The Fish Fauna of the Otsego Lake Watershed

187 The Fish Fauna of the Otsego Lake Watershed John R. Foster THE LOTIC (STREAM) FISH COMMUNITIES Early Biological Field Station fisheries surveys (New, 1971; 1973; Harman et al., 198; MacWatters, 198; 1983) focused on developing comprehensive listings of the fish fauna of Otsego Lake and its tributaries. Unfortunately, they did not separate stream fauna from lake fauna, nor did they describe the fish fauna of specific streams in the Otsego Lake watershed. In 197 the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation conducted electrofishing surveys throughout the length of Hayden Creek and Shadow Brook (Sanford, 1993). A similar survey was conducted on the main stem of Lawyers Creek in 1985 (Schiavone, 1993). Biological Field Station surveys utilizing seines (15 foot haul seine and a 25 foot, fine mesh shore seine) and electrofishing (chain shocker & Smith Root backpack shocker), have been conducted on Leatherstocking Creek (Hayes, 1991; Brooking, 1992; Hakala, 1994), Trout Brook (Foster et al., in Prep.), Shadow Brook (Bassista & Foster, in Prep.), and Hayden Creek (Healey, in Prep.). In 1989 a quantitative electrofishing survey was conducted on one main stem site of each permanent watershed stream (Hayes, 199). Data from these stream surveys "Jere pooled to measure relative abundance, diversity (Table 15a), and faunal changes (Table 15b). Because per cent species composition varies with time of year and between sample locations within the same stream, only a genera~ overview is provided here. By convention, lotic fish habitat encompasses all streams appearing on a 1:24, quadrangle map (Leopold et al., 1964; Nielsen & Johnson, 1983). Thus, within its 72.6 square mile drainage basin (Harman et al., 198), Otsego Lake has a complexity of potential f isi'. :cabitat in nearly 1 s ::rearr,s, branches, ar:::1 tributaries. However, most of the watershed streams appearing on such maps are extremely small, intermittent, or seasonal. Only 9 of the 27 streams flowing into Otsego Lake have sufficient flow to maintain permanent fish populations (Hayes, 199, listed on Table 1). Even in these 9 streams fish habitat is usually confined to the main stem sections in the SUffiIT,er because most tributaries dryup or have insufficient flow to maintain fish populations during the warm months (Hayes, 1991; Bassista & Foster, in Prep.; Healey, in Prep.). BFS Visiting Researcher. Present address: Fisheries and Aquacul ture, SUNY College of Agrieul ture and Technology, Cobelskill, N.Y. 1243.

willow Brook- Leather 3-Mile Mohican Trout Cripple Hayden Shadow Family Scientific Name Common Name Brook wood stocking Point Canyon Brook Creek Creek Brook Creek Creek Stream Creek Salmonidae Oncorhynchus mykiss Rainbow Trout Salma salar Atlantic Salmon Salma trutta Brown Trout Salvelinus fontinalis Brook Trout Clupeidae Alosa pseudoharengus Alewife Catostomidae Ca tostomus commersoni White Sucker Cyprinidae Clinostomus elonga [US Redsided Dace Exoglossum maxillingua Cutlips Minnow Notemigonus crysoleucas Golden Shiner Notropis atherinoides Emerald Shiner Notropis cornutus Common Shiner Notropis hudsonius Spottail Shiner Phoxinus eos Redbelly Dace Pimephales notatus Bluntnose Minnow Pimephales promelas Fathead Minnow Rhinichthys atratulus Blacknose Dace RhinieJIthys eataraete Longnose Dace Semotillls atromaelatus Creek Chub Semotilus eorporalis Fa11fish Semotilus margarita Pearl Dace Esocidae Esox niger Chain PickeI:"el Ictalurldae Ieralurus nebulosus Brown Bullhead Ietalurus punetatus Channel Catfish Noturus insignis Margined Madtom Centrachidae Ambloplites rupestris Rock Bass Lepomis auritus Redbreast Sunfish Lepomis gibbosus Pumpkinseed Lepomis maeroehirus 131uegi 11 Mieropterus dolomieui Smallmouth Bass Mieropterus salmoides Largemouth Bass Percidae Etheostoma olmstedi Tesselated Darter Perea flaveseens Yellow Perch Table 1. Fish relative abundance in streams of the Otsego Lake watershed during Biological Field Station surveys conducted between 1989 and 1995. Stream order in the table is clockwise from Cooperstown. > 2%, 1-2%, 1-1%, <1%.... CX) ':Xl

