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Sand dredging effects on fishes and fish habitat in the Kansas River
Investigators
Jason Fischer, M.S. Student
Craig Paukert
Kieth Gido
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Project Supervisor
Craig Paukert
Melinda Daniels
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Location
Kansas River, near Lawrence and Edwardsville, Kansas
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Funding
Kansas Department of Wildlife and Parks (KDWP)
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Cooperators
KDWP, United States Geological Survey (USGS), Kansas State University
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Completion
December 2011 |
Status
Currently in the process of finalizing data analyses and preparing manuscripts
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Progress and Results
Sand dredging is an invasive procedure, which removes sediment directly from the river bed and can disturb fish communities and geomorphic processes with in the river. We are investigating the role these potential habitat alterations play in the structure of fish communities and habitat availability within the Kansas River. Starting in summer of 2010 fish and habitat data (i.e., depth, water velocity, temperature) were collected monthly from 1 km dredged and undredged reaches. Preliminary analyses have revealed that dredged reaches have a higher proportion of deep water habitat (>3 m) than reaches not dredged. However, there are no significant differences in catch per unit effort of fishes between dredged and undredged reaches, although further analyses are needed to determine if these trends hold throughout the seasonal sampling.
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Products
Reports: Fischer, J.F., C. Paukert, and M. Daniels. 2011. Sand Dredging Effects on Fishes and Fish Habitat in the Kansas River. Annual Report to Kansas Department of Wildlife and Parks, Project Number T2-6-R-1, Pratt, Kansas
Presentations: Jason Fischer, Joe Gerken, Craig Paukert, and Melinda Daniels. 2010. Fish Community Response to Habitat Alteration: Impacts of Sand Dredging in the Kansas River. 71st Midwest Fish and Wildlife Conference.
Jason Fischer, Joe Gerken, Craig Paukert, and Melinda Daniels. 2011. Influence of Sand Dredging on Fish Communities in the Kansas River. Kansas Natural Resources Conference, 2011. |
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