vermillion river fish community monitoring report...fish community monitoring project . these sites...

WENCK File #1305-0018 March 2015

Prepared for:

Vermillion River Watershed Joint Powers Organization

Dakota County 14955 Galaxie Avenue Apple Valley, MN 55124

Prepared by: WENCK Associates, Inc. 1800 Pioneer Creek Center Maple Plain, MN 55359 Phone: 763-479-4200 Fax: 763-479-4242

Vermillion River Fish Community Monitoring Report

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Table of Contents 1.0 INTRODUCTION ................................................................................ 1-1

2.0 STREAM FISH MONITORING ............................................................. 2-1

2.1 Field Reconnaissance and Reach Determination ............................ 2-2 2.2 Fish Community Monitoring ........................................................ 2-4

3.0 MONITORING RESULTS ..................................................................... 3-1

3.1 Fish Community Summary Information ........................................ 3-1 3.2 IBI Calculations ......................................................................... 3-2

4.0 CONCLUSIONS .................................................................................. 4-1

4.1 Southern Headwaters ................................................................ 4-1 4.2 Southern Streams ..................................................................... 4-2 4.3 Southern Coldwater Streams ...................................................... 4-3 4.4 Conclusions .............................................................................. 4-7

5.0 REFERENCES ..................................................................................... 5-1

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Table of Contents (Cont.)

TABLES Table 1: Sample reach information for the 14 sites in the 2014 Vermillion River

stream fish monitoring project. ............................................................. 2-3 Table 2: Electrofishing methods and sample date for the 14 sites in the 2014

Vermillion River stream fish monitoring project. ...................................... 2-5 Table 3: General fish community sampling results for the 14 sites in the 2014

Vermillion River stream fish monitoring project. ...................................... 3-1 Table 4: IBI scores calculated using the MPCA Statewide IBI scoring criteria for

all fish community monitoring sites from the Vermillion River stream fish monitoring project from 2009 through 2014. .......................................... 3-3

CHARTS Chart 1: Comparison of IBI scores under MPCA statewide protocol to impairment

listing thresholds for the fish community in the Southern Streams category .......................................................................................... 4-2

Chart 2: Comparison of IBI scores under MPCA statewide protocol to impairment listing thresholds for the fish community in the Southern Streams category .......................................................................................... 4-4

Chart 3: IBI scores for the fish community for the new Southern Coldwater Streams monitored in 2013 ................................................................ 4-5

FIGURES

1 2014 Fish Monitoring Sites in the Vermillion River Watershed 2 Fish Monitoring Site A2 3 Fish Monitoring Site A3 4 Fish Monitoring Site A5 5 Fish Monitoring Site A6 6 Fish Monitoring Site A8 7 Fish Monitoring Site A9 8 Fish Monitoring Site A12 9 Fish Monitoring Site A13 10 Fish Monitoring Site A14 11 Fish Monitoring Site 13-1 12 Fish Monitoring Site 13-2 13 Fish Monitoring Site 13-5 14 Fish Monitoring Site 14-1 15 Fish Monitoring Site 14-2

APPENDICES

A Field Photos B MN DNR Special Survey Permit No. 19910 C Species Summary Table D Trout Collections Summary Table E MPCA State Wide Fish IBI Fact Sheet

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1.0 Introduction

The Vermillion River Watershed covers approximately 335 square miles in Scott and Dakota Counties in Minnesota and contains a combination of reaches designated as warmwater or coldwater stream fish communities. The Vermillion River Watershed Joint Powers Organization (VRWJPO) is tasked with developing policies and programs that protect and improve water resources within the watershed. In the summer of 2008, the VRWJPO developed a biological monitoring plan as a means to assess and track biological health throughout the watershed. The biological monitoring plan describes goals and objectives for monitoring aquatic macroinvertebrate and fish community health as well as assessing the existing stream habitat and geomorphology in the watershed. The VRWJPO is interested in establishing appropriate management goals for both warmwater and coldwater communities in the watershed. The Index of Biotic Integrity (IBI) is a useful tool that has been developed for assessing the overall health of a stream by monitoring some aspect of the biological community. IBIs have been developed for both warmwater and coldwater stream fish communities. The Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (MN DNR) has been coordinating with the VRWJPO on the IBI monitoring. The VRWJPO has expanded their IBI monitoring program to monitor sites beyond those monitored by the MN DNR. In the summer and early fall of 2009, fish community monitoring was conducted by two parties for the VRWJPO; the MN DNR and Wenck Associates, Inc. (Wenck). Each party was responsible for conducting fish community monitoring at seven stream sampling locations in the watershed. Monitoring was again conducted by the MN DNR and Wenck from 2010 through 2014. In 2012 the VRWJPO began a watershed-wide study addressing a variety of water quality and biological impairments. The study is also in the process of developing management goals for the Vermillion River watershed. This study is referred to as the Vermillion River Watershed Restoration and Protection Strategy (WRAPS). One of the first reports completed as part of the WRAPS study was the Stressor Identification Report, which reviewed the long-term biological community data sets for the Vermillion Watershed and correlated the biological community impairments to a variety of watershed stressors. The primary stressors impairing the fish and macroinvertebrate communities in the Vermillion River Watershed were identified as turbidity, dissolved oxygen, temperature and habitat alteration. The fish community data collected under the VRWJPO will continue to be used as part of the overall WRAPS study. The 2014 monitoring program was a continuation of the overall biological monitoring program operated by the VRWJPO. This 2014 fish community monitoring annual report provides the results of the monitoring conducted in 2014 as well as providing comparisons of the results to previous monitoring years and the stressors identified under the WRAPS Stressor Identification Report.


