Rapid bioassessment guideline Publication 604.2 March 2021 Authorised and published by EPA Victoria Level 3, 200 Victoria Street, Carlton VIC 3053 1300 372 842 (1300 EPA VIC) epa.vic.gov.au This publication is for general guidance only. You should obtain professional advice if you have any specific concern. EPA Victoria has made every reasonable effort to ensure accuracy at the time of publication. This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 licence. EPA acknowledges Aboriginal people as the first peoples and Traditional custodians of the land and water on which we live, work and depend. We pay respect to Aboriginal Elders, past and present. As Victoria's environmental regulator, we pay respect to how Country has been protected and cared for by Aboriginal people over many tens of thousands of years. We acknowledge the unique spiritual and cultural significance of land, water and all that is in the environment to Traditional Owners, and recognise their continuing connection to, and aspirations for Country. For languages other than English, please call 131 450. Visit epa.vic.gov.au/language-help for next steps. If you need assistance because of a hearing or speech impairment, please visit relayservice.gov.au 2 Rapid bioassessment guideline Contents 1 Introduction ........................................................................................................................................................................................................ 6 1.1 Purpose ........................................................................................................................................................................................................7 1.2 What is rapid bioassessment? ..................................................................................................................................................7 1.3 Application of the Guideline (GEM) ...................................................................................................................................... 8 1.4 Audience .................................................................................................................................................................................................... 8 3 Getting started ................................................................................................................................................................................................ 9 3.1 Field safety ............................................................................................................................................................................................... 9 3.2 Preparing for a site visit ................................................................................................................................................................ 9 3.3 Ordering of tasks .............................................................................................................................................................................. 10 4 Biological sampling ..................................................................................................................................................................................... 11 4.1 Kick sample (riffle habitat) ......................................................................................................................................................... 12 4.2 Sweep sample (edge habitat)................................................................................................................................................. 13 4.3 Live sorting – tricks and tips ................................................................................................................................................... 16 5 Habitat assessment and water quality sampling ............................................................................................................. 19 5.1 Site location information ............................................................................................................................................................ 19 5.2 Physical site characteristics ..................................................................................................................................................... 21 5.3 Water quality measurements ................................................................................................................................................. 22 5.4 Habitat descriptions ..................................................................................................................................................................... 24 5.4.1 Reach .................................................................................................................................................................................................... 24 5.4.2 Riffle Habitat .................................................................................................................................................................................. 30 5.4.3 Edge/Backwater Habitat ...................................................................................................................................................... 30 5.5 Site observations ............................................................................................................................................................................. 33 5.6 Riparian characteristics ............................................................................................................................................................ 38 5.7 Macrophyte classification ........................................................................................................................................................40 6 Laboratory processing of invertebrate samples ..............................................................................................................40 6.1 Sorting invertebrates ...................................................................................................................................................................40 6.2 Identification of macroinvertebrate specimens ..................................................................................................... 42 6.3 Creating a voucher collection ............................................................................................................................................... 43 7 Physical predictor variables .............................................................................................................................................................. 44 8 Assessing the condition of aquatic ecosystems................................................................................................................ 46 8.1 Using the biological indices..................................................................................................................................................... 49 8.2 Taxonomic considerations ...................................................................................................................................................... 50 8.3 Number of Families ........................................................................................................................................................................ 50 3 Rapid bioassessment guideline 8.4 The SIGNAL biotic index .............................................................................................................................................................. 51 8.5 The EPT biotic index ....................................................................................................................................................................... 51 8.6 AUSRIVAS ................................................................................................................................................................................................ 51 8.7 Rules for applying macroinvertebrate indicators ................................................................................................. 53 9 DNA barcoding approaches .............................................................................................................................................................. 54 10 Quality assurance systems................................................................................................................................................................. 58 10.1 Staff competence ............................................................................................................................................................................ 59 10.2 Field procedures ............................................................................................................................................................................... 59 10.3 Laboratory processing of invertebrate samples ................................................................................................... 60 10.4 Calculating the biological indices ....................................................................................................................................... 61 Glossary 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