| The Drought and Its Impact on Trout Streams in the Southeast |
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| Saturday, 10 November 2007 | |
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The drought that has been affecting the southeast has been especially hard in southeast Tennessee. At the end of 2006 this area was 12 inches behind in rainfall; today, we are an additional 16 inches behind. That's over 2 feet of water that has not replenished the groundwater essential to maintain stable stream flows. Our highest elevation areas (where our trout abide) have suffered the least. This Spring had very good trout reproduction and growth. By September most trout streams had good populations but the fish were being crowded and growth may slow. Not all streams have faired well. Roaring Branch, a brook trout stream in the Tellico Area, was devoid of trout and will need to be restocked. It is the only Tellico area trout stream that I know of that has been impacted. The small trout streams in Polk County are generally marginal for supporting trout and I'm afraid that most have totally lost the trout. Many of the small tributary streams in Polk County have gone completely dry. These streams usually support 3 to 6 species of fish. Hopefully they will be able to re-invade when the streams flow again. Small, low elevation streams that don't go completely dry have the fish concentrated into smaller areas where they become susceptible to higher levels of predation. The only rare aquatic species currently being stressed severely is the Tennessee dace which occurs only in very small streams. These fish may need to be redistributed to some of their habitats.Most of the effects of the drought will correct themselves, without human intervention, once the rains come and the streams start flowing again. Jim Herrig Forest Aquatic Biologist Cherokee National Forest Ocoee/Hiwassee District 3171 Highway 64 Benton, TN 37307-5823 District Office 423 338-3324 Cleveland Office 423 476-9751 |
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| Last Updated ( Saturday, 10 November 2007 ) |
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