Distribution and Abundance of Ichthyoplankton in the Mid-Reaches of the Savannah River and Selected Tributaries

摘要

The objective of this study was to assess spawning activity and ichthyoplankton distribution upstream and downstream from the Savannah River Plant (SRP) in order to evaluate the possible impact of existing and proposed thermal discharges and the removal of river water for secondary cooling of nuclear reactors. Special emphasis was placed on evaluating ichthyoplankton production in Steel Creek due to possible future impacts on this stream following the restart of L-Reactor. A total of 19,926 fish larvae and 15,749 fish eggs were collected during 1985. As in previous years, the dominant group was the Clupeidae (65% of all ichthyoplankton), which included the anadromous blueback herring and American shad and the nonanadromous threadfin and gizzard shad. Other abundant taxa were the sunfishes and spotted suckers. While important during 1983 and 1984, crappie and minnows were comparatively minor components of the ichthyoplankton during 1985. The most abundant ichthyoplankton in Steel Creek were American shad, blueback herring, and darters. The high percentage and number of American shad and blueback herring indicate that the lower reaches of Steel Creek are a spawning area for these anadromous species. (ERA citation 12:042028)