Annual Meeting
March 24-27, 2014
Vancouver, WA
March 26, 2014
Session Title: Fish On: Existence in Unusual, Uncommon or Unexpected Places
Session Overview: Many of us have heard dogmatic claims that fish do not occupy,
persist or thrive in various places. We often find out later that the notion that fish weren’t
or wouldn’t be somewhere was, at least in part, just because we hadn’t looked hard
enough or because we couldn’t imagine the possibility. This session focuses on fish
occurring in places that we don't typically work in, think about fish being in or
understand very well. Conceptually, there is a broad range of possibilities. Regarding
the places, this could include (for example) fish found in extreme environments (such as
the Arctic or a desert) to fish found in unnatural environments (such as natural streams
that are now reservoirs or in the middle of urban environments). Regarding the fish, this
could include (for example) their presence or distribution in, physiological processes
associated with, or genetic adaptations to these environments. The goal is that, by
hearing about and discussing some of this information, all those that work with fish will
be encouraged to continue thinking about the large array of possibilities and keep
looking.
Session Presentations:
12:00 – Lunch
1:30 – Fish in ditches and other intermittent watercourses of the Upper Willamette
Valley, Oregon – Guillermo Giannico (Oregon State University)
1:50 – Lamprey are in deep …. water: Considerations for conservation – Tim Whitesel
(U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service)
2:10 – Urban fish: Making a living in the city – Melissa Brown (City of Portland)
2:30 – Living on the edge: Larval Pacific lamprey Entosphenus tridentatus occupancy of
a tidally influenced environment – Greg Silver (U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service)
2:50 – Break
3:20 – Waiting for the desert rain: the life of an annual killifish – Jason Podrabsky
(Portland State University)
3:40 – Desert fish communities as a model to understand community assembly and
dynamics – Angela L. Strecker (Portland State University)
4:00 – Adaptation of a lowland sculpin species (prickly sculpin, Cottus asper) to four
mountain lakes in the upper Nisqually River basin, Washington – Roger Tabor (U.S. Fish
& Wildlife Service)
4:20 – Life in the freezer: the biology of Antarctic fishes – Brad Buckley (Portland State
University)
Session Abstracts:
Urban fish: Making a living in the city - Brown
Portland, Oregon. The Columbia River Basin’s most developed and urbanized
population center. The host to four interstate freeways, Oregon’s largest shipping port,
15% of the state’s population, and a sizable Superfund site. However, Portland is home to
15 ESA-listed fish and their critical habitat as well; several of which rear in the City for a
significant amount of time before migrating to the Pacific Ocean. It is also home to a
public works office dedicated to ESA policy, species conservation and recovery; a
watershed-wide habitat monitoring program that also tracks the City’s fish and wildlife
population trends, entering its 5th pipe project that keeps 6 billion gallons of untreated
sewage out of the river annually; and unwavering support for the restoration of watershed
habitat-forming processes that will advance the production of native fish and wildlife. I
will present a brief description of fish and habitat use in Portland, as well as describe how
this urban center plays an important role in the recovery of Columbia River Basin salmon
and trout.
Melissa Brown. City of Portland, Environmental Specialist, Fish and Wildlife, City of
Portland, Environmental Services, 1120 SW 5th Avenue, 10th Floor, Portland, Oregon
97204. Phone: 503-823-5482. E-mail: Melissa.browm@portlandoregon.gov
Life in the freezer: the biology of Antarctic fishes – Buckley
The fishes of Antarctica display profoundly cold-adapted physiologies, having evolved
for millions of years in near freezing waters. Many possess the lowest upper thermal
lethal thresholds of any vertebrate species. Among their many adaptations to life in the
extreme cold is the ability to produce antifreeze glycoproteins to prevent their body fluids
from freezing. Some species have lost hemoglobin and some have lost myoglobin. Other
species lack the ability to induce a classic heat shock response when subjected to thermal
challenge. However, these fish produce heat shock proteins constitutively perhaps to deal
with problems folding protein in the cold. Despite their remote location, anthropogenic
effects on the biology and ecology of the Antarctic fishes can be observed. We have
measured mercury and PCBs in the tissues of some species. Over the last two decades,
fishing pressure on commercially viable species has steadily increased. This pressure has
coincided with an alteration in the species composition of some areas in the Southern
Ocean, including McMurdo Sound in the Ross Sea, the world’s southernmost and
perhaps most pristine marine ecosystem. These environmentally sensitive fishes may
provide essential information on how a changing climate and human activities affect the
unique Antarctic ecosystem.
