History of management of rivers
and river fisheries
History of Management
• Definitions
– River = “a relatively large natural stream of water”
American Heritage dictionary
– 1972 from River Ecology and Man “a fairly large,
flowing body of water whose characteristics are
largely determined by geology topography, soils and
landuse of the watershed.
– 1992 (Cummins) > 4th order catchment area = 10km2
Rivers Handbook (1994)
•
Rivers are
1) Three dimensional systems
2) Driven by hydrology and fluvial
geomorphology
3) Structured by food webs
4) Characterized by spiraling processes, and
5) Dependent upon changing flows, moving
sediments and shifting channels
River management
• Management-the act or practice of managing
• Manage-to direct, control or handle; to administer
or regulate; to make submissive
• River management (Mellquist 1992)
– Purpose and objectives: 1) balancing between users’
interests, 2) optimization of the use of resources, 3)
inclusion of environmental interests and those of the
public when exploiting water resources, 4) cleaning up
after old sins.
What we have:
Native americans were our
first river managers
• Fish weirs and traps have been used for
thousands of years by many native cultures
Dams:early sins
• By 1850’s most rivers
in Colonies were
dammed.
• Deforestation and
subsequent
agricultural/industrial
land use caused
decreased water
quality and finfish
harvest.
Worldwide river modification
Dirty Father Thames
*Pollution issues in Europe
were mirrored in the colonies
Successive appearance of pollution
problems in countries according to
their level and speed of development
Rivers and Harbors Act 1824
• 1824 - Congress passes first "Roads and Canals"
Act. Authorized Corps of Engineers to survey
waterways to designate those "capable of sloop
navigation"
– Congress passes "An Act to Improve the Navigation of
the Ohio and Mississippi Rivers."
"to remove sand bars on the Ohio and planers,
sawyers, and snags on the Mississippi"
• Corps of Engineers has had responsibility for the
waterways ever since.
Ohio River
• 1811 First steamboat appears.
• 1828 Wing Dams constructed on the Kanawha River (a tributary).
• 1837-1866 47 back-channel dikes and 111 training dikes were
constructed in the Ohio R.
• 1898 10 low-lift locks and dams completed in Kanawha R.
• 1875-1900 Five low-lift L&Ds were constructed to provide a 2-m
navigation channel.
• 1900-1930 51 more were constructed between to provide a 2.75-m
channel.
• Since 1930 13 high-lift L&Ds have replaced the others.
ACOE photo
Mississippi and Illinois Rivers
• Later but
similar
• 28 high L&Ds
on the MS
River
beginning in
about 1930
provided a 9’
channel. The
MS is one of
the most
managed rivers
in the US.
Susquehanna River
• North East-Susquehanna River=largest on Atlantic coast(drains
71,225 km2, 715 km mainstem). Provides 50% of the freshwater
input into the Chesapeake bay. Not developed for navigation.
• 1830-Canal dams were built; the last 72 km of the river was
unimpounded (@Columbia, PA).
• 1880’s-Canal system was abandoned because railroads were in.
• 1904-York Haven dam was built @ km 88 (2-5 m high
• 1910-17m high Holtwood Dam was completed @ km 40 and was
barrier to fish migrations. $$$ paid for fish losses.
• 1928-Conowingo Dam was completed. (29m @rkm16)
• 1932-Safe Harbor Dam (53m @ rkm 51).
• Largest Atlantic
Coast Watershed
• 50% of FW
inflows to
Chesapeake Bay
• Not developed for
Navigation
• 448 miles long
Conowingo Dam-Fish Lifts
http://www.shwpc.com/fishlift.html
Pacific North West
• Columbia River-There are over 150 hydropower projects
in the Columbia River Basin.
• 1925 and 1927 Rivers and Harbors Acts call for power
and navigation of the Columbia.
• 1933-First dam completed on the Columbia; Rock Island
Dam.
• 1938 Bonneville goes on line (lowest on river).
• 1941-Grand Coulee begins operation
• 1967-Hells Canyon on line-blocking off Snake River.
Closer to home-Alabama’s Rivers
• KING COTTON-major commerce on the Alabama River.
• 1818-The desent of the Coosa River began.
• 1823 The Coosa Navigation Company was chartered by the AL
legislature. A canal between the Hiawassee River, TN and the Coosa
River was proposed. Example of magnitude of downstream
commerce=in 1821 an estimated 12,000 gallons of whiskey was
portaged from the TN river drainage to the Coosa.
• 1864-Cummins Lay took the first steamboat Laura Moore down the
Coosa river from Rome to Mobile during the Civil War.
• 1866-Cummins Lay took the Laura Moore back up the Coosa during
the 1866 spring rains.
• 1872-Alabama River-Congress proposed “plan of improvement”
• 1880-Congress authorized surveys of the Cahaba River.
Commerce along the rivers
• Trade was the major
reason for initial
developments
• Special boats were made
to navigate rapids
• Upper Coosa (1842)
• The “Dream” of CARIA
has always been to
navigate from Mobile to
Rome, GA
• Savannah River; similar
history- 1850 cotton
moved on Petersburg
http://www.caria.org/timeline.html
Boats
King Cotton
•
•
•
•
Mills
Industry
Towns
Railroads
Putting the Loafing Streams to Work
• 1882-1892-A channel 1-m deep on the Cahaba R. was opened to
Centerville.
• 1882-the Tallapoosa was “improved” from forks to foot of Tallassee
reef.
• 1890-The Coosa-AL River Improvement Association was founded.
• 1902-Montgomery Light and Water Power Company operated a 20ft
dam/1200ft long that supplied power to the Capital.
