Report On Stream Survey For Spring Pygmy Sunfish And Tuscumbia Darters

Here's a somewhat edited version of my submitted report on last week's stream survey. For the moment, if you really want to know where to find the slender campeloma, you'll have to ask me or Jeff Garner.

"Report of an Aquatic Species Survey of Sewer Crossing Sites on Moore Branch and Oakland Spring Branch, Limestone County, Alabama, for Elassoma alabamae and Etheostoma tuscumbia"

Area of survey
The Moore Branch site is 400 meters to the west of Segers Road (County Road 119) approximately 1.5 km south of Powell Road (County Road 18). The Oakland Spring Branch site is 400 meters north of where the stream crosses Browns Ferry Road (County Road 95), approximately 1.5 km to the west of Burgreen Gin on Burgreen Road (County Road 87).

Purpose of this survey
The primary targets of this survey were Elassoma alabamae, the spring pygmy sunfish, and Etheostoma tuscumbia, the tuscumbia darter. Both of these vulnerable and increasingly rare species are found to the south of the survey sites in the Beaverdam Creek system. The sites were also surveyed for evidence of the following aquatic animal species found in Limestone County and listed as federally protected species under the Endangered Species Act:
Slender campeloma (Campeloma decampi)
Slackwater darter (Etheostoma boschungi)

RESULTS
The two stream sites were surveyed on December 10, 2009. Sampling activity was primarily through the use of a seine 3 meters long, 1.3 meters high with a mesh size of 3 mm X 3mm. The seine was either pulled through an open area, or set perpendicular to current in the stream by two people while one person slowly walked downstream “kicking” to drive fish into the net. Sampling efforts began at the downstream end of each area and progressed upstream, with seining efforts made about every 5 meters. A smaller push net was also used at Oakland Spring Branch to sample smaller areas of the stream around such aquatic vegetation as was found as those areas would be more likely to shelter Elassoma alabamae. Neither Elassoma alabamae, nor Ethestoma tuscumbia, nor Etheostoma boschungi was found at either site.
Along with seining, likely-looking stream edges were examined for evidence of the burrowing snail Campeloma decampi (slender Campeloma), most typically found burrowing in soft mud or sands. Neither living snails nor post-mortem shells were found.
Following is a list of aquatic species found in each stream:
Moore Branch
Campostoma oligolepis, stoneroller
Luxilus chrysocephalus, striped shiner
Pimephales notatus, bluntnose minnow
Rhinichthys atratulus, blacknose dace
Semotilus atromaculatus, creek chub
Lepomis macrochirus, bluegill sunfish
Lepomis megalotis, longear sunfish
Etheostoma duryi, black darter
Eurycea cirrigera, southern two-lined salamander

Oakland Spring Branch
Campostoma oligolepis, stoneroller
Hemitremia flammea, flame chub
Luxilus chrysocephalus, striped shiner
Pimephales notatus, bluntnose minnow
Rhinichthys atratulus, blacknose dace
Semotilus atromaculatus, creek chub
Etheostoma kennicotti, stripetail darter

At both sites, the thousand feet of stream surveyed did not contain suitable habitat for Etheostoma tuscumbia or especially Elassoma alabamae. Both streams are important as tributaries to the lower Beaverdam Creek system that contains the necessary and vulnerable habitat to support the two species. The surveyed sites showed evidence of channel straightening and other modifications of the original streambed and riparian area. Moore Branch has no areas of the preferred emergent aquatic vegetation, and is characterized by flowing water over gravel in a deep-cut streambed with no immediate spring connection.
Oakland Spring Branch, tributary to Moore Branch, appeared to be more likely to host both species in the lower 700 feet sampled but little aquatic vegetation was found. The upper 300 feet or so at Oakland Spring Branch runs close to a large cultivated field and carries a large erosional sediment load. The only fish species found in this upper area was Semotilus atromaculatus, an extremely tolerant species able to live in degraded habitats where other species can not.

CONCLUSION
The one species of conservation interest found in Oakland Spring Branch is Hemitremia flammea (flame chub). This species is disappearing across much of its range in Alabama, Tennessee, and Georgia, and is believed to be extirpated in Kentucky. It currently has no federal protection, and has not been nominated for such protection. But many biologists who are familiar with this species recommend that it be recognized as a species of Special Concern at the state level (especially Boschung and Mayden, 2004; Stallsmith, 2009). This status carries no legal weight but indicates that the species should be better studied before its population decreases to the point where it could be considered for more stringent protection such as listing under the Endangered Species Act.
The federally Endangered snail Campeloma decampi (slender campeloma) was not found in the relatively degraded survey sites in the upper Beaverdam Creek basin. But living individuals of this species have recently been found in the main channel of Beaverdam Creek, from the southern end of Beaverdam Lake to the Beaverdam Boardwalk south of I-565 (Jeff Garner, personal communication). This is also the area where Elassoma alabamae is found, with the greatest density of both species in a section of this streambed (Michael Sandel, personal communication). A comprehensive survey for Campeloma decampi within the Beaverdam Creek system should be conducted prior to any further disturbance of this area.

LITERATURE CITED:
Boschung, H.T. and R.L. Mayden. 2004. Fishes of Alabama. Smithsonian Institution, Washington, D.C.

Garner, Jeff. Malacologist, Alabama Division of Wildlife and Freshwater Fisheries, Florence, AL.

Sandel, Michael. University of Alabama, Department of Biological Sciences, Tuscaloosa, AL.

Stallsmith, B.W. 2009. “Distributional Status Of The Flame Chub, Hemitremia flammea, in Alabama, USA.” Endangered Species Research, on review.