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Aggregation of Spottail Shiners in the Heated Discharge of a Nuclear Power Station
Author(s) -
Prince Eric D.,
Mengel Leslie J.
Publication year - 1981
Publication title -
transactions of the american fisheries society
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.696
H-Index - 86
eISSN - 1548-8659
pISSN - 0002-8487
DOI - 10.1577/1548-8659(1981)110<221:aossit>2.0.co;2
Subject(s) - abundance (ecology) , notropis , fish <actinopterygii> , environmental science , ecology , fishery , biology
Shoreline fish populations from five areas in Keowee Reservoir, South Carolina, were sampled with a bag seine from June to September, 1973–1978, to determine the effects of electrical power production on fish distribution and abundance. Significantly (α = 0.05) more spottail shiners (Notropis hudsonius) were in the heated discharge of Oconee Nuclear Station than in the other four areas; they were first collected there in 1975, and by 1977 were the most abundant species in this area. Spottail shiners also increased annually in other areas, but abundance decreased as distance from the heated discharge increased. Increases in water temperature and abundance of macrophytes paralleled increases in the abundance of spottail shiners and appear to be the most important factors regulating the distribution and abundance of this species in Keowee Reservoir.