MBSS Site Summary for: CA-S-078-308-97


Located on FISHING CR in the West Chesapeake Bay watershed, 8-digit code: 02131005.
This stream was visited in the spring on 3/24/1997 and again in the summer on 6/30/1997.

Index of Biotic Integrity (IBI) Results:

An Index of Biotic Integrity (IBI) is a scientific tool used to identify and classify stream health. An IBI associates anthropogenic influences on a stream or with biological condition in the stream, and is formulated using data developed from biosurveys.
Details on the development and application of MBSS IBIs are in this document.
Fish IBI Fair - 3.0 / 5.0
Benthic IBI Good - 4.1 / 5.0

Land Use

Land use can provide important information for determining stream health.
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Catchment area 2,512 acres A stream flowing through a densely forested area. An example of a forested stream.
Urban Land Use 5.4 %
Agricultural Land Use 27.6 %
Forested Land Use 66.4 %


Stream showing woody debris, logs, and rocky substrate.
An example of woody debris in a stream.

Physical Stream Habitat
Instream Habitat 15/20 (Suboptimal)
Epifaunal Substrate 12/20 (Suboptimal)
Velocity/Depth Diversity 10/20 (Marginal)
Pool Quality
Pool Extent = meters 		14/20 (Suboptimal)
Riffle Quality 16/20 (Optimal)
Shading 80 %
Embeddedness 100 %
The embeddedness, a measure of silt on the stream bottom, was 100%. This is very high, and may adversely affect biotic communities.


Stream Water Quality:
Water temperature 18.8 ° C
Dissolved oxygen (DO) 8.2 mg/L
pH (lab) 7.23
Conductivity 179 µmho/cm
Alkalinity
(acid neutralizing capacity) 		477.7 µeq/L
Dissolved organic carbon (DOC) 2.8 mg/L

Biological Stream Condition:

Surveys of the organisms living within a stream can give indications of stream health. Species richness, or the number of different species present, as well as indicator species (species whose presence, absence or abundance can serve as a measure of environmental conditions) are informative for stream health. 		Close-up of a mayfly indicator species.

Fish Survey Results:
The following 7 fish species were collected.
Sensitive taxa: Green, Tolerant: Red, Intermediate: Gold.
Common name Count
Eastern Mudminnow 67
American Eel 31
Pumpkinseed 23
Golden Shiner 17
Redfin Pickerel 14
Bluegill 2
Brown Bullhead 1
Biologists sampling fish communities.
Electrofishing to sample fish communities.

Amphibians and Reptiles:
American Bullfrog
Eastern Box Turtle
Northern Green Frog
Northern Two-Lined Salamander
Northern Watersnake

Crayfish:
No crayfish noted.

Exotic Plants:
No exotic plants noted.
 

Benthic Macroinvertebrates:
Sensitive taxa: Green, Tolerant: Red, Intermediate: Gold.
Genus/Family Common Name Count
Gammarus Amphipod 17
Cricotopus/Orthocladius Midge 14
Stenonema Flatheaded Mayfly 10
Caecidotea Isopod 10
Amphinemura Spring Stonefly 5
Conchapelopia Non-Biting Midges 3
Parametriocnemus Non-Biting Midges 3
Physa Air-Breathing Freshwater Snail 3
Chrysops Deerfly 2
Pycnopsyche Great Autumn Brown Sedge Caddisfly 2
Clinotanypus Non-Biting Midge 2
Eccoptura Yellow Stone Stonefly 1
Hydropsyche Net-Spinning Caddisfly 1
Pisidium Freshwater Pea (Pill) Clam 1
Tanytarsini Non-Biting Midges 1
Ancyronyx Spider Riffle Beetle 1
Boyeria Spotted Darner Dragonfly 1
Mallochohelea 1
Sperchopsis 1
Simulium Black Fly 1
Heteroplectron Caddisfly 1
Perlidae Common Stonefly 1
Pseudolimnophila Crane Fly 1
Kick net sampling for macroinvertebrates.
Sampling with a kick net.

Information disclaimer: The information and data on this page is for guidance and general planning purposes only. It should not be used to make decisions on specific matters.