The Longhead Darter (scientific name, Percina macrocephala) had not been found in Ohio since 1939. Now, in the upper Muskingum River system, that’s changed.
A team of researchers from the Stream and River Ecology (STRIVE) Lab at The Ohio State University has been working since 2016 to reintroduce fish like the Longhead Darter to rivers where they were historically, but are not currently, found. They do this through the process of translocation – finding an abundant source population of the species and moving a large group of those individuals to the desired location.1
Andrew Nagy, a research assistant for STRIVE lab, has been working on the fish translocation project since early 2018. He says that the lab has chosen to focus on state-listed fish species – those identified as threatened, endangered, or extirpated (locally extinct) – including the Longhead Darter and Tippecanoe Darter (Etheostoma tippecanoe), as well as other species that are particularly sensitive to water quality, like the Bluebreast Darter (Etheostoma camurum). Fish of these species may have struggled to survive the intensive pollution that was historically pervasive in Ohio rivers.
Tippecanoe Darter (Etheostoma tippecanoe). Image from Ohio Department of Natural Resources.
In many ways, Ohio was the birthplace of federal regulation on water pollution in the U.S., largely encompassed by the Clean Water Act. Through much of the 19th and 20th centuries, industrial pollution severely damaged aquatic ecosystems across the nation; by the 1950s and 1960s, there were no fish to be found in the section of the Cuyahoga River between Akron and Cleveland.2 In 1969, a pollution-induced fire on the Cuyahoga (one of many over the previous century) gained national attention and finally galvanized the public into action to improve water quality across the U.S. As a result, in 1972, extensive amendments made to the Federal Water Pollution Control Act of 1948 made it recognizable as the Clean Water Act we know today.3 With more rigorous regulation on dumping pollutants and widespread cleanup efforts, streams, rivers, lakes, wetlands, and coastal waters slowly became healthier and more hospitable to fish and other organisms that had once inhabited them. That wasn’t the end of the story, though. Even with the water quality improving to a state that could theoretically sustain them, fish were blocked from parts of their geographic range by anthropogenic barriers like dams.1 The habitat was there, but the fish weren’t.
A low head dam on Muskingum River. Dams like this one can keep fish from returning to parts of their historical geographic range. Photo by littlesis43756 / Creative Commons.
That’s where the research group comes in, intervening to restore ecosystems that have lost some of their key players. “Although keeping the environment in good condition via general things like reducing pollution and limiting human alteration is important,” says Nagy, “it is often not enough. In many cases, we need to take specific action to repair damage that we’ve already done.” For three years in a row, the team has attempted to do just that, translocating Bluebreast Darters from large populations in the Muskingum River system to various locations in the Licking River System.1 They have also begun the same process with the Tippecanoe and Longhead Darters, says Nagy, moving fish from the Scioto River and even the Allegheny River in Pennsylvania to the Muskingum River.
The hope is that the reintroduced populations will eventually be self-sustaining, reproducing and expanding their range without ongoing intervention. Nagy says things look promising. During follow-up surveys at release sites, the team found evidence of natural reproduction in both Bluebreast and Tippecanoe Darters. As for the Longhead Darters, while there are still no signs of reproduction, fish have at least survived through the full breeding season.
No one can say for sure whether the project will reach its ultimate goal. For now, though, the team presses on with translocations and surveys, enjoying the work in various forms. For Nagy, a streamside snack of native pawpaws from a nearby grove makes the successes all the sweeter. “Few things are as satisfying for me as sitting next to a river on a cool fall afternoon, enjoying fresh fruit directly after a successful survey of a fish that I helped reintroduce.”
References
- OSU Stream and River Ecology (STRIVE) Lab. (2018). Rare Fish Reintroduction via Translocation. Retrieved from https://u.osu.edu/strive/field-photos/darter-reintroduction/.
- U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA). (2019, April 1). Introduction to the Clean Water Act. Retrieved from https://cfpub.epa.gov/watertrain/moduleFrame.cfm?parent_object_id=2569.
- U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA). (2017, August 8). History of the Clean Water Act. Retrieved from https://www.epa.gov/laws-regulations/history-clean-water-act.