Fish Abundance and Habitat Recommendations of the Lake Whatcom Tributaries

The tributaries of Lake Whatcom, Austin/Beaver, Anderson, Olsen, and Smith Creeks, provide essential habitat for many fish species native to the Pacific Northwest. However, development in the watershed has contributed to habitat alterations and even degradation of habitat quality. In this report, fi...

Full description

Bibliographic Details
Main Author: Edwards, Ariel
Format: Text
Language:English
Published: Western CEDAR 2016
Subjects:
Lake Whatcom
Tributaries
Cutthroat trout
Stream habitat
Austin Creek
Anderson Creek
Smith Creek
Olsen Creek
Beaver Creek
Riparian zone
Environmental Sciences
Higher Education
Austin
Pacific
Online Access:https://cedar.wwu.edu/wwu_honors/1
https://cedar.wwu.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1000&context=wwu_honors
Description
Summary:The tributaries of Lake Whatcom, Austin/Beaver, Anderson, Olsen, and Smith Creeks, provide essential habitat for many fish species native to the Pacific Northwest. However, development in the watershed has contributed to habitat alterations and even degradation of habitat quality. In this report, fish abundance and diversity, and habitat quality is compared both temporally, and among different streams. Anderson Creek was found to have the greatest species diversity. Cutthroat trout was the most abundant fish at each stream throughout the study period and was observed at every study site. Restoration recommendations for each stream were aimed at supporting existing native fish populations primarily by improving bank stability and restoring riparian zones. Future management plans should take into account the current and historical fish populations in the watershed and consider the recommendations identified within this report.

Similar Items