189 Lot ic fish habitat is defined here as those streams with sufficient flow to support year-round fish populations. These habitats comprise 1st and 2nd order streams. The minimum lotic fish habitat is found in the 1st order streams. These are the smallest unbranched tributaries that appear on a 1:24, quadrangle map (after Leopold et al., 1964) and have sufficient flow to support fish. First order streams include Willow Brook, Brookwood Creek, Three-Mile Point Stream, Mohican Canyon Creek, and Cripple Creek (Table 1). Second order streams occur when two or more 1st order streams join. Second order streams in the watershed are Leatherstocking Creek, Trout Brook, Hayden Creek, and Shadow Brook. Since 1988, 32 species of fish, representing 8 families have been'captured in the streams feeding Otsego Lake (Table 1). These are dominated by minnows (Cyprinidae), which make-up between 52% (in Shadow Brook, Basssita and Foster, in Prep.) and 1% (in Willow Brook, Three-mile Point Stream) of the fish fauna. Only 12 of the 32 species (brown trout, brook trout, rainbow trout, redsided dace, cutlips minnow, common shiner, redbelly dace, blacknose dace, longnose dace, creek chub, pearl dace, and margined madtom) are primarily stream species (Smith, 1985; Scott and Crossman, 1973). These fish are seldom, if ever, found in Otsego Lake. The remaining species, found in the watershed streams, have significantly larger populations in Otsego Lake or other watershed lakes. Within a given drainage basin, stream order should be a major determining factor of fish abundance (Platts, 1979; Barila et al., 1981) with fish populations increasing with stream order. However, density data provided by Hayes (199) often reflected the opposite trend. This probably was due to an interaction of a number of environmental factors including the degree to which fish were concentrated in pools during the summer months. Wi th the exception of Willow Brook and Three-Mile Point Stream, the fish fauna found in the watershed is remarkably diverse (Table 1). Diversity is greatest in the 2nd order streams of Shadow Brook (32), Hayden Creek (22), Leatherstocking Creek (19), and Trout Brook (14). First order streams held considerably fewer species (Mohican Canyon Creek (8), Cripple Creek (7), Brookwood Point Creek (7), Three-Mile Point (3), and Willow Brook (3)). In the summer there was often relatively little flowing water in these streams and fish were confined to pools. Consequently, habitat conditions tend to limit species diversity. While species diversity in the Otsego Lake watershed is strongly related to stream order (Table 1), this concept does not fully describe the range of diversity observed. Within the same watershed, stream order is directly correlated with stream size, stream length, discharge, and drainage basin size (Harrel et al.,