2.0 Stream Fish Monitoring

Fourteen stream monitoring sites were identified by the VRWJPO for inclusion in the 2009 fish community monitoring project. These sites were identified as anchor sites A1 through A14. In the proceeding monitoring years from 2010 through 2012 there were some changes to the fourteen monitoring sites including the minor relocation of A10 in 2010, the discontinuation of A11 and the addition of A15. Overall, the majority of the sites were consistently monitored from 2009 through 2012. In 2013 a variety of potential new fish monitoring sites were identified and explored, with the intention of building on the fish community dataset with the watershed. There were four new sites monitored in 2013 that were all located on coldwater streams, two on the Vermillion River main stem (13-1 and 13-5), one on South Creek (13-2) and one on North Creek (13-4). These sites were selected to help further explore the watershed stressors on the coldwater communities in watershed. One site was located on a reach that has been re-meandered by the DNR (13-5) and one site was located on reach that is targeted for an easement acquisition from the private landowner and subsequent restoration by the VRWJPO (13-2). While these four sites were added to the monitoring program in 2013, some sites were not monitored that year including A4, A7, A10 and A15 due to either limited variation in the previous year’s data or property access issues. For the 2014 fish community monitoring program there were some adjustments to the monitoring stations. There were no changes to seven of the long term stations (A2, A5, A6, A8, A9, A12 and A13), which are monitored under the MN DNR trout population monitoring program as a partnership with the VRWJPO for IBI scoring. In order to keep the MN DNR long term trout population comparisons valid, these sites were not changed in 2014, and will likely continue to be monitored in future years. Two long term sites monitored by the VRWJPO were also included in the 2014 program, to ensure the continuation of these datasets, including A3 on South Creek and A14 on the Vermilion River at Goodwin Avenue. A14 is the only long term anchor monitoring site on the warmwater section of the Vermillion River main stem downstream and US Highway 52. In addition to the nine anchor sites outlined above, the final 2014 monitoring sites included a combination of sites identified from 2013 and 2014 field reconnaissance. Three sites identified and monitored in 2013 were again part of the monitoring program in 2014 including, two on the main stem of the Vermillion River (13-1 and 13-5), and one on South Creek (13-2). Reconnaissance was again performed in 2014 to identify potential new monitoring sites, similar to the approach from 2013, to expand the overall fish community dataset within the watershed. In 2014 two new sites were identified, both located on warmwater reaches that are part of stream restoration efforts. Site 14-1 is located downstream of County Highway 64 (195th St.) on Middle Creek. There is a section of stream channel that was re-meandered by the MN DNR several years ago, however this section of re-meandered channel is currently offline and not yet connected to the creek. The VRWJPO is currently pursuing options to complete the stream re-meander project and connect it to the creek in 2015. The 14-1 monitoring site is located on the channelized section of the creek adjacent to offline re-meandered section. The 2014 monitoring results at site 14-1 will be used to make before and after comparisons between


