Habitat--What Is It, How Is It Measured, and How Do Fish Assemblages Respond To It?

Moderator(s): Lou Reynolds and Bob Hughes
Email: Reynolds.louis@epa.gov and hughes.bob@epa.gov.

Date: Thursday, September 15, 2005
Time: 8:00 am to 5:40 pm
Location: Egan 2

The objective of this symposium is to move towards national agreement on physical habitat monitoring objectives, measurements, and indicators. The National Fish Habitat Initiative is a program devised to focus national attention and resources to improve aquatic habitat health . However , d espite 100 years of aquatic monitoring, aquatic ecologists still lack alternative standard methods for assessing physical habitat structure. Varied objectives, measurements, and indicators hinder national, state, and regional assessments, analyses, and generalizations. Conversely the APHA, AWWA, and WEF, beginning in 1906, are now on their 20 th edition of standard methods for the analysis of water and waste water. Thus, there is little wonder that far more resources are employed in assessing and regulating chemical habitat than physical habitat, despite the fact that both chemical and physical habitat limit fish assemblages. This will not change until we arrive at standard methods for physical habitat, and fish assemblages will continue to suffer in the interim. To begin that process, we have assembled representatives from major federal agencies and key researchers to present their approaches for monitoring catchment variables, chemical and physical habitat, and linking indicators of each with fish assemblage responses. The speakers represent a mosaic of natural resource agencies, scientific disciplines, and nations. As suggested by the meeting theme, it is our hope that this mix will produce a symposium that will be of value to persons attending the session and to the greater AFS community in our continuing efforts at rehabilitating and protecting fish assemblages.

Link to list of presentations in this symposium

Sponsors:

National Marine Fisheries Service, Northwest Fisheries Research Center, Cumulative Risk Initiative

AFS Water Quality Section

The International Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies

Western Division of the American Fisheries Society