University of Nebraska - Lincoln DigitalCommons@University of Nebraska - Lincoln Nebraska Cooperative Fish & Wildlife Research Nebraska Cooperative Fish & Wildlife Research Unit -- Staff Publications Unit 2006 Temperature-Caused Fish Kill in a Flowing Great Plains River Bart W. Durham Texas Tech University Gene R. Wilde Texas Tech University Kevin L. Pope University of Nebraska-Lincoln, [email protected] Follow this and additional works at: https://digitalcommons.unl.edu/ncfwrustaff Part of the Other Environmental Sciences Commons Durham, Bart W.; Wilde, Gene R.; and Pope, Kevin L., "Temperature-Caused Fish Kill in a Flowing Great Plains River" (2006). Nebraska Cooperative Fish & Wildlife Research Unit -- Staff Publications. 15. https://digitalcommons.unl.edu/ncfwrustaff/15 This Article is brought to you for free and open access by the Nebraska Cooperative Fish & Wildlife Research Unit at DigitalCommons@University of Nebraska - Lincoln. It has been accepted for inclusion in Nebraska Cooperative Fish & Wildlife Research Unit -- Staff Publications by an authorized administrator of DigitalCommons@University of Nebraska - Lincoln. September 2006 Notes 397 TEMPERATURE-CAUSED FISH KILL IN A FLOWING GREAT PLAINS RIVER BART W. DURHAM,* GENE R. WILDE, AND KEVIN L. POPE Wildlife and Fisheries Management Institute, Texas Tech University, Box 42125, Lubbock, TX 79409-2125 *Correspondent: [email protected] ABSTRACT On 9 July 2002, while sampling a flowing segment of the North Fork Ninnescah River 10 km upstream from Cheney Reservoir, Reno County, Kansas, we observed and collected dead and dying specimens of 5 fish species. We attribute the fish kill to high water temperature, which reached 38.0ЊC on this day. RESUMEN El 9 de julio del 2002, mientras muestrea´bamos un segmento con corriente del rı´o North Fork Ninnescah, 10 km rı´o arriba de la presa Cheney, en el condado de Reno en Kansas, observamos y recolectamos cinco especies de peces moribundos y muertos. Atribuimos la muerte de los peces a la alta temperatura del agua registrada ese dı´a, la cual alcanzo´ los 38.0ЊC. Effects of temperature are generally suble- imately one hour, beginning at 1830 h, using thal, but in extreme cases temperature and as- 2 seines (1.8 ϫ 3.4 m and 1.8 ϫ 9.1 m, with 5- sociated stressors can directly cause fish mor- mm mesh) and making an effort to sample all tality (Beitinger et al., 2000). The most com- available habitat types. Captured fish were pre- monly reported instances of mortality attrib- served in 10% buffered formalin. Water quality utable to high water temperatures are among parameters (temperature, dissolved oxygen, fishes that become isolated in streambed pools conductivity, and turbidity), stream width, for extended periods (Tramer, 1977; Matthews stream depth, and current velocity were re- et al., 1982; Mundahl, 1990) or in receding corded in each habitat sampled. In addition to lakes (Bailey, 1955). Limited volume of these our measurements, hourly water temperature isolated waters makes them susceptible to rap- and stream discharge measurements were ob- id changes in physical and chemical condi- tained from the U.S. Geological Survey gaging tions. Mortality of fishes attributable to high station (#07144780) located at the site. water temperature is believed to be common, We collected 518 fish representing 9 families although it is infrequently observed in the field and 14 species on 8 July 2002 (Table 1). Red (Bailey, 1955). We are aware of only 2 pub- shiner (Cyprinella lutrensis) and sand shiner lished reports (Huntsman, 1942, 1946) of tem- (Notropis stramineus) were the most common perature-induced mortality among fishes in lo- species, collectively representing 80% of the to- tic habitats, both of which describe mortality tal catch. Northern plains killifish (Fundulus in coldwater streams. The purpose of this pa- kansae) and white perch (Morone americana) per is to describe observations of a fish kill in were the third and fourth most abundant spe- a flowing warmwater stream that we attribute cies, respectively. These 2 species combined to high water temperature. Our account is nec- represented an additional 12% of collected essarily observational because the transience of specimens. All other species individually rep- the event, encountered in the field, precluded resented fewer than 2% of collected speci- experimental manipulation. mens. Physical and chemical conditions (mean On 8 and 9 July 2002, we sampled the Ϯ SD) recorded at the time of sampling were: North Fork Ninnescah River (37Њ50Ј41ЉN, water temperature 35.0 Ϯ 0.17ЊC, dissolved ox- 97Њ56Ј09ЉW) approximately 10 km upstream ygen concentration 6.93 Ϯ 0.17 mg/L, con- from Cheney Reservoir, Reno County, Kansas. ductivity 1,115 Ϯ 104 ␮S/cm, and turbidity Our purpose was to document the composi- 69.2 Ϯ 9.4 NTU. Mean current velocity was tion of the fish assemblage in relation to hab- 0.37 Ϯ 0.08 m/s, mean stream depth was 20 Ϯ itat variables. We sampled this site for approx- 7.8 cm, and stream width was 34.7 m. The Southwestern Naturalist vol. 51, no. 3 (Sept. 2006), pp. 397-401. 