential of the catch and escapement would be superior to the conventional practice of simply counting numbers of fish. Many aspects of artificial propagation can be improved, including broodstock aquisition, mating regimes, and rearing practices. Stock abundance is a major factor in determining the effect of many management practices on the stock. In general, fisheries managers must be mindful that they manage very complex natural systems. / Graduation date: 1992

Title from title page of PDF (University of Missouri--St. Louis, viewed February 10, 2010). Includes bibliographical references.

Surface water and sediments from the St. Lawrence River system (Quebec region) were analysed for genotoxicity using nonlinear SOS Chromotest parameters, as well as for their chemical concentrations of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons and heavy metals. Additionally, sediments chlorobenzenes, polychlorinated biphenyls, organochlorinated pesticides, ammonia and nitrites concentrations were determined. Organic contaminants were extracted dichloromethane. For surface water, fifteen extracts of filtered water and seven of particulates, and for sediments, one extract of pore water and three of particulates proved to be weakly genotoxic. All but one of the genotoxic responses observed in the surface water were obtained from samples taken from the highly industrial portion of the St. Lawrence River system, with the strongest responses observed in Lake St-Louis. Surface water genotoxicants partitioning favors the particulate fraction. Bottom particulates genotoxicity was one thousand fold weaker than suspended particulates. Additionally, whole sediments were extracted with a 10% dimethylsulfoxide-saline solution. Genotoxicity of hydrophilic contaminants was detected in all extracts. The observed distributions of genotoxicity values did not correlate with observed concentrations of demonstrated SOS inducers, mutagens and/or carcinogens, nor with the presence of other toxic chemicals.

River regulation imposes direct changes on flow and sediment delivery, producing a suite of downstream responses in channel morphology. On the Peace River in northern British Columbia and Alberta, the W.A.C. Bennett hydroelectric dam has reduced peak flows while leaving sediment load effectively unchanged. My research aims to identify systematic, regulation-induced patterns of channel gradation in the mainstem Peace and its tributaries below the dam. The significance of regulation within the natural variability of basin hydrology is assessed by comparing actual regulated river flows to simulated flows based on reservoir level fluctuations. Mainstem bed elevation changes are assessed from repeatedly surveyed cross-sections and specific gauge records, supplemented by analysis of channel planform change. Results show degradation to be minimal, due to the naturally armoured gravel bed and elimination of competent flows. The predominant pattern in the upper regulated reaches is one of aggradation below tributary confluences and other sediment sources. In the long term, the Peace River may be raising its proximal bed to compensate for a loss of sediment transport capacity since regulation. Backchannel abandonment and other planform changes appear to be occurring more slowly, and may be less important to river slope adjustment. Data from the lower river are few and inconclusive. Tributary gradation was investigated by means of air photo, field surveys and dendrochronology of young floodplains. These methods reveal a range of responses to regulation, including degradation, aggradation and no apparent change. Degradation due to reduced tributary base level appears to attenuate downstream as the Peace River flood is restored by unregulated tributary flows, though this trend is complicated by other factors such as tributary sediment supply, flood timing between tributary and mainstem, and ice activity. Aggradation due to tributary fan growth may mitigate degradation; it is a less prominent response, though it appears to predominate in the lower Smoky River. Regulation is a secondary effect in the tributaries, and its influence on gradation has been limited. On the mainstem, however, it is a primary change, and the resulting channel gradation will take a long time to complete.

No description available.

This study describes the population characteristics of channel catfish (Ictalurus punctatus) and flathead catfish (Pylodictis olivaris) in the lower 200 miles of the Wabash River in 1998. Densities of channel and flathead catfish did not differ over the study reach for either species. Electrofishing captured twice as many channel as flathead catfish, and hoop nets captured twice as many flatheads as channel catfish. Growth rates of channel catfish were fast as compared to documented growth in other rivers in the United States, with ages ranging from 1-8. Flathead catfish growth was average when compared to that reported in other United States rivers with ages ranging from 0-7. Length-frequency analysis for both species revealed the populations were comprised of small individuals with mortality higher than expected in older fish. This study will aid in the management of the Wabash River, as historic data are limited. / Department of Biology

This study was designed to address the issues germaine to the land planning and rehabilitation strategy of a surface-mined land area for reuse as a water-based recreational facility. This development, the White River Waterpark, is proposed as a regional level facility.The report is divided into three sections. The first introduces the notion of rehabilitation as a necessary consideration for efficient land use planning. The second section provides background material on the process and methods of sand and gravel excavation and the resultant features which affect rehabilitation and reuse. Section three presents the design process for the Waterpark beginning with the formulation of planning objectives for facilities and activities, an inventory of the existing land base and an analysis of site features. These stages allow the determination of development and land use recommendations and conceptual design plans. Each stage of the planning process is documented in written and graphic form explaining the basis for decisions and proposals articulated in the Land Use Master Plan and supportive documents. / Department of Landscape Architecture

I tested if spatial variation of Ohio River drainage basin fish assemblages, current habitat, water quality, and hydrology were concordant with historic glaciation boundaries. Assemblage analyses were organized using taxonomic and functional groups. Multivariate analyses, principal components analysis (PCA) and indicator species analyses, were used to test whether taxonomic and functional assemblages were distinct among regions with varying glacial histories. Principal components analysis was used to identify habitat and water quality as well as hydrologic gradients that could be discerned by glacial region. I identified significant differences in both taxonomic and functional fish assemblage structure and habitat variation among regions that had different glaciation histories. Recently glaciated Wisconsinan sites were characterized by assemblages of Cyprinidae and Catostomidae families, with high abundances of tolerant fishes that tended to occur in habitats with reduced current velocity. Sites in the Pre- Wisconsinan region were characterized by Cyprinidae, Catostomidae, Centrarchidae, and Percidae families, with increased abundances of intolerant fishes that tended to occur in habitats with coarser substrates and increased water velocity in streams of varying size. Sites in the unglaciated region were dominated by Cyprinidae and Percidae families but were not closely associated with any habitat-based functional group. Taxonomic and functional analyses explained 25% and 40%, respectively, of the variance in assemblage structure. Mean habitat PCA component scores in the unglaciated and Pre-Wisconsinan sites were significantly different than Wisconsinan sites, which were characterized by increased channel structure and reduced stream size. While a multitude of factors impact the distribution of fishes, these results suggest that historical influences such as glaciation may be used to further explain underlying mechanisms of spatial variation in fish assemblages. / Department of Biology

This study investigated temporal changes in nutrient concentrations and other water quality parameters at one sampling location at Muncie, Indiana in the Upper White River Watershed. Baseline sampling was conducted weekly over a six-month period in 2012 and focused on the analysis of total suspended solids and different forms of nitrogen and phosphorus. Three storm events were also investigated to understand how storm water runoff affected nutrient concentrations and other water quality parameters. It was hypothesized that storm events would temporarily increase nutrient concentrations in the river. Overall, nutrient concentrations increased during the initial stages of storm events and subsequently decreased at a rate slower than discharge. Concentrations measured exceeded recommended limits suggesting that these contaminants could cause eutrophication at downstream locations. These data suggest that improved or increased best management practices should be implemented in the Upper White River Watershed to control the inputs of nutrients into the river. / Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Management