Brad Buckley. Department of Biology, Portland State University, Portland, OR 97201.
Phone: 503-725-4239. Email: bbuckley@pdx.edu
Fish in Ditches and other Intermittent Watercourses of the Upper Willamette
Valley, Oregon – Giannico et al.
Historically the upper Willamette River Valley, western Oregon, was characterized by
seasonal floods and large expansions of its stream network. During the past century,
human activities have altered or eliminated many intermittent stream and floodplain
habitats in the valley. As a result, the remaining intermittent streams and ditches may still
provide habitat critical for native fish. Our objectives were to determine: (a) fish
presence; (b) spatial gradients of fish distribution; (c) fish use of the intermittent streams
as spawning and nursery habitats; and (d) main factors that influence numbers of both
fish and fish species in intermittent watercourses that drain grass seed producing fields.
During the winter-spring periods between 2002 and 2006, we collected water samples
and sampled fish by trapping and electrofishing, and collected habitat variables at all
sites. Thirteen fish species were found and only three of them were exotic. The presence
of recently hatched and juvenile fish indicated that conditions in these systems were
suitable for spawning and juvenile rearing. The two watershed-scale variables with the
most influence on fish species richness were % watershed covered by forest and distance
to perennial water. In turn, fish abundance showed a negative relationship with distance
to perennial water. These findings initiated several collaborative projects with farmers
who want to minimize land use impacts on seasonal aquatic habitats.
Guillermo Giannico. 104 Nash Hall, Department of Fisheries and Wildlife, Oregon
State University, Corvallis, Oregon 97331. Phone: 541-737-2479. E-mail:
giannico@oregonstate.edu
Randall Colvin. Department of Biology, LaGrange College, 601 Broad Street,
LaGrange, Georgia 30240. Phone: 541-905-6219. E-mail: rcolvin@lagrange.edu
Judith Li. 104 Nash Hall, Department of Fisheries and Wildlife, Oregon State
University, Corvallis, Oregon 97331. Phone: 541-737-1093. E-mail:
judith.li@oregonstate.edu
Kathryn Boyer. U.S.D.A., Natural Resources Conservation Service, 1201 NE Lloyd
Boulevard, Suite 1000, Portland, Oregon 97232. Phone: 503-273-2412. E-mail:
kathryn.Boyer@por.usda.gov
William Gerth. 104 Nash Hall, Department of Fisheries and Wildlife, Oregon State
University, Corvallis, Oregon 97331. Phone: 541-737-1949. E-mail:
william.gerth@oregonstate.edu
Waiting for the desert rain: the life of an annual killifish – Podrabsky
The annual killifish are cyprinodontiform fish that survive in ephemeral pond
environments of the tropics and subtropics. Adult annual killifish thrive in the temporally
variable environment imposed by small aquatic habitats, but they cannot survive the
drying of the ponds. Populations persist in a given location due to the production of
drought-tolerant embryos that can survive a battery of environmental stresses that would
be lethal to almost any other vertebrate. Survival of drought conditions is associated with
entrance into a state of metabolic arrest termed diapause. Using modern genomic and
metabolomics techniques, we are exploring the physiological and molecular mechanisms
that support entry into diapause and the associated tolerance of environmental stress.
Studies on these fish may help to illustrate the limits of vertebrate life on earth.
Jason E. Podrabsky. Department of Biology, Portland State University, Portland, OR
97201. Phone: 503-725-5772. Email: jpod@pdx.edu
Living on the edge: Larval Pacific lamprey Entosphenus tridentatus occupancy of a
tidally influenced environment – Silver et al.
