Flow restoration and persistence of introduced species in Waikele Stream, Oahu
Englund RA and Filbert RB. 1999. Flow restoration and persistence of introduced species in Waikele Stream, Oahu. Micronesica. 31(2):143-154
Unintentional stream flow restoration in Waikele Stream, Oahu, Hawaii, resulted from the demise of sugar cane cultivation on Oahu and subsequent cessation of direct surface water diversions in 1989. Previous artificial stream studies in Hawaii have suggested that increases in the baseflow of a diverted stream would displace or reduce introduced fish populations. Surveys of Waikele Stream, conducted in 1993 and 1997-98 from the Waikele Springs area to downstream to the beginning of the tidal reach found that despite an increase in stream flow, introduced fish remained abundant and native species appeared to have declined. In fact, 2 new introduced aquatic taxa, a dragonfly and a shrimp, had appeared. These results indicate that although restoring hydrological conditions is an important first step in overall restoration of degraded aquatic ecosystems, flow restoration alone is not a panacea, especially in Oahu streams with naturally low discharge rates. For stream and wetland restoration to fully succeed, introduced fish and other alien aquatic species must be eradicated by methods other than simply increasing stream base flows.
- Type
- Journal Article
- Authors
- Englund, Ronald; Filbert, Randall
- Units
- KALA
- Keywords
- Exotic/Invasive Species-Animals, flow restoration, Hawaii, Invasive Species, Stream, Waikele Stream