Semi-Quantitative Freshwater Mussel Survey Date Prepared: 11/20/2017

Transcription

1 PARTNERSHIP FOR THE DELAWARE ESTUARY Science Group Semi-Quantitative Frehwater Muel Survey Date Prepared: 11/20/2017 Prepared By: Kurt Cheng Suggeted Citation: Cheng, K Semi-Quantitative Frehwater Muel Survey. Partnerhip for the Delaware Etuary. PDE FMRP Method No pp. PDE-FMRP-Method (11/20/2017) Page 1

2 Semi-Quantitative Frehwater Muel Survey Partnerhip for the Delaware Etuary (PDE) Frehwater Muel Recovery Program Method Kurt Cheng Decription Thi Frehwater Muel Recovery Program Method (FMRPM) decribe the general conduct of a emi-quantitative frehwater muel urvey. Thi type of urvey i ueful to gather rough etimate of muel population pecie aemblage, abundance, and denity where muel were previouly oberved. Live muel are enumerated, identified, and meaured. Survey are timed and earche are confined to a mall area within which urveyor may move freely. Thi type of urvey blend technique from qualitative and quantitative urvey providing information not otherwie obtained from either urvey. Summary of Approach The general approach i to urvey an area of interet for muel more intenively compared to a qualitative urvey. The goal of a emi-quantitative frehwater muel urvey i to gather information on a frehwater muel population pecie aemblage, abundance, and denity within a larger area than a quantitative urvey, thereby increaing the probability of finding rare muel pecie. Surveyor intall tationary marker (e.g. pole) within a water body and urvey for muel in the immediate vicinity. Muel are enumerated, identified, and meaured for hell length prior to placement back into their habitat. Searche are timed and urveyor create additional marker to conduct additional urvey. Surveyor may earch for muel tactilely, viually, or utilize tool uch a a clam rake or coop. A mall creen ieve may be ued if juvenile detection i deired. Equipment Small creen ieve (<5 mm opening) Stopwatch Scoop Wader Snorkel Diving Mak Swim fin Wetuit Flotation Device Anchor weight Tether Clam Rake Dataheet Pen Clipboard Camera Frehwater Muel Guide Handheld GPS unit Collection Bag Scientific Collection Permit Procedure 1. Permitting In order to properly urvey frehwater muel, it i neceary to remove muel from their habitat. Thi i conidered a collection and a uch, a cientific collection permit i required. Refer to FMRPM-01. PDE-FMRP-Method (11/20/2017) Page 2

3 2. Site Selection 2.1 Site Identification To conduct a emi-quantitative frehwater muel urvey, an area of interet mut be identified. Area of interet are typically identified through previou qualitative urvey or from other pat knowledge of the ite. Semi-quantitative urvey may be opportunitically performed in conjunction with qualitative urvey if applicable. 2.2 Site Characterization Tool uch a tream gage managed by the United State Geological Survey (USGS) may be conulted for information uch a water condition which may impact urvey effort. Example of ite characteritic that influence a urvey include alinity (frehwater muel will not occur in brackih water), water level, and feaibility of muel detection. Muel detection during a urvey i influenced by water depth, horeline development (e.g. landcaped, hard tructure, retricted acce), and unafe condition that prohibit ampling (wift current, water depth, field hazard). 3. Semi-Quantitative Survey 3.1 Site Setup Upon ite arrival, urveyor mut firt et up tationary urvey marker (e.g. PVC pole, or urvey flag) to identify urvey plot area. Survey marker hould be labeled or otherwie identified o urveyor prevent redundant urveying. Survey marker hall be haphazardly placed no le than five meter from another marker. 3.2 Survey Method and Safety Surveying for muel may be done in a few different way baed on the ite condition. Surveyor may norkel in deeper water, or wade in hallow water. Surveyor will employ one method of urveying at a time to maintain conitency. Surveyor will not utilize different trategie within a ingle urvey (e.g. uing clam rake a well a a tactile earch) due to difference in detection rate. To aid in urvey efficiency, urveyor may ue a floating device (e.g. float tube) to contain urvey material uch a collection bag, additional urvey marker, coop, or norkel gear. In flowing water, norkeler hall have one potter at the minimum for afety. In tidal water, norkel urvey hall be limited to ebb tide and utilize a afety veel. Surveyor hall tay in hallow area no deeper than their own height and don buoyant wetuit with wim fin. Snorkel urveyor hall rely on tactile and viual detection of muel. PDE-FMRP-Method (11/20/2017) Page 3

4 3.3 Data Collection Live muel hall be identified, recorded, photographed, meaured for hell length (FMRPM- 03), and returned to their habitat. Dead hell hall be identified, recorded, and may be collected a voucher pecimen if urveyor are permitted to do o through their cientific collection permit. If deired, coop may be ued to gather ediment which hall be paed through a mall creen ieve for juvenile muel detection. Semi-quantitative urvey are timed event that utilize multiple urveyor at a time. The general urvey effort i reported a catchper-unit-effort (CPUE) in unit of muel per unit urvey time, which i calculated by the following equation: CPUE=( # of Muel Found)/(Survey Duration*# of Surveyor) Regardle of urvey obervation, urveyor hall record all relevant information for the urvey following the dataheet preented in Appendix A. A GPS unit hall be ued to log the precie latitude and longitude in decimal degree for urvey marker location. Thee location hall be ued for mapping purpoe. 3.4 Additional Site Characterization Surveyor hould note oberved phyical habitat qualitie to help inform future retoration work following FMRPM-02. Water quality monitoring may be incorporated following FMRPM- 04. PDE-FMRP-Method (11/20/2017) Page 4

5 Appendix Frehwater Muel: SEMI-QUANTITATIVE SURVEY Complete one dataheet for each PLOT urveyed Project Name: Date: Site: Plot ID: Time Begin: Time End: Plot Surveyor: Plot Coordinate (Decimal ) N W Muel Abbreviation Key (Other muel hall be written in full) AI Anodonta implicata LC Lampili carioa LO Leptodea ochracea NM No Muel Found EC Elliptio complanata LN Ligumia nauta PC Pyganodon cataracta UN Unknown Muel Survey Reult Summary Thee are TALLYS or SUMS Sediment Type Live Double Valve Single Valve Freh Dead Note # Muel Shell (mm) Note: PDE-FMRP-Method (11/20/2017) Page 5