19 1967; Platts, 1979). Of these factors stream length appears to be the most important in the watershed. For example, Willow Brook and Three-Mile Point Creek have both the shortest length and the lowest species diversity, while Shadow Brook and Hayden Creek have the longest, unbroken length of fish habitat and maintain the greatest number of fish species (Table 1). Species diversity is much higher below insurmountable barriers such as road crossings and dams. For example, in Leatherstocking Creek 4 species are found above the Route 8 road crossing, while 19 species are found in a much smaller length of stream below the obstruction (Hakala, 1994). In Trout Brook 5 species are found above the Route-8 crossing, while 14 species are found below. Thus; access to streams from Otsego lake has a tremendous impact on the fauna. The length of stream between the lake and an insurmountable barrier seems to be the major factor determining species diversity. The only fish considered to be widely distributed throughout the watershed were: Blacknose dace (9 streams), longnose dace (7 streams), and creek chub (8 streams). These species were present in at least two-thirds or more of the watershed streams. Most species (18) had a very restricted distribution and occurred in one-third or less of the streams sampled: rainbow trout (1), brook trout (3), alewife (2), redside dace (2), cutlips minnow (3), golden shiner (2), emerald shiner (2), common shiner (2), spottail shiner (2), redbelly dace (3), bluntnose minnow (3), fallfish (2), pearl dace (1), chain pickerel (1), channel catfish (1), margined madtom (3), redbreast sunfish (3) smallmouth bass (2), and yellow perch (3). Of the numerous ways of subdividing fish habitat in streams (Hocutt & Wiley, 1986), the watershed fits best into 3 faunal zones: Headwater tributaries, intermediate pool-riffles segments, and stillwater lowland segments. In the Otsego Lake watershed, headwater tributaries flow either directly into the lake (e.g. most east shore streams) or into a larger stream segment (most north shore streams). They are usually classified as 1st order tributaries and are characterized as containing swift, cold waters. Headwater tributaries occur in high-gradient, erosional segments of the watershed. Intermediate segments have a combination of pools and riffles and merge imperceptibly above with the headwaters dominated by rocky riffles and below with the stillwater depositional zones dominated by silty pools. Intermediate pool-riffle segments are characterized as having a moderate gradient and cool water. Stillwater lowland segments occur primarily near the mouths of the largest streams (Lawyers Creek, Hayden Brook, Shadow Brook, and Leatherstocking Creek). They are characterized as having warm, turbid waters and represent the low-gradient, depositional segments of the watershed.

191 Most species (e.g. alewives, chain pickerel, emerald shiner, and spottail shiner) occurring near the mouths of streams are more typical of the lake ecosystem instead of a small stream. For example, centrarchids represented by six species of sunfish and bass are typical of the littoral zone of Otsego Lake and compose as much as 35% of the total fish found at the mouth of Shadow Brook (Bassista and Foster, in prep.). Lake species also tend to be concentrated near watershed lakes (Allen, Young, Weaver, and Summit Lakes) and wetlands, as well as around the stream mouths. The fish fauna of lower portions of Hayden Creek, Leatherstocking Creek, and Shadow Brook, which have large stillwater sections are dominated by lake species. Some lake species are transient members of the fish fauna of streams and only occur for limited periods of time. For example, rainbow smelt can also be found in stream mouths in the early spring. The intermediate segments of streams contain the richest diversity and greatest populations of fish species and families. Pool-riffles segments are dominated by minnows (Cyprinidae) and suckers (Catostomidae) wi th smaller numbers of madtoms (Icta I uridae), darters (Percidae), and sunfish (Centrarchidae) The fish fauna of this zone is typical of that found in other northeastern streams (Sheldon, 1968). Obligate stream species of the intermediate pool-riffles zone include redside dace, cutlips minnow, common shiner, redbelly dace, blacknose dace, longnose dace, creek chub, pearl dace, white sucker and margined madtom. In the Otsego Lake watershed, warm-water lake species, such as tesselated darter, bullhead, and pumpkinseed, invade the intermediate segments of streams and in some streams make up a significant portion of the fish population (Bassista and Foster, in Prep.). The fish fauna of Otsego Lake tributaries is dominated by blacknose dace and creek chubs. As part of the Susquehanna River drainage, brook trout, blacknose dace, and sculpins would be expected to dominate (Holcutt and Wiley 1986). However, sculpins were absent, and trout dominated very few areas. At many sites cold-water species such as sculpins and trout have been supplanted by cooler water species such as creek chubs and suckers. There are only four streams in the watershed that presently have year-round trout populations: Leatherstocking Creek, Cripple Creek, Hayden Creek, and Shadow Brook. Trout in these streams tend to occur in fragmented populations, particularly during the summer. Year-round brook trout waters can be found in Leatherstocking Creek around Keys Farm (Huff Road Crossing) and between Leatherstocking Falls and the mouth. Brown trout occur in Cripple Creek between Tiejin Road and Frank Patterson Road and in the Hayden Creek main stem from above the Route 53 crossing to Shipman Pond. The only brook trout in Hayden Creek appear at the first tributary crossing