the current channelized portion of the creek and the re-meandered section after it is connected. Site 14-2 is located on North Creek downstream of 195th Street. This section of North Creek is in a similar situation as Middle Creek, with a stream restoration project partially completed. However, a portion of the re-meandered channel of North Creek is already online and connected, while the remainder of the re-meandered section is still offline. The site 14-2 monitoring reach was established at the downstream end of the re-meandered section that is currently online and already connected to North Creek. It is believed that the overall function of the restored section of the creek, and the habitat it contains, would be better than the channelized section of the creek. Ultimately, the 2014 fish community monitoring program included 14 total sites, with 11 sites on streams that are designated coldwater sites and MN DNR trout streams. This includes sites A2, A3, A5, A6, A8, A9, A12, A13, 13-1, 13-2, and 13-5. The three remaining sites from 2014 were warmwater sites, including the continuation of the long term anchor site dataset for Site A14, and the two new sites associated with the re-meander efforts, site 14-1 on Middle Creek and site 14-2 on North Creek. The locations of all monitoring sites within the watershed are displayed as Figure 1. Individual monitoring sites from 2014 are provided as Figures 2 through 15. The fish community monitoring data that has been collected under the VRWJPO Biomonitoring Plan was gathered for the intent of using the data to calculate Index of Biotic Integrity (IBI) scores and making management decisions based on fish community health. IBI’s are tools that are often used to assess the overall health of a water body based on the composition of a certain facet of the biological community. During the 2009 and 2010 monitoring years there were two fish community based IBI’s that were used to score each of the sampling reaches monitored in the Vermillion River Watershed. The intent was to determine type and health of the stream fish communities at the different reaches. The MPCA developed a new state-wide IBI protocol in 2011. The intent of the updated IBI was to provide appropriate scoring criteria to address all watersheds, rivers and streams across the State, including both warmwater and coldwater systems. The data from 2009 through 2013 has been scored using the MPCA state-wide IBI scoring protocol. In July of 2014 the MPCA published an update to the 2011 state-wide IBI protocol. The 2014 publication provided more explanation of the development of the stream IBI’s in Minnesota and the individual metrics included. The 2014 Vermillion River fish community monitoring program also used the MPCA state-wide IBI scoring protocol and compared the results to the previous monitoring years. The MPCA database has not yet been released for use by the general public to score fish community datasets with the appropriate IBI protocols. However, the MPCA has assisted the VRWJPO by completing the IBI scoring and providing the individual metric scores to the VRWJPO for further analysis and data interpretation for the last several years of the program. 2.1 FIELD RECONNAISSANCE AND REACH DETERMINATION The MPCA warmwater IBI (Nemila and Fiest, 2002) describes the methods for determining the proper length of a stream sample reach necessary for fish community monitoring. Based on previous studies in Wisconsin by Lyons (1992) the proper sample reach for IBI monitoring is 35 times the mean width of the stream. The MPCA has added an additional


condition that the minimum sample reach be no less than 150 meters and the maximum reach be no more than 500 meters (Niemela and Fiest, 2002). These reconnaissance and sampling methods were repeated in 2014 as they have been in previous years. For the seven stream reaches monitored by Wenck, field reconnaissance of the sample sites was performed in August 2014. For the sampling reaches that were previously established during prior years of the program (A3, A14, 13-1, 13-2, and 13-5), limited reconnaissance was performed, mainly including a brief site visit to view the reach conditions. For the two new sampling reaches established in 2014, the width of the stream channel for each reach was measured with a 300-foot survey tape a minimum of ten times for each sample reach. The distance between channel width measurements varied from 50 to 100 feet, depending on the average width of the stream. The total monitoring length was then determined as the 35 times the average width of the channel. The seven stream reaches monitored by the MN DNR were established during brown trout assessment surveys, prior to the inception of the VRWJPO biological monitoring program. The length of these sample reaches was determined based on the mark and recapture surveys conducted for brown trout and not based on the MPCA protocol of 35 times the mean width of the stream. These previously established sample reaches were surveyed by the MN DNR as part of the IBI assessments. It is believed that the differences in sampling length protocols by the DNR and MPCA do not appear to have a significant impact on the fish species collected, overall percentage of each species, and IBI scores. Once the sample reaches were determined, flagging was placed on a tree along the bank at the upstream and downstream end of the reach for each site. Flagging of the stream reaches establishes an easy reference point for the aquatic macroinvertebrate monitoring program conducted by the VRWJPO and Dakota County SWCD. The GPS coordinates were recorded with a hand-held GPS unit at the upstream and downstream points (Table 1). Photos of the Wenck sample reaches from 2014 are provided in Appendix A (field photos). Table 1: Sample reach information for the 14 sites in the 2014 Vermillion River stream fish monitoring project.