Pacific lamprey Entosphenus tridentatus is an ecologically and culturally valuable
species native to western North America. Understanding the biology and ecology is
critical for conservation of this declining species. We evaluated larval Pacific lamprey
salinity tolerance in a series of laboratory experiments, the results of which were then
used to inform and direct subsequent occupancy sampling in the natural environment. In
the laboratory, survival of larvae was 100% through 96 hr simulated tidal fluctuation
experiments, where ~12 ppt peaks in salinity (i.e., high tide) alternated with fresh water
recovery (i.e., low tide). We then delineated a tidal segment of Ellsworth Creek (Pacific
County, Washington) in which natural salinity profiles were similar to laboratory
experiments. The reach was divided into 18 consecutive 50 m-long survey reaches, which
were sampled for larval lampreys with a backpack electrofisher at low tide (when water
conductivity would be most conducive to electrofishing). In the lowermost six reaches,
minimum salinities ranged from 3 ppt to 7 ppt, and were too high for effective
electrofishing. In the remaining 12 reaches, minimum salinities ranged from 0 ppt to 3
ppt, and larval lampreys were collected in 10 of the 12 reaches. Larvae were a
combination of Pacific and Lampetra spp. (western brook or river lamprey). At five
larval collection sites, salinity profiles were characterized at the habitat unit scale during
seven days before and after collecting larvae. Salinity profiles at these larval collection
sites showed salinity peaks between 12 ppt and 16 ppt during high tide, followed by
freshwater recovery at low tide. At one of the profiled collection sites, two larvae were
recaptured (clipped caudal fins) 26 days after initial capture. These results suggest larval
lampreys may occupy and persist in some estuaries and coastal basins where salinity
fluctuations include freshwater periods.
Gregory S. Silver. U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Columbia River Fisheries Program
Office, Vancouver, WA 98638. Phone: 360-604-2500. Email: gregory_silver@fws.gov
Jason E. Podrabsky. Department of Biology, Portland State University, Portland, OR
97201. Phone: 503-725-5772. Email: jpod@pdx.edu
Jeffrey C. Jolley. U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Columbia River Fisheries Program
Office, Vancouver, WA 98638. Phone: 360-604-2500. Email: jeffrey_jolley@fws.gov
Timothy A. Whitesel. U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Columbia River Fisheries
Program Office, Vancouver, WA 98638. Phone: 360-604-2500. Email:
timothy_whitesel@fws.gov
Desert fish communities as a model to understand community assembly and
dynamics – Strecker and Olden
Desert fish communities have been shaped by a long geologic history (e.g., volcanism,
isolation, marine intrusions), and harsh environmental conditions, including droughts,
floods, and extreme temperatures, leading to the evolution of a highly endemic fauna. In
the American Southwest, this endemic ichthyofauna has precipitously declined over the
20th and distant waters have been introduced (with greater than half established), often to
create recreational fishing opportunities in newly developed reservoir habitats. Dam
construction, water diversions, and flow regulation have significantly altered the
environmental conditions in the region, creating conditions that have enabled non-native
species that are not adapted to harsh conditions to survive and thrive, displacing native
species in many regions. The unique physiographic, environmental, and biogeographical
constraints imposed by the desert aquatic landscape present an opportunity to gain novel
insights about how fish communities are assembled. Using community phylogenetics, we
examined patterns of relatedness among native and non-native fish in the Lower
Colorado River Basin. Our results indicate that while native species may have been
phylogenetically clustered in historical times, species loss from contemporary
populations by anthropogenic activities has altered patterns of relatedness. Non-native
species tend to be closely related, likely reflecting the introduction of closely related
species from eastern North America as sportfish into western waterways. Additionally,
the species that were most invasive in terms of their effects on native populations tended
to be the most distantly related to native assemblages. These results have implications for
the conservation and management of unique native fish communities living in extreme
environments.
Angela L. Strecker. Portland State University, 1719 SW 10th 2427, Portland, Oregon
97207. Phone: 503-725-2427. E-mail: strecker@pdx.edu
Julian D. Olden. University of Washington, 1122 NE Boat St, Seattle, Washington
98105. Phone: 206-616-3112. E-mail: olden@uw.edu
Adaptation of a lowland sculpin species (prickly sculpin, Cottus asper) to four
mountain lakes in the upper Nisqually River basin, Washington – Tabor et al.