192 Route 8. In Shadow Brook, small quantities of brook trout, brown trout, and rainbow trout occur in fragmented populations in the lower portions of tributaries and the main stem from Briar Road to Route 2. Short-term fish faunal changes (Table 2) were determined by comparing surveys conducted in 1989 (Hayes, 199) with those conducted in 1994-1995 at Leatherstocking Creek (Foster, Unpbl.), Trout Brook (Foster et al., in Prep.), Hayden Creek (Healey, in Prep.), and Shadow Brook (Bassista and Foster, in Prep.). Except for the Shadow Brook comparisons, data came from the plunge pool and riffles following road crossings. Year-to-year variation of physical and chemical parameters in plunge pools is relatively minimal, allowing for better year-to-year comparisons of fish fauna. Long-term faunal changes were determined by comparing the 197 NYSDEC comprehensive surveys of the entire Hayden Creek and Shadow Brook watersheds with similar BFS surveys conducted between 1989 and 1995. Leatherstocking Creek: Fish species present at the plunge pool and riffles just below the Route 8 crossing remained relatively stable over the past 6 years. Atlantic salmon, which were present from 1988 through 199, appeared to be the only species lost. Since 1989, 4 additional species have been captured at this site: redside dace, redbelly dace, fathead minnow, and fallfish. Of these species, fathead minnows have become well established in the creek. Trout Brook (White Creek): Fish species present at the plunge pool and riffles just below the Route 8 crossing, differed significantly between 1989 and 1995. Brown trout was the only species lost in the intervening 6 years, but 5 additional species became established in the lower segment of Trout Brook: fathead minnows, tesselated darter, smallmouth bass, and pumpkinseed. Emerald shiner, a lake species common in the mouth of streams, was al so present through the spring and summer of 1995. Hayden Creek: Of the 18 species recorded at the plunge pool and riffles just below the Route 53 crossing, only half were present in both 1989 and 1995 surveys. Five species (Atlantic salmon, brown trout, spottail shiner, largemouth bass, and yellow perch) were present in 1986, but not in 1995. Four warm water species have become established in the lower segment of Hayden Creek: redbreast sunfish, bluegill, smallmouth bass, and pumpkinseed. The fish fauna of this stream increased from 12 species in 197 to 22 species in 1989 (Hayes, 199) and 1995 (Healey, in Prep.). The greatest increase in species occurred with warm-water fishes, such as catfish and sunfish. However, some species indicative of good

193 Fish Faunal Changes In Past 5-6 Years Family Common Name Leather- Trout Hayden stocking Brook Creek Creek Shadow Brook Trout/Salmon Rainbow Trout Atlantic Salmon Brown Trout Brook Trout Herring Alewife Suckers White Sucker Minnows Redsided Dace Cutlips Minnow Golden Shiner Emerald Shiner Common Shiner Spottail Shiner Redbelly Dace Bluntnose Minnow Fathead Minnow Blacknose Dace Longnose Dace Creek Chub Fallfish Pearl Dace Pike/pickerel Chain Pickerel Catfish Brown Bullhead Channel Catfish Margined Madtom Sunfish/Bass Rock Bass Redbreast Sunfish Pumpkinseed Bluegill Smallmouth Bass Largemouth Bass Percidae Tesselated Darter Yellow Perch Table 2. Fish fauna changes in Otsego Lake watershed streams between 1989 and 1994 95. additions, - = deletions, = no change.