398 The Southwestern Naturalist vol. 51, no. 3 TABLE 1—Fish collected on 8 and 9 July 2002 from counted; thus, only a subset of the fish com- the North Fork Ninnescah River upstream from munity was found dead or moribund. Cheney Reservoir, Reno County, Kansas. Fish col- We measured and recorded standard lengths lected on 8 July were alive. Fish collected on 9 July of white perch collected on both days. Range were dead or moribund. of lengths for white perch collected on 8 July was 50 to 155 mm (n ϭ 12). Lengths of white Number perch collected dead or moribund on 9 July collected ranged from 52 to 265 mm (n ϭ 28). There 8 9 was no significant difference between lengths Species July July of fish collected alive and dead or moribund ϭ ϭ ϭ Red shiner, Cyprinella lutrensis 334 (t 1.54, df 38, P 0.133). Range of stan- Sand shiner, Notropis stramineus 90 dard lengths for other affected species collect- Northern plains killifish, Fundulus kansae 52 ed on 9 July was: white bass, 187 to 222 mm (n White perch, Morone americana 12 28 ϭ 3); freshwater drum, 261 to 315 mm (n ϭ Emerald shiner, Notropis atherinoides 8 3); white crappie, 104 to 109 mm (n ϭ 2); and River carpsucker, Carpoides carpio 71 river carpsucker, 360 mm (n ϭ 1). Western mosquitofish, Gambusia affinis 6 It seems that high water temperature, which Channel catfish, Ictalurus punctatus 6 reached 38.0ЊC on 9 July, resulted in acute heat Largemouth bass, Micropterus salmoides 1 Green sunfish, Lepomis cyanellus 1 death of fish in the sampled portion of the riv- Brook silverside, Labidesthes sicculus 1 er (Fig. 1). Maximum water temperature on 9 White bass, Morone chrysops 3 July was higher than on any previous day dur- Freshwater drum, Aplodinotus grunniens 3 ing 2002 at our sampling site and exceeded White crappie, Pomoxis annularis 2 laboratory-determined thermal tolerances for Total 518 37 nearly all of the species collected (Beitinger et al., 2000), especially among those species for which we collected dead and moribund speci- mens. Dissolved oxygen concentrations were greater than 5.0 mg/L, so it is unlikely that On 9 July, we returned at 1730 h to collect dissolved oxygen was the cause of the fish kill. additional samples. While sampling, we ob- However, we cannot discount the possibility served freshly dead or moribund fish in our that some unmeasured and unidentified water- seine samples. After collecting several afflicted quality parameter was responsible for the fish specimens, we ceased seining and collected all kill. Because we observed individual fish dead or moribund fish encountered as rec- through all stages of affliction, from initially ommended by the American Fisheries Society behaving normally to losing equilibrium and (1992) and Labay and Buzan (1999). Dead or ultimately dying, we are confident that the ob- moribund fish were taken for approximately served fish kill was due to conditions at this one hour from a 200-m river reach. site. We collected 37 specimens that were dead Temperature tolerances vary widely among or moribund. Death was observed in 5 species, fish species, and among individuals within spe- including white perch, white bass (Morone chry- cies there generally is a positive relationship sops), freshwater drum (Aplodinotus grunniens), between temperature tolerance and the tem- white crappie (Pomoxis annularis), and river peratures to which fish recently have been ex- carpsucker (Carpoides carpio) (Table 1). White posed (Brett, 1956; Brown and Feldmeth, bass, white crappie, and freshwater drum are 1970). Because water temperatures in the relatively uncommon in the North Fork Nin- North Fork Ninnescah River were elevated (up nescah River ( Johnson, 2004) and were not to 35ЊC) for several days preceding the ob- collected by us on 8 July. The few individuals served fish kill, it is not surprising that some of these 3 species that we found on 9 July prob- species, for example, emerald shiner (Notropis ably were more likely to be found because they atherinoides) and sand shiner, apparently were were moribund or dead. All species collected unaffected by high water temperatures on 9 on 8 July 2002 also were present in samples July 2002, even though ambient water temper- taken on 9 July 2002, although fish were not atures exceeded their laboratory-determined The Southwestern Naturalist vol. 51, no. 3 (Sept. 2006), pp. 397-401. September 2006 Notes 399 FIG.1 Maximum daily water temperature (ЊC) and mean daily discharge (m3/s) during June, July, and August 2002 in the North Fork Ninnescah River upstream from Cheney Reservoir, Reno County, Kansas. Data were obtained from a U.S. Geological Survey gaging station (#07144780) located at the sampling site.