OKRMT FISH KILL TRAINING FOR FIRST RESPONDERS. Wes Watkins Center Stillwater, OK April 7, 2015 MODULE IV

Transcription

1 OKRMT FISH KILL TRAINING FOR FIRST RESPONDERS Wes Watkins Center Stillwater, OK April 7, 2015 MODULE IV

2 Parkhill Creek Fish Kill Case Study Example Kills often reported first to game wardens ogame warden to local biologist obiologist to Supervisor --- Supervisor to ODEQ and to Tribes after confirmation of a fish kill

3 Biologist and Supervisor go on-site to investigate Do we have a fish kill? What is a fish kill?? o One fish, 20, 30..One species, 2, 10..Other aquatic organisms?? o Explainable reasons for dead fish that are not environmentally or sportfishing related???

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20 Fish Kill determined!! ODEQ -- General public reporting number Investigation begins o Divide and conquer o Look for the obvious o Look for the start of the kill o Look for the end of the kill if readily discernible o Pay attention to odors.colors o Note the condition of the fish bulging eyes color of gills o Note the locations high in the weeds, on the bank o Note the amount of decay..signifying how long ago did the kill first occur o Take GPS coordinate of important locations beginning and end source of contaminate.any oddities ODEQ field representative calls me to discuss o Determined likely cause was nursery pollutant

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28 Further discussion reveals Department of Agricultural is responsible for nurseries o Take water samples above and below the suspected spill/inflow/release etc. o Be timely with the collection Additional information o Visit with passersbys and landowners o Are there any noticeably missing species? o Note anything that is strange or out of the ordinary o Take notes. You will not remember what you think you will o Notes will become evidence if you have to go to court o Avoid personal comments

29 Sizing It Up First responder o Not expected to do a complete count o Changing Conditions o You may have the only opportunity to document o Important to document what you see acting in your role as a first responder o Take good pictures with some close-ups o Count how many representative piles of fish you see but don t photograph o If possible measure a few representative fish for reference Take good notes

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33 How many fish?

34 Fish Count

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36 Summary Be quick but be thorough Report as soon as you document the kill Document with detailed pictures, even with your smart phone Take water samples if possible Take good notes Ask neighbors and passers by

37 Questions? Jim Burroughs

38 Oklahoma Kill Response Management Team Fish Kill Response for First Responders Fish Identification April 7, 2015

39 Expectations Very basic skillset (A.M. Radio version) osmall number of species (or groups) overy basic identification ocorrelated to groupings on fish kill report form ofield cheat-sheet (brochure/flip cards) will be available

40 Fish Kill Report Form May be revised

41 Fish ID Guide Example

42 Identification Assistance Several individuals/groups of individuals competent in fish identification oconservation Commission oodwc oowrb oodeq ouniversities

43 Catfish Anatomy Dorsal Fin Adipose Fin Caudal Fin/Tail Barbels Pectoral Fin Pelvic Fin Anal Fin

44 Scaly Fish Anatomy Soft Dorsal Fin Spinous Dorsal Fin Lateral Line Caudal Fin Caudal Peduncle Anal Fin Pectoral Fin Pelvic Fin

45 Individuals Vary Flathead Catfish Flathead Catfish

46 Fish Groups to Cover Black Bass (Largemouth, Smallmouth, Spotted) Catfish (Blue, Channel, Flathead, Bullhead, Madtoms) Crappie (Black and White) Sunfish (Bluegill, Green, Longear, etc.) Common Carp Shad (Gizzard, Threadfin, etc.) Minnows (less than 3 inches) Unknown Other?

47 Largemouth Bass Deep notch Dark band Irregular spots Jaw extends behind eye

48 Spotted Bass Caudal Spot Horizontal Row of Dark Spots Shallow Notch Tooth Patch on Tongue

49 Smallmouth Bass Cheek bars Shallow notch Sides plain or vertical bars

50 Catfish

51 Channel Catfish Ictalurus punctatus Upper jaw protruding beyond lower Free adipose fin Deeply forked caudal fin Randomly scattered spots (or none) Short base, rounded margin

52 Blue Catfish Ictalurus furcatus Wedge shaped head, upper jaw projects beyond lower Deeply forked caudal No black spots Anal fin outer margin straight, long base

53 Flathead Catfish Pylodictis olivaris Projecting lower jaw Mottled body Free Adipose Fin Head flattened between the eyes Squared caudal fin