Site Stream Classification

Upstream Coordinates Downstream Coordinates Average Width

Sample Reach Length (meters)

A2 Coldwater 44.6398 -93.2191 44.6389 -93.2158 9 ft 1120 ft (341 m)

A3 Coldwater 44.6328 -93.1950 44.6326 -93.1929 14.7 ft 525 ft (160 m)


A6 Coldwater 44.6392 -93.1566 44.6397 -93.1541 22 1350 ft (411 m)





A14 Warmwater 44.6857 -92.9556 44.6865 -92.9547 35 ft 1225 ft (373 m)


13-1 Coldwater 44.6205 -93.1936 44.6204 -93.1927 16 ft 550 ft (161 m)

13-2 Coldwater 44.6345 -93.1706 44.6348 -93.1687 14.8 ft 510 ft (155 m)

13-5 Coldwater 44.6622 -93.0949 44.6638 -93.0917 32 ft 1150 ft (350 m)

14-1 Warmwater 44.6632 -93.1923 44.6619 -93.1920 7.5 ft 500 ft (150 m)

14-2 Warmwater 44.6680 -93.1460 44.6669 -93.1460 13.5 ft 500 ft (150 m)

A special permit from the MN DNR is required for private entities or individuals to conduct fish community monitoring such as electrofishing in Minnesota public waters. A letter and map of the sample sites was sent to the MN DNR in June 2014 by Wenck requesting a permit to conduct fish community monitoring at the seven designated sites on the Vermillion River by means of backpack or barge electrofishing. The special survey permit (Permit NO. 19910) was issued by the MN DNR in July 2014 (see Appendix B). The survey permit is valid until the end of the calendar year and must be renewed for future years of the study. The survey permit also requires that the fish community data collected be reported to the MN DNR. Survey results from this report were provided to the MN DNR to fulfill that requirement. 2.2 FISH COMMUNITY MONITORING The index period for fish community sampling is defined as mid-June through mid-September in the MPCA IBI protocol. The MN DNR has conducted monitoring in the Vermillion River, traditionally sampling in late August through early September. In 2014, the IBI fish community monitoring efforts were conducted from late August through mid-September to correspond to the previous years of DNR monitoring, as well as previous years of monitoring under the VRWJPO monitoring program. The application of the different electrofishing sampling methods are defined in the MPCA warmwater IBI based on stream size (Niemela and Fiest, 2002). The backpack unit is used for small, wadeable streams less than eight meters wide and the barge unit is used on medium sized, wadeable streams greater than eight meters wide. The backpack unit was used at nine sites, (see Appendix A – photos 8 and 9), while the barge unit was used at five sites (see Appendix A – photo 10). All stream fish collections followed the methods outlined in the MPCA warmwater IBI, as well as the MPCA Standard Operating Procedures for electrofishing (Rev. Feb. 2009). Each reach was fished beginning from the downstream point established during field reconnaissance. Fishing proceeded in an upstream direction to the upstream end of the established reach. All habitats within the channel were sampled with the electrofishing units and all fish were netted during fishing. Due to the relatively narrow width of most of the stream reaches, it was possible to effectively sample all available instream habitats. The electrofishing method and sample dates for each reach are presented in Table 2.


Table 2: Electrofishing methods and sample date for the 14 sites in the 2014 Vermillion River stream fish monitoring project. Site Stream Classification Sampling Method Sample Date

A2 South Creek Coldwater Backpack Unit 09/05/2014

A3 South Creek Coldwater Backpack Unit 09/02/2014

A5 Vermillion River Coldwater Backpack Unit 08/25/2014

A6 Vermillion River Coldwater Barge Unit 08/27/2014



A12 South Branch Coldwater Backpack Unit 09/09/2014

A13 South Branch Coldwater Backpack Unit 09/04/2014

A14 Vermillion River Warmwater Barge Unit 09/08/2014

13-1 Vermillion River Coldwater Backpack Unit 09/02/2014

13-2 South Creek Coldwater Backpack Unit 09/02/2014

13-5 Vermillion River Coldwater Barge Unit 09/08/2014

14-1 Middle Creek Warmwater Backpack Unit 09/17/2014

14-2 North Creek Warmwater Backpack Unit 09/17/2014

All fish were placed in buckets or tubs and water in the buckets was changed during monitoring to provide adequate dissolved oxygen for the fish. For reaches where electrofishing lasted more than one half hour or when a large number of fish were collected, large tubs were set up with aerators. Fish mortality was negligible, with only a few individual deaths during all of the collecting. After electrofishing was complete, a fish processing station was set up whereby all individuals were identified and sorted by species into a separate tub/bucket. Dr. Patrick Ceas of St. Olaf College served as the expert ichthyologist for reaches monitored by Wenck. Once the identification and sorting was complete, the largest and smallest individuals of each species were weighed and measured, following the MPCA protocols (see Appendix A – photos 11 and 12). Batch weights were then taken of the remaining individuals for each species. In some cases large fish were weighed and measured individually. In most cases all trout collected were weighed and measured individually. All fish of each species were then counted and released. All fish community data collected, including fish species, number of each species, lengths and weights were recorded on MPCA datasheets for stream fish monitoring.


