SLIDE 1
Reintroduction of American Eel to the Upper Susquehanna Watershed
Sarah E. Coney
Anguilla rostrata
- Catadromous
- Sargasso sea
- Panmictic population
to the Upper Susquehanna Watershed Sarah E. Coney Anguilla rostrata - - PowerPoint PPT Presentation
to the Upper Susquehanna Watershed Sarah E. Coney Anguilla rostrata - - PowerPoint PPT Presentation
Reintroduction of American Eel to the Upper Susquehanna Watershed Sarah E. Coney Anguilla rostrata Catadromous Sargasso sea Panmictic population One Eel, Many Names Leptocephali Planktonic stage Glass Eel Commercially
SLIDE 2
SLIDE 3
One Eel, Many Names
- Leptocephali
- Planktonic stage
- Glass Eel
- Commercially valuable
- Elver
SLIDE 4
- Yellow Eel
- Coloration highly variable
- Silver Eel
- Fully mature
SLIDE 5
Conowingo Dam
- 90 ft tall
- Began operation in 1928
SLIDE 6
Dams in New York Susquehanna
- Cooperstown Dam
- Goodyear Dam
- Southside Dam
- Mill St. Bridge Dam
- Binghamton Dam
- Johnson City Dam
SLIDE 7
Eastern Elliptio
Elliptio complanata
- Most populous
riverine pearly mussel
- Historically
- Eels needed
for recruitment
- Aging population
SLIDE 8
Rusty Crayfish
Faxonius rusticus
- Invasive species
- Native to Ohio River Valley
- Disrupt ecosystem
- Preys on Yellow Lampmussels
Lampsilis cariosa
SLIDE 9
American Eel Parasites
- Asian swim-bladder nematode
Anguillicoloides crassus
- Non-native
- Prevalent throughout population
- Native parasites?
- Shifts in parasites over lifetime
SLIDE 10
American Eel Immunology
- Host glochidia
throughout life
- Trout as hosts?
- American eel
most effective host?
SLIDE 11
SLIDE 12
Mussel Bed Surveys
- Identify mussel beds
- Mussels tagged & replaced
- Locations GPS marked
SLIDE 13
Crayfish Data
10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 100 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
Number of Crayfish Captured Sites
Crayfish Species Captured at Sample Sites
- F. rusticus Captured
- C. bartonii Captured
- O. propinquus Captured
SLIDE 14
SLIDE 15
Fish Assemblages per Site
50 100 150 200 250 300 Charlotte Creek Fortin Park Cooperstown Dam Susquehanna Main Otego Creek Butternut Creek Wharton Creek
Number of Fish per Species Site
Common Shiner Slimy Sculpin Black Nose Dace Long Nose Dace Spottail Shiner White Sucker Fall Fish Margined Madtom Cut lip Minnow Rock Bass Red Breast Sunfish Shield Darter Tessellated Darter Creek Chub Small Mouth Bass American Eel Pumpkin Seed River Chub Emerald Shiner Stickleback Rosy face Shiner Brown Trout
SLIDE 16
Fish Assemblages per Site
50 100 150 200 250 300 Charlotte Creek Fortin Park Cooperstown Dam Susquehanna Main Otego Creek Butternut Creek Wharton Creek
Number of Fish per Species Site
Common Shiner Slimy Sculpin Black Nose Dace Long Nose Dace Spottail Shiner White Sucker Fall Fish Margined Madtom Cut lip Minnow Rock Bass Red Breast Sunfish Shield Darter Tessellated Darter Creek Chub Small Mouth Bass American Eel Pumpkin Seed River Chub Emerald Shiner Stickleback Rosy face Shiner Brown Trout
Charlotte Creek
SLIDE 17
Fish Assemblages per Site
50 100 150 200 250 300 Charlotte Creek Fortin Park Cooperstown Dam Susquehanna Main Otego Creek Butternut Creek Wharton Creek
Number of Fish per Species Site
Common Shiner Slimy Sculpin Black Nose Dace Long Nose Dace Spottail Shiner White Sucker Fall Fish Margined Madtom Cut lip Minnow Rock Bass Red Breast Sunfish Shield Darter Tessellated Darter Creek Chub Small Mouth Bass American Eel Pumpkin Seed River Chub Emerald Shiner Stickleback Rosy face Shiner Brown Trout
Otego Creek
SLIDE 18
Fish Assemblages per Site
50 100 150 200 250 300 Charlotte Creek Fortin Park Cooperstown Dam Susquehanna Main Otego Creek Butternut Creek Wharton Creek
Number of Fish per Species Site
Common Shiner Slimy Sculpin Black Nose Dace Long Nose Dace Spottail Shiner White Sucker Fall Fish Margined Madtom Cut lip Minnow Rock Bass Red Breast Sunfish Shield Darter Tessellated Darter Creek Chub Small Mouth Bass American Eel Pumpkin Seed River Chub Emerald Shiner Stickleback Rosy face Shiner Brown Trout
SLIDE 19
SLIDE 20
Juvenile Eastern Elliptio Surveys
- Delineated mussel bed
& created grid
- Sampled 10 randomly
selected 1 by 1 m squares
- Washed benthic
sediment through mesh sieves
SLIDE 21
10 20 30 40 50 60
Charlotte Butternut Sangerfield River Tioughnioga River
Number of Crayfish Sampled
Sites
Crayfish Species Captured at Release Sites
- F. rusticus Captured
- C. bartonii Captured
- O. propinquus Captured
SLIDE 22
Elvers in NY!
- Stocked 10,000+ elvers
in Chenango River
- Stocked 6,000+ elvers
in Butternut Creek
SLIDE 23
2020 & Beyond
- 3 elver release sites
- Butternut Creek
- Charlotte Creek
- Chenango River
downstream
- f Sangerfield River
- Working with Eel Passage
Advisory Group (EPAG) to obtain more elvers from Conowingo Dam
- Utilizing eDNA
to supplement traditional sampling methods
SLIDE 24
Questions?
SLIDE 25
Thank you
- Paul H. Lord
- SUNY Oneonta
- Professor Daniel Stich
- SUNY Oneonta
- Professor Florian Reyda
- SUNY Oneonta
- Professor Vicky Lentz
- SUNY Oneonta
- Professor Mark Kuhlmann
- Hartwick College
- Professor Mark Cornwell
- SUNY Cobleskill
- All of my Volunteers
(especially the Butternut Valley Association!)
- U.S. Fish & Wildlife
- NYSDEC
- Eel Passage Advisory Group
- Upper Susquehanna
Conservation Alliance
- SRBC
- Excelon
SLIDE 26
Sarah Coney
- Sarah.coney@Oneonta.edu
- (845) 798-1236