Smallmouth woes in the Susky and other rivers in the region

[afishinado]

Excellent article about the current state of lower smallmouth populations in the rivers of our region and the possible causes >

https://www.bayjournal.com/article/smallmouth_woes_range_from_contaminants_to_more_stress_at_spawning_sites?fbclid=IwAR3xfflZXoDi1gc9xxNPlyhoEQ-HDNLfByrdDTgZVyyayhKTR8axHWT2wJw

 

[Hilltop]

Thanks for posting, good article. I think they all know (the biologists and professionals working on the rivers) the most serious problem is the pharmaceuticals and chemicals. Yes, the high flows influence reproduction and year class sizes, but that is something that ebbs and flows and is a natural part of a river system that has gone on since the beginning of time. Yes, there are new invasive species, but even though resident species can be affected they usually survive and adjust, and it also doesn't explain the red open sores found on young of year smb. But the pharmaceuticals and chemicals, how do you even begin to deal with them? You can't see them, you don't know how much is acutally in the system, you know that they are probably harmful but you're not really sure exactly how they affect organisms. At least they added some comic relief at the end about how kayak fishing could be a cause, that was laughable.

 

[troutbert]

I think it's clear that pharmaceuticals and chemicals are a big problem. But I don't think it's clear that they are the main problem.

The bacterial infections afflicting the bass occur when oxygen levels are low.

Nutrient loading causes oxygen depletion. The "biological oxygen demand" that we learned about in high school.