54 Yellow Bullhead Ameiurus natalis Free adipose fin Whitish chin barbels Straight or rounded caudal fin margin

55 Black Bullhead Ameiurus melas Free adipose fin Gray or black chin barbels Almost square or slightly notched caudal fin

56 Madtoms Small Generally <4 inches Adnate (connected) Adipose Fin

57 Crappie Small head, large mouth 6 dorsal spines Faint vertical bars 6 anal spines 7-8 dorsal spines Black Crappie White Crappie Irregular blotching

58 Sunfish Longear Bluegill 3 Anal spines Redear Warmouth Green

59 Longear Sunfish Elongated opercular flap Small mouth Short, rounded pectoral fin Bluegill Sunfish Dark blotch in soft dorsal fin Small mouth Green Sunfish Long, pointed pectoral fin Dark blotch on soft dorsal Large mouth Short, rounded pectoral fin

60 Common Carp Cyprinus carpio Long dorsal fin 2 pairs of barbels

61 Shad Deep bodied, compressed Filamentous posterior dorsal fin ray Blueish to green above with silvery or white sides

62 Gizzard Shad Blunt snout overhangs subterminal mouth Terminal mouth Chin speckled with black pigment Threadfin Shad Caudal fin yellow in life

63 Minnows

64 Common Minnows Fathead minnow Red shiner Golden shiner Brandon Brown

65 Livebearer - Mosquitofish Brandon Brown

66 Darters Orangethroat Darter Orangebelly Darter Brandon Brown Logperch Redfin Darter Brandon Brown Fantail Darter Brandon Brown

67 Gars Spotted Gar Prominent broad snout, top of head spotted Shortnose Gar Short, broad snout Snout and body without regular spots Longnose Gar Snout long and slender ; few spots, head and snout without spots

68 Suckers Deep-bodied Sucker Round-bodied Sucker

69 Deep-bodied Suckers Smallmouth Buffalo Semicircular Subopercle Bone River Carpsucker Subtriangular Subopercle Bone

70 Round-bodied Suckers White Sucker Very small scales Pappilose Lips Northern Hogsucker

71 Round-bodied Suckers Spotted Sucker Dark spot at base of each scale Black Redhorse Lips Grooved Golden Redhorse

72 True Bass White Bass Longitudinal dark stripes broken Deeper body Striped Bass Spinous and soft dorsal separate Longitudinal dark stripes solid

73 Redfin Pickerel Ducklike beak

74 Banded Sculpin

75 Freshwater Drum High arching back Blunt snout, subterminal mouth Lateral line Diamond shaped caudal fin

76 Paddlefish Paddle-shaped snout Heterocercal caudal fin (Shark-like)

77 Fish Kill Report Form May be revised

78 Fish ID Guide Example

79 Contact Information

80 Threatened and Endangered Species Curtis Tackett Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation

81 Federally Listed Aquatic Species in Oklahoma (5 fish, 5 mussels) Leopard Darter - Threatened Arkansas River Shiner - Threatened Neosho Madtom - Threatened Ozark Cavefish - Threatened Arkansas Darter - Candidate Ouachita Rock Pocketbook - Endangered Rabbitsfoot Mussel - Threatened Scaleshell Mussel - Endangered Winged Mapleleaf - Endangered Neosho Mucket - Endangered

82 Leopard Darter Percina pantherina Currently in the Little River drainage of OK and AR In OK it is found in the Mountain Fork, Glover and Little Rivers and their larger tributaries Occupy intermediate to larger streams in quiet pools and use riffle habitats for spawning

83 Arkansas River Shiner Notropis girardi Historically was widespread throughout western OK but is now restricted to 500 miles of the Canadian River in OK, TX and NM Inhabits large sandy bottomed rivers and is considered a habitat generalist Can be very susceptible to changes in water quality and dewatering

84 Neosho Madtom Noturus placidus Small catfish less than 3 inches in length Currently occurs in Kansas, Missouri and Oklahoma Found in the Neosho and Spring River drainages in Craig and Ottawa Preferred habitat is shallow riffles with loose uncompacted gravel beds

85 Arkansas Darter Etheostoma cragini Native to portions of the Arkansas River Basin Found in the Neosho River watershed as well as the Cimarron River in western OK Prefers medium sized streams with spring influence and vegetative cover