• 1907-William Patrick Lay (Cummins’ son) founded the Alabama
Power Company.
• 1911-James Mitchell was was attracted to the Tallapoosa River
because it had groovy places to build hydropower dams.
APCO the early days
• 1911-Mitchell hooks up with Thomas Martin (a lawyer)
• 1916-U.S. Supreme Court Case won by Alabama Power
to develop the Tallapoosa
“To gather the streams from waste and to draw from them
energy, labor without brains, and to save mankind from
toil that can be spared, is to supply what, next to intellect,
is the very foundation of all our achievements and all our
welfare” Justice Oliver Wendell Holmes on the 1916
Alabama Power Company vs. Mt. Vernon’s
Lock #2 & Mitchell Dam
APCO early philosophy
• 1915,1920-Coosa River surveyed again. UAACOE
recommends that the project be abandoned.
• 1925-Martin Dam at Cherokee Bluffs was dedicated and
the Alabama Power corporate philosophy was stated:
• “The continued progress of our State, consists in lifting
the burdens of drudgery from the shoulders of man to the
tireless shoulders of the dynamo. Every loafing stream is
loafing at the publics expense and every added kilowatt of
power means less work for someone, more freedom, and a
richer chance for life” Thomas Martin, President,
Alabama Power Company
Later Years
• 1953-Alabama Power filed for multiple dams on Coosa.
• 1960-A report indicated that the Coosa-Alabama had “no traffic of
significance”
• 1961-BIG FLOOD. Rivers at flood stage for 28 days. Main impetus
for Alabama River Dams.
• 1963-Millers Ferry started
• 1969-Plans to construct the long awaited locks on the Coosa.
• 1971-Tough water quality standards passed
• 1978-Trouble with the locks.
• 1982-Estimates were 1.3 billion and project abandoned
• 1990-Attempts to stop dioxin pollution-ADEM= pro business
• 1995-Mobile River Basin Coalition formed
Riverine Fisheries
• “The Mississippi will be one of the
principle channels of future commerce for
the country westward of the
Allegheny...This river yields turtle of a
peculiar kind, perch, trout, gar, pike,
mullets, herrings, carp, spatula fish of fifty
pound weight, catfish of on hundred
pounds weight, buffalo fish and sturgeon”
Thomas Jefferson “Notes on Virginia”
Context
• Definition of fishery-classic definition implies harvest.
People/habitat/organisms
• Finfish stocks were depleted for 3 reasons-WQ, fish passage and
overexploitation. Fisheries were common property resources/owned
by the entire populace. 1608=Dutch statesman Hugo Grotius
established this concept with the freedom of the seas doctrine.
• Supply > demand. Management’s goal is to regulate demand or
increase supply.
• Native Americans were first fishers. They regulated harvest/their
population sizes were minuscule compared to colonists.
• By the American revolution 100’s of laws were in place. Early
agencies were NY 1868, CN 1870.
1871-US Fish Commission
was established
• Spencer F. Baird
– First Commissioner
– The Father of Fisheries
Science
- Brought Carp to NA
- “Stock ‘til you drop
• 1872- American shad to
CA
• 1879-Striped bass to
CA; Fishery est. by
1889
River Fishes
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Sturgeon
Shad
Salmonids
Striped bass
American eel
Catastomids
Mussels
Sturgeons
• Other GC rivers
– 1896—fishers were sent to
Suwannee R.
– 1897—Levy Co. 9,254 lb
worth $331
– 1917—Apalachicola R.
and Bay; 20-60,000
lbs/year (red flags)
– 1902 Mobile Bay—
100,000 lbs flesh ($3,930)
and 5,000 lbs caviar
($2,000)
• Tampa Bay
– Site of 1st fishery for
Gulf Sturgeon in Gulf
of MEX (it lasted 3
years)
Timing and gears used-Gulf Coast fishery
• Suwannee R. 1 February-1 May
• Apalachicola R. and Bay-Mid April-end June
– 1957 Jim Woodruff dam stopped migrations
– Gears included drifting gill nets, (through 1929 exclusively but in
1972 only accounted for 13% of the annual catch).
– 1932 Pound nets and run around nets introduced in Suwannee
– 1932 Trammel nets replaced above gears
– 1945 Only trammel nets used
– 1975 Only anchored gill nets were used
• In 1988 commercial landings were 74 kg vs. early 1900’s
at 170,078 kg. FL was the only state reporting
commercial landings after 1964.
Atlantic sturgeon
• Acipenser oxyrinchus oxyrinchus Labrador to FL.
• 1762--completely eliminated from the Exeter River, NH
• 17th century--flesh, roe, oil and isinglass were exported in large
quantities to Europe
• 1850’s--sturgeon Flesh and roe were popular
• 1890-- Delaware River and Bay supported 1,000 fishers and
produced 2.27 million kg (~5 million lbs)
• 1900-- harvest was reduced by 90%.
• 1980’s--50-100,000 kg annually mostly in incidental groundfish
trawls.
• 1990--The Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission
• 1992—100 individuals target species
Pacific coast sturgeon
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White sturgeon- Acipenser transmontanus
1889 Fishery began
1892 peaked
1899 stock was depleted size
1950 size restrictions
Shad (Alosa)
• 1896-Record
landings on Atlantic
Coast (50,500,000
lbs)
• 1930’s-9-11 million
lbs
• 1979-2 million
Susquehanna River-revisited
• 1986-1994 numbers
have increased 25
fold (from 3,500 to
86,000 fish)
• 1983-84 a few
hundred in fish lifts
• 1991-92 over 25,000
• 1991 new fish lift
online ($12 million)
Restoration
• CITES
• ESA
• Councils…