Fish community monitoring at Hot Springs National Park: 2009 report
Dodd HR and Mueller SK. 2012. Fish community monitoring at Hot Springs National Park: 2009 report. Natural Resource Data Series. NPS/HTLN/NRDS—2012/235. National Park Service. Fort Collins, Colorado
In June 2009, the Heartland Inventory and Monitoring Network of the National Park Service began monitoring water quality and fish communities in Gulpha Creek and Bull Bayou to collect baseline data and assess the status of these aquatic resources. Fish were collected in a single pass with a backpack electrofishing unit in one 150 m reach of each stream. Physical habitat data were collected using an 11 transect method. Water quality data were recorded using data loggers over a 2-day period. Bull Bayou had more than twice as many species of fish as Gulpha Creek (17 compared to 7), but overall diversity was the same for both streams (Simpson’s Index = 0.20 for both). Stream integrity was rated as good for Bull Bayou (IBI = 28) and fair for Gulpha Creek (IBI = 20). Both streams had sensitive species present, but Bull Bayou had a higher number of intolerant species than Gulpha Creek and fewer incidences of fish disease or anomalies. Water quality parameters were within the standards set by the Arkansas Pollution Control and Ecology Commission (APCEC 2010). In-stream habitat conditions and bank stability were favorable for supporting a native fish community typical of wadeable Ouachita Mountain streams.
- Type
- Published Report
- Authors
- Dodd, Hope; Mueller, Samantha
- Date of Issue
- 2012-02
- Publisher
- National Park Service
- Units
- HOSP , HTLN , NRSS
- Keywords
- Aquatics Fish Communities Monitoring Reports, HTLN Fish Community Brief, HTLN Fish Community Monitoring