194 water quality had the greatest increase in relative abundance (brook trout, cutlips minnow, and margined madtom, Table 15a). The alewife has become very abundant in the stillwater zone near the stream mouth. Shadow Brook: The species present above the Mill Road stream crossing decreased from 11 in 1989 (Hayes, 199; Bassista and Foster, in Prep.) to 5 in 1994. Margined madtom, longnose dace, Atlantic salmon, and brown trout captured at this site in 1989 were not captured in the entire Shadow Brook watershed during the 1994 survey. Only 4 of the 11 species were captured at this site in both 1989 and 1994, indicating a relatively unstable fish community. The fish fauna of the. entire Shadow Brook drainage increased from 11 species in 197 to 32 species in 1989 (Hayes, 199) and 1995 (Bassista and Foster, in Prep.). The greatest increase in species ald relative abundance occurred with warm-water fishes, such as cat fish and sunfish. Lake species dominant the stillwater segment near the stream mouth. Short-term and long-term changes in relative abundance and species composition of fish communities in watershed streams reflect species introductions and provide indicators of watershed degradation caused by land use, such as increasing sediment loads or alteration of riparian vegetation. The following trends have become apparent from recent studies and comparisons of the fish communities in the watershed: 1) Increase in Species Diversity: Over the past 24-25 years the number of fish species found in Shadow Brook and Hayden Cree k increased from 11 to 32 and 12 to 22, respectively. Increases in diversity were also apparent over the short-term in Leatherstocking Creek and Trout Brook. 2) Introduction of Fishery Species: The addition of fish by fisherman, and the state, plays the primary role in adding new species to the \;Jatershed streams. Introductions of rainbow trout, Atlantic salmon, brown trout, and brook trout are largely the result of state sponsored attempts to improve fisheries. Introductions of alewives and rainbow smelt are probably due to deliberate attempts by persons unknown to improve fishing. In addition, the one channel catfish that was caught was probably the result of a similar effort. Species such as pearl dace, redbelly dace, redside dace, and fathead minnow were likely bait-bucket introductions. 3) Lake Access: Isolation from the lake is an important factor affecting the degree of faunal changes over time.

195 The number of new species found in Shadow Brook between surveys was very much higher than that found in Hayden Creek despite the physical similarities of these streams (Harman et al., 198), the same time between surveys, and the same levels of riparian vegetation (Fuller 1987). Fish movement upstream from Otsego lake is obstructed in Hayden Creek by the Route 53 crossing and the dam at Shipman Pond, but movement is not blocked in Shadow Brook. Further, species composition and relative abundance remained constant above insurmountable barriers in Leatherstocking Creek and Trout Brook (within 1%, Hakala, 1994; Foster et al., in Prep.). This strongly suggests that the introduction of new fish species to Otsego Lake plays a primary role in adding new species to watershed streams. 4) Increase in Warm-water Habitat/Loss of Cold-water Habitat: The occurrence of salmonid fishes and other species indicative of clean, cold, well oxygenated waters is apparently decreasing in the watershed streams of Otsego Lake. For example, in Shadow Brook above the Mill Road bridge, brook trout, brown trout, rainbow trout and Atlantic salmon were absent from the sites where they were collected in 1989 (Bassista and Foster, in Prep.). All four streams studied suffered recent losses of salmonid fishes. Further, Trout Brook and Hayden Creek had increases in the numbers of species of sunfishes. 5) Impact of Loss of Riparian Vegetation: Lack of riparian vegetation appears to be a significant factor in the changes in the fish community of Leatherstocking Creek (Hakala, 1994). Significant mortality of brook trout occurred in the upper reaches of Leatherstocking creek during the summers of 1988 and 1991, apparently as a result of high water temperatures due to the absence of riparian vegetation (Hayes, 199; 1991). Salmonid fishes, which require riparian vegetation for cover and for the maintenance of cold, clean waters, were a minor component of the watershed fish fauna. Hayden Creek and Shadow Brook which have the least riparian vegetation in the watershed (Fuller, 1988), had a drop in species diversity over the past 5 to 6 years (Table 2). 6) Habitat Degradation due to Siltation: Habitat degradation due to siltation was observed in Hayden Creek, Leatherstocking Creek, and Shadow Brook. Increases in siltation were particularly apparent at the Mill Road crossing of Shadow Brook. Here, very significant increases in turbidity and siltation, resulted in a drop in fish fauna from 11 species to 5 species between 1989 and 1994. In