86 Ouachita Rock Pocketbook Scaleshell Arkansia wheeleri Leptodea leptodon Inhabits stable stream bottoms that contain gravel, sand, and other substrate materials Inhabits the Kiamichi and Little Rivers in SE OK Federally listed in 1991 Occupies medium to large rivers with stable channels and good water quality Inhabits gravel and sandy stream bottoms where it can bury itself almost entirely Known fish hosts species is drum Inhabits the Kiamichi River in SE OK Federally listed in 2001 Scaleshell Range

87 Neosho Mucket Rabbitsfoot Lampsilis rafinesqueana Quadrula cylindrica Prefers stable gravel and finer sediment in near shore and backwater habitats of small rivers Currently found in the Neosho and upper Illinois Rivers Requires clear streams with gravel substrate and moderate to stable flows Currently found in the Neosho, Spring, Verdigris, and Little Rivers

88 Winged Mapleleaf Quadrula fragosa Lives in medium to large sized rivers with high water quality Currently found in the Little River in SE OK Inhabits rivers with gravel, sand, and rubble substrates Federally listed in 1991

89 Collecting T&E Species The collection of T&E species does require a permit If you are within a T&E species range or if a particular T&E species is observed, report it to the USFWS immediately Currently only select individuals from certain agencies are permitted to collect T&E species ODWC is working with the Tulsa FWS Office to create a programmatic permit that would allow first responders to take T&E species samples since this can be a time sensitive matter if there is adequate stream flow

90 Conclusion There are 10 fish and mussel species that are federally listed in Oklahoma that are found in different watersheds It is important to know the watersheds that these species occur in so that first responders can be thinking about that as a priority If a fish kill is determined within the range of one of these listed species then the secondary responder or coordinator will need to contact the US Fish and Wildlife Service to report take of a listed species Having a general idea of where these species are located throughout the state as well as habitats they occupy can be important information for the follow up investigation

91 Other Wildlife Encountered During Fish Kills

92 Other Types of Wildlife Snakes Frogs Salamanders Turtles Birds Beavers Mussels Other types of wildlife that do not rely on water for respiration usually indicate some sort of pollution event or disease related kill These animals could be preying upon the impacted fish and/or mussel species or using the water for a drinking, basking, or swimming

93 Relic Mussel vs. Dying Mussel Mussels can be one of our best environmental indicators Usually dying mussels are not noticed until several days or possibly even weeks after the point source kill has occurred If mussels are observed at the site of a kill it is important to try to recognize if these are dying mussels or relic shells that had succumbed to natural causes Stream needs to be clear and wadeable with shoreline access If mussel shells are picked clean of all tissue and the shell is split open with a lot of wear then if is probably natural If shell is partially open with tissue still intact but mussel is not behaving normally then it is probably a dying a mussel This can be difficult to determine

94 Relic Mussel vs. Dying Mussel

95 Conclusion Always be aware of other types of wildlife that could be affected by a kill event Look for other dead wildlife as well as wildlife in distress Be sure to note this and report this information to the secondary responder Also be able to determine if the kill has only impacted fish are there other wildlife in the area that are healthy and behaving normally?

96 Fish Behavior and Condition Fish behavior is directly affected by toxins and other environmental stressors therefore fish behavior and condition can give us some hints as to what may have caused the kill.

97 Stressed Fish Behavior

98 Stressed Fish Behavior Cont.

99 Are Fish Gasping or Piping for Air? Fish are at surface of water piping with mouths open This usually indicates a drop in dissolved oxygen Drops in DO can be a result of many different things such as algae blooms, high water temperatures, suspended solids or can relate to certain pollution events Piping Oxygen, Ammonia

100 Are Fish Lethargic or Swimming Irregularly? Fish swimming in circles Fish swimming sideways or upside down Are bottom dwelling species seen swimming at the surface non typical behavior Are fish thrashing or are they seemingly in distress Lethargic Toxic Algae Swimming Irregularly Toxic Algae, Heavy Metals, Chemical Wastes, Pesticides, Toxins

101 If Fish are Dead, What are Their Condition? Bulging Eyes Bloated Body Cavities can give some indication as to when kill occurred Physical Injuries (puncture wounds, gashes etc.) Overall Discoloration (dark, light, patchy color) Body Covered By Substance (oil, mucus film, algae, etc.) Hemorrhaging (is body red in appearance or bleeding) o Viral Hemorrhagic Septicemia (VHS?)

102 Questions? Curtis Tackett Fisheries Biologist Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation