Last week we were able to take advantage of the beautiful fall weather and sample fish species in reaches of the Archey Fork Restoration Site, as well as reference reaches on the Archey and Beech Forks in order to obtain preliminary data. In the project area, focus was given to areas where critical habitat improvement, such as toe-wood structures, is planned. This allows us to examine the effectiveness of restoration efforts after the project is completed. For the riffles we used a technique called kick-seining, where a seine (see photos) is placed in the current and 2-3 people move and kick rocks upstream of the net, moving the fish with the current into the seine.
After collecting fish throughout the riffle we identified and counted the fish species, then released them back into the water!
Preliminary biological monitoring will continue for fish and invertebrates throughout fall and spring in the project site as well as reference reaches. After the project is complete fish will continue to be sampled annually during low flow, and invertebrates during the fall and spring months!
Thanks to our partners Tate Wentz and Mary Barnett from ADEQ, Mitch Wine from USFWS, and Jason Throneberry from ANHC for all the help and guidance with the biological monitoring on the Archey Fork. Y’all rock!