196 1989 the Mill Road site had the lowest density of fish of the Otsego Lake tributary streams (Hayes 199), and fish densities in 1994 appeared even lower. Species indicative of good water quality that were present in 1989 were absent (margined madtom and longnose dace) or rare (fallfish) in the 1994 (Bassista and Foster, in Prep.) study. THE LENTIC FISH FAUNA OF THE OTSEGO LAKE WATERSHED The lakes within the Otsego Lake watershed (Allen Lake, Moe Pond; Summit Lake, Weaver Lake, and Young Lake) are all shallow and warm. The fish fauna is dominated by warm water species such as sunfishes, bullheads, pickerel, carp and golden shiners. With the exception of Moe Pond, the fish fauna found in the watershed lakes is remarkably similar. Young Lake and Weaver Lake, which are both in the Cripple Creek drainage basin separated by.6 km. of stream, have the highest number of species (8) in common. Black crappie, found in Young Lake and reported from Summit Lake, is the only species present in the watershed lakes that does not presently occur in Otsego Lake (McWatters, 1983). Catch per unit effort for a 24 hour set us ing a 4- foot Pennsylvania trap net (5' lead) and a 3 foot trammel net (8' deep, 12" outer mesh, 1" inner mesh) provided a crude measure of relative abundance and diversity in 1993 (Table 3). Abundance of fish was greatest in Young Lake, followed by Weaver and Allen Lake, Summit Lake and Moe Pond. With the exception of Moe Pond, which had an exceeding low number of prey species and no predator, species diversity in the watershed lakes is considered typical. Golden shiner was the most abundant species in Young Lake and Allen Lake, brown bullhead in Moe Pond and Weaver lake, and white sucker in Summit Lake. Largemouth bass, chain pickerel, and adult yellow perch are the only piscivorous fish found. Allen and Summit Lakes are the only two which had all three of these species present. Young Lake seemed to have the highest density of pan fish, while Allen Lake had the highest density of game fish. Allen lake appeared to have the best balance in terms of predator-prey ratio. Lack of boat access there may result in a reduced catch of large piscivorous fish which would serve to maintain it. Poor predator-prey ratio in the other lakes may be the cause of overpopulation and stunting (Foster and Frost, in Prep.) of prey species.

197 Species Allen Lake Tram. Trap Moe Pond Tram. Trap Summit Lake Tram. Trap Weaver Lake Tram. Trap Young's Lake Tram. Trap Game Fish Chain Pickerel Largemouth Bass 6 1 1 2 1 3 1 1 Pan Fish Pumpkinseed Bluegill Rock Bass Black Crappie Yellow Perch Brown Bullhead 1 3 13 4 31 7 1 4 4 2 17 9 1 5 2 1 1 3 2 27 12 83 2 6 6 8 3 2 2 1 1 Forage Fish Chub Sucker Golden Shiner Carp White Sucker 4 41 1 2 21 9 8 13 26 16 2 Total 73 39 4 5 64 8 83 251 28 Table 3. Fish catch per unit effort (per 24 hour set) in various watershed lakes during the summer of 1993.

