9683

• UCREFRP Catalog Number: 9683
• Author: Valdez, R. A.
• Title: a Survey of Fish Collections in the White River, Utah.
• USFW Year: 1984.
• USFW - Doc Type: Logan, UT.
• Copyright Material: NO

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15

Fishes as a Monitoring Tool
The use of fishes as a long-term monitoring tool in riverine systems
has only briefly been described in literature. Using fishes as a monitoring
tool can be approached on one of two levels; (1) the individual level and
(2) the population level. The individual level of monitoring can examine
key species or "indicator" organisms in response to a perturbation. This
concept has limited application, particularly with fishes, which generally
possess wide tolerances to most impacts. It would have little utility in
assessing subtle effects.
Another approach to the individual level of monitoring involves the
physiological responses of individuals to a perturbation. Attempts to
examine perturbation impacts on individuals have been made using behavioral
locomotor responses (Kleerekoper 1975), respiration rates (Westlake and van
der Schalie 1975), and even a measure of acetylcholinesterase activity on
the central nervous system to detect sublethal effects of pesticides (Weber
1981). In all cases, fish were tested either in the laboratory or in cages
held in the field. This is necessary with fishes because their mobility in
riverine systems enables them to escape many lethal or sublethal effects.
This is expected to be the case in the White River.
The population level of monitoring has received more attention and
acceptance by fisheries biologists. Gaufin and Tarzwell (1956) showed that
little reliance can be placed on mere occurrence of a single species in a
given locality as an indicator of a perturbation. In evaluating the
reliability of aquatic organisms as indicators of pollution, one must