Prickly sculpin (Cottus asper), the largest freshwater sculpin in North America, is
common in lacustrine, estuarine, and riverine habitats in lowlands of the Pacific
Northwest. There are also some introduced populations of prickly sculpin in mountain
lakes of the upper Nisqually River Basin in Washington. The thermal regime and trophic
conditions of these mountain lakes is markedly different than in lowland areas in
Washington where prickly sculpin are native. How prickly sculpin have been able to
adapt to these novel ecosystems is unclear. We compared their ecology between lowland
and mountain lakes to provide information on their fundamental niche and better predict
their potential as an invasive species in other locations. Results of minnow trapping and
snorkel surveys indicated prickly sculpin were abundant and active both day and night in
the mountain lakes, whereas they appear to be nocturnal in the shallow waters of the
lowland lakes. Prickly sculpin in the mountain lakes consumed large numbers of microcrustaceans (92% by number of all prey items - dominated by copepods and cladocerans)
as well as chironomids, mollusks, and sculpin. In contrast, consumption of microcrustaceans and mollusks is generally rare in lowland lakes. Similar to the lowland lakes,
prickly sculpin in the mountain lakes reached sizes greater than 150 mm total length;
however, their growth rates were much slower. Although biotic (e.g., prey availability
and predators) and abiotic (e.g., temperature and light) conditions in the mountain lakes
are quite different than in lowland habitats, they appear to have readily adapted to their
new environments.
Roger A. Tabor, Washington Fish and Wildlife Office, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service,
510 Desmond Drive SE, Suite 102 Lacey, Washington 98503. Phone: 360-753-9541. Email: roger_tabor@fws.gov
Daniel W. Lantz, King County, Department of Natural Resources and Parks
201 South Jackson Street, Suite 600 Seattle, Washington 98104. Phone: 206-477-4700.
E-mail: daniel.lantz@kingcounty.gov
Julian D. Olden. University of Washington, 1122 NE Boat St, Seattle, Washington
98105. Phone: 206-616-3112. E-mail: olden@uw.edu
Hans B. Berge, King County, Department of Natural Resources and Parks
201 South Jackson Street, Suite 600 Seattle, Washington 98104. Phone: 206-477-4640.
E-mail: hans.berge@kingcounty.gov
Lamprey are in deep …. water: Considerations for conservation – Whitesel et al.
Pacific lamprey Entosphenus tridentatus are declining, specifically in the Columbia River
Basin. They are an anadromous species for which it is generally believed that spawning is
focused in headwater tributaries and the larval stage is confined to fresh water. Although
larvae may exist in freshwater for up to seven years, their use of relatively large,
mainstem river habitats has largely been unexplored. We investigated whether larval
lampreys occupy mainstem river habitats, whether they occupy specific areas of this
habitat, and whether multiple age-classes and species occupy this habitat. We surveyed
portions of both the Willamette (rkm 0-40) and Columbia (rkm 50-145) rivers. We
applied a generalized random tessellation stratified (GRTS) approach to select sampling
quadrats in a random, spatially-balanced order and used a deepwater electrofisher to
collect larval lamprey. Larval lampreys were detected in the Willamette River as well as
the pools formed by Bonneville and The Dalles dams. Larval lampreys were not detected
in the Multnomah Channel (of the Willamette River) and the tailrace area in close
proximity to Bonneville Dam. Larval lampreys were detected in a variety of areas,
including shallow, nearshore and midchannel areas (depth up to 16.2 m). Differences in
lamprey detection by depth were not observed. A variety of sizes was collected (18–160
mm total length), indicating the likely occurrence of multiple ages of larvae.
Morphometric and genetic analysis confirmed that both E. tridentatus and Lampetra spp.
were detected. Thus, we were able to document, in a statistically rigorous manner, that
multiple species and multiple (presumably) age classes of larval lamprey occupy
relatively large, mainstem river habitats. The information suggests that some larval
lamprey may inhabit and rear in these areas for a number of years. As such, these areas
may be critical to consider for the conservation of Pacific lamprey.
Timothy A. Whitesel. U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Columbia River Fisheries
Program Office, Vancouver, WA 98638. Phone: 360-604-2500. Email:
timothy_whitesel@fws.gov
Jeffrey C. Jolley. U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Columbia River Fisheries Program
Office, Vancouver, WA 98638. Phone: 360-604-2500. Email: jeffrey_jolley@fws.gov
Gregory S. Silver. U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Columbia River Fisheries Program
Office, Vancouver, WA 98638. Phone: 360-604-2500. Email: gregory_silver@fws.gov