University of Tennessee, Knoxville TRACE: Tennessee Research and Creative Exchange Masters Theses Graduate School 5-1998 Distribution of Fishes and Changes in Biotic Integrity in the New River, Tennessee R. Brian Evans University of Tennessee - Knoxville Follow this and additional works at: https://trace.tennessee.edu/utk_gradthes Part of the Zoology Commons Recommended Citation Evans, R. Brian, "Distribution of Fishes and Changes in Biotic Integrity in the New River, Tennessee. " Master's Thesis, University of Tennessee, 1998. https://trace.tennessee.edu/utk_gradthes/2585 This Thesis is brought to you for free and open access by the Graduate School at TRACE: Tennessee Research and Creative Exchange. It has been accepted for inclusion in Masters Theses by an authorized administrator of TRACE: Tennessee Research and Creative Exchange. For more information, please contact [email protected]. To the Graduate Council: I am submitting herewith a thesis written by R. Brian Evans entitled "Distribution of Fishes and Changes in Biotic Integrity in the New River, Tennessee." I have examined the final electronic copy of this thesis for form and content and recommend that it be accepted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Science, with a major in Animal Science. David A. Etnier, Major Professor We have read this thesis and recommend its acceptance: Dewey Bunting, Richard Strange Accepted for the Council: Carolyn R. Hodges Vice Provost and Dean of the Graduate School (Original signatures are on file with official studentecor r ds.) To the Graduate Council: I am submitting herewith a thesis written by R. Brian Evans entitled "Distribution of Fishes and Changes in Biotic Integrity in the New River, Tennessee." I have examined the final copy of this thesis fo r fo rm and content and recommend that it be accepted in partial fulfillment of the requirements fo r the degree ofMaster of Science, with a major in Zoology. We have read tllis thesis and recommend its acceptance: Accepted fo r the Council: Associate Vice Chancellor and Dean ofThe Graduate School DISTRIBUTION OF FISHES AND CHANGES IN BIOTIC INTEGRITY IN THE NEW RIVER, TENNESSEE A Thesis Presented fo r the Master of Science Degree The University ofTennesse, Knoxville R. Brian Evans May 1998 11 Dedication To my Grandmother, for her love and eucouragement and for sharing in my childhood explorations of streams. l1l Acknowledgments Completion of this thesis was accomplished with the assistance of several people to whom I am grateful. I thank my major professor, Dave Etnier, for suggesting this study, providing encouragement and direction, and exhibiting confidence in me during my research. For their editing and constructive critique of this thesis, I thank the other members of my graduate committee, Dewey Bunting and Richard Strange. Many people helped me complete my field work. I am particularly grateful to Bo Baxter, Barry Hart, and Chris Paxton fo r accompanying me on almost every collecting trip. Their knowledge of the aquatic fauna of the Big South Fork system, since of humor, and friendship made my research a very enjoyable experience. I appreciate the time and effort spent by several other individuals who helped collect fishes: Steve Fraley, Barron Moody, Chris Skelton, Shea Eskew, Shea Gaither, Denny Smith, and Brad Tarbert (UT); Tammy Mendelson (Duke); and Liz Etnier. I thank Steve Bakaletz (BSFNR), who in addition to helping collect fishes, coordinated access to portions of the New River within National Park and private land boundaries. Three people from the Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency, Rick Bivens, Bart Carter, and Carl Williams , graciously provided their expertise and equipment to complete the large river sample. I also thank Dave McKinney (TWRA) for orchestrating the funding thatsupported this research. Lastly, I thank my wife, Kim, for being patient and supportive while I pursued my interests. lV Abstract Electro fishingsamples of fishes were obtained from forty-two localities in the New River system. Tennessee during summer and fall 1996. Eight of forty-two species collected represent new records from the New River: Notropis telescopus, Moxostoma macrolepidotum breviceps, M carinatum, Lepomis auritus, L. gulosus, L. microlophus, Etheostoma cinereum, and Stizostedion vitreum. Temporal changes in the distribution of fisheswere detected by comparing historical collection records with fishsamples from 1996. Older records were also employed in the compilation of a modified index of biotic integrity (IBI) that was used to assess changes in fishassemblage health during the past twenty years. Positive changes in the distribution of fishes and the IBI indicate that water quality and fishassemblages have improved in the New River over the past two decades. subsequent to federal legislation that required decreased input of sediment and mine drainage into the Big South Fork of the Cumberland River system. v TABLE OF CONTENTS SECTION PAGE 1. INTRODUCTION ........................ ..................... ........................................ ........ 1 2. STUDY AREA ........................ ... ... .......... ................................................... ... .. ...2 3. HISTORY OF WATER QUALITY ...........................................................................5 4. FISH SAMPLING METHODS ..................................................................................9 5. ANNOTATED LIST OF FISHES ..... ................ ............... ........................ ... .... ...... 12 6. ANALYSIS OF FISH ASSEMBLAGES ...................................................................39 Description and History of the IBI.. .....................................................................39 Modifications ofthe IBI fo r the New River.. ...................................................... .41 Development of Metric Scoring Criteria .. .................... ........ .......... ........ ........... 52 Relationship Between Sampling and the IBI .......................... ......... ....... ... ........ 55 IBI Scores and Evaluation ofNew River Streams ...............................................60 7. CONCLUSIONS AND FUTURE CONSIDERATIONS ................ ............ ... ... ... 74 LITERATURE CITED ....................................................................................................76 APPENDICES .................................................................................................................84 Appendix 1. List of localities sampled in the New River system ......... .............. 85 Appendix 2. Summary offishcol lections from the New River system .............90 Appendix 3. Number of each species, species richness, IBI score, and metric value summary ......................................................... .... ... 1 05 Appendix 4. Distribution and scoring of metric values .......... ... ........ ...... ... ....... 153 Appendix 5. Site size components ...................................................................... 160 Appendix 6. Individual, mean, and median, IBI, metric, and diversity values ............................................................................................. 163 VITA ................................................................................................................................ l69 VI LIST OF TABLES TABLE PAGE 1. Number of individuals and species relative abundance ...... ..... ............. ...................... 13 2. Original IBI metrics used to assess fish communities in the Midwest and metrics used for the New River system ... ................................. ............ .......................40 3. Ecological guilds of fishes known from the New River ...... ...... .... ....................... .. ...45 4. IBI metric scoring criteria ... .............. ............. .......... ..... ... ... ..... ............... ... ........... .....54 5. IndividuaL mean, and median IBI, metric and diversity score comparison ................57 6. IBI score range and qualitative classification.. ....... ...... .......... ...................................64 7. Qualitative ranking and classification based on IBI scores of streams sampled in the New River .......... ...... ...... .......................................... ........................................65 1. Introduction This thesis reports the results of an ichthyofaunal survey conducted during the summer and fall of 1996 in streams throughout the New River basin, Tennessee. After completion of the survey. the present distribution of fishes was compared with historical records to determine spatial and temporal variation in fish community composition that coincided with changes in watershed land use, primarily surface coal mining. Research presented herein was undertaken because the ichthyofauna of the area has been poorly studied over the previous twenty years. probably because the region was believed to be too degraded to posses healthy communities or interesting taxa. Compared to other river systems in Tennessee, few collection records from the New River were available. Improved land use activities initiated by federal legislation were anticipated to have had positive effects on the integrity of fishcomm unities. The law that established the Big South Fork National River and Recreation Area (BSFNRA) (Public Law 93-25 1, 1974), in reference to downstream portions of the New River and most of the Big South Fork River, directed state and federal agencies in Tennessee to II •••enhance the environment and conserve