198 Fish faunal changes are illustrated in Table 4 and described below: Allen Lake: No previous surveys were conducted on Allen Lake, thus determinations of fauna changes could not be made. Moe Pond: No changes in fish fauna have been observed in Moe Pond since surveys were first conducted in the early 197s (McCoy, Unpubl.). Summit Lake: SUITillit Lake has undergone significant changes in fish fauna since it was last surveyed by DEC in the 195s (Sanfo rd, 1993). Whi Ie 5 species were present in both fi sh surveys (largemouth bass, chain pickerel, brown bullhead, pumpkinseed, and yellow perch), rock bass, black crappie, and golden shiners appear to have been lost, where as bluegill, carp, and white sucker have been added in the intervening years. Thus there were three additional species and 3 species lost since the last survey. Weaver Lake: Most species collected in a 1976 DEC survey (Schiavone, 1993) were present in the 1993 survey (yellow perch, white sucker, chain pickerel, pumpkinseed, brown bullhead, chub suckers, and golden shiners). Rock bass and bluegills, found in 1993, were not present in 1976. Young Lake: Most species collected in a 1976 DEC survey (Schiavone, 1993) were present in the 1993 survey (yello"j perch, golden shiners, chub suckers, whi te suckers, brown bullhead" pumpkinseed, chain pickerel and largemouth bass). However, chain pickerel seem to have been extirpated in Lhe intervening years, and a variety of panfish have been introduced (bluegill, rock bass, and black crappie). The length of time between surveys correlates with the number of fish faunal changes observed, reflecting a similar rate or change in all the lakes studied. Summit Lake had the longest time between surveys, and the species composition showed the grealest variation between samplings. Isolation ls an irnporlant factor affecting the degree of faunal changes over time. Moe pond is on Field Station lands and is not utilized by fishermen. This lake had no changes in the fish community over the past 25 years. Pan fish, such as bluegill, crappie and rock bass were Lhe species most frequently added. This strongly suggests that fisherman play the primary role in adding new species.

199 Species Allen Moe Summit Weaver Young Lake Pond Lake Lake Lake Game Fish Chain Pickerel * Largemouth Bass * Pan Fish Pumpkinseed * Bluegill Rock Bass * Black Crappie Yellow Perch * Brown Bullhead * Forage Fish Chub Sucker * Golden Shiner * Carp White Sucker = No Changes No Previous Data = Deletions = Additions * Table 4. Changes in fish fauna of watershed lakes between 1993 and previous studies. * no previous studies, - additions, - - deletions, a - no change.

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21 Keenen, C.H. and H.G. Ketola. 1993. Composition of whitefish and cisco flesh captured in Otsego Lake in 1969 and 1992 and possible influence of the introduction of alewives on their forage. In 25th Ann. Rept., 1992. SUNY Oneonta Bio. Fld. Sta., SUNY Oneonta. pp. 112-119. Leopold, L., M.G. Wolman, and J.P. Miller. 1964. Fluvial processes in geomorphology. Freeman Company, San Francisco, CA. Macwatters, R.C. 198. The fishes of Otsego Lake (1st ed). Occ. paper #7, SUNY Oneonta Bio. Fld. Sta., SUNY Oneonta. Macwatters, R.C. 1983. The fishes of Otsego Lake (2nd ed). Occ. paper #15, SUNY Oneonta Bio. Fld. Sta., SUNY Oneonta. New, J.G. 1971. Vertebrate studies. In 3rd Ann. Rept., 197. SUNY Oneonta Bio. Fld. Sta., SUNY, Oneonta. pp. 1-3. New, J.G. 1973. Vertebrate studies. In 5th Ann. Rept., 1972. SUNY Oneonta Bio. Fld. Sta., SUNY, Oneonta. pp. 48-53. Nielson, L.A., and D.L. Johnson. 1983. Fisheries techniques. Southern Printing Com. Inc. Blacksburg, Virginia. Platts, W.S. 1979. Relationships among stream order, fish populations, and aquatic geomorphology in an Idaho river drainage. Fisheries 4(2): 5-9. Sanford, O.K. 1993. Personal communication. N.Y.S.D.E.C. Data file on Hayden Creek and Shadow Brook. Region 4, Stamford, N.Y. Schiavone, A. 1993. Personal communication. N.Y.S.D.E.C. Data. file on Cripple Creek. Region 6 offices, Watertown, N.Y. Scott, W.B., and E.J. Crossman. 1973. Freshwater fishes of Canada. Bull. Fish. Res. Bd. Can. 184: 1-966. Sheldon, A.L. 1968. Species diversity and longitudinal succession in stream fishes. Ecology 49 (2): 194-198. Smith, C.L. 1985. The inland fishes of New York State. Dept. o~ Envir. Cons. Albany, N.Y.