3.0 Monitoring Results

3.1 FISH COMMUNITY SUMMARY INFORMATION There were a total of 1,189 fish collected from 21 different species across the 14 sites that were monitored in 2014 (see Appendix C – Species Summary Table), which was the lowest total catch during the six years of the biological monitoring program. The decrease in total catch may be partially attributable to the change in some of the new monitoring sites established in 2013 and 2014 as compared to prior years, as well as variation in stream conditions.

Table 3: General fish community sampling results for the 14 sites in the 2014 Vermillion River stream fish monitoring project. Site Stream Classification MN DNR

Trout Stream Total Species Total Fish

A2 Coldwater Yes 9 157








A14 Warmwater No 9 41

13-1 Coldwater Yes 6 29



14-1 Warmwater No 6 33

14-2 Warmwater No 7 81

All Sites

-- -- 21 1189

Species diversity ranged from a low of four species collected from site 13-2 on South Creek to a high of 12 species collected at sites A5 and A8, both on the main stem of the Vermillion


River (Table 3). Total fish ranged from a low of 12 fish collected at site A3 to a high of 196 fish collected at site A6 (Table 3). This is the second year in a row where the fewest individual fish were collected from site A3 while the most individuals were collected from site A6. The most abundant fish of the 2014 sampling were white suckers, totaling 222 fish or 18.7 percent of the total catch. White suckers were also the most abundant fish in 2013. The second most abundant fish collected in 2014 were central mudminnows totaling 172 individuals and comprising 14.5 percent of the total catch. Bluegills and Iowa darters each accounted for about 13 percent of the total catch. Northern pike accounted for about eight percent, and johnny darters and brown trout each accounted for just over six percent of the total combined catch. All other individual species comprised less than five percent of the combined total catch for the 14 monitoring sites (see Appendix C). There were no individual species that were collected from all monitoring sites in 2014; however northern pike were collected from 13 sites. White suckers and central mudminnows were each collected from 12 sites. Iowa darters and largemouth bass were collected from 11 of the 14 monitoring sites in 2014 (see Appendix C). Bluegills were collected from nine sites, brown trout were collected from eight sites, johnny darters were collected from seven sites and black bullheads were collected from five sites. The other 10 of the 21 species observed during the 2014 Vermillion River fish monitoring were collected at five or fewer sites (see Appendix C). Most of the sites sampled in 2014 are sites classified as having coldwater fish communities. A total of 79 brown trout were collected from nine sites during the 2014 study, all of which are classified as coldwater fish communities (sites A2, A3, A5, A6, A8, A9, A12, A13, and 13-2). There were two coldwater sites sampled in 2014, 13-1 and 13-5, where no brown trout were collected. Brown trout were not collected from the warmwater fish community sites in 2014, although it is not uncommon to encounter brown trout in warmwater reaches as part of this monitoring program. The total number of brown trout collected and the total number of sites where brown trout were observed in 2014 were the lowest observed within this monitoring program. The largest brown trout in 2014 was collected from site A2 located on South Creek and was a 22.5 inch trout. South Creek has produced the largest trout collected from the watershed over the course of the monitoring program. Site A2 has often also been the site where the highest total number of trout have been collected. In addition to the largest fish there were also another nine trout between 15 and 18 inches collected from site A2 in 2014. Other large trout collected during the study include a 16.9 inch trout from site A3, 19.1 inch and 17.3 inch trout collected at site A12, two 18.7 inch trout from site A13 and a 17.3 and 16.5 inch trout collected from site 13-2. Although the total trout catch was down in 2014 compared to previous years, there were still a fair number of young of the year fish collected. The sites with significant young of year trout catches included nine collected at site A2, 11 collected from site A12 and 12 collected from site A13. See Appendix D for a summary of all trout collected during the study. 3.2 IBI CALCULATIONS The 2014 Vermillion River stream fish monitoring project included stream monitoring sites mainly designated as coldwater fish communities (11 of the 14 sites monitored). The remaining three sites monitored support warmwater fish communities. The purpose of the monitoring was to collect stream fish community datasets to be used to calculate IBI scores


for each sample site. During previous years of the study, both coldwater and warmwater IBI scoring criteria were applied to the fish community monitoring data at each reach to assist the VRWJPO in determining appropriate management goals for the stream fish communities throughout the watershed. The MPCA has developed an IBI scoring protocol that places each stream in Minnesota into a specific scoring category. The results from the 2014 monitoring are discussed in the context of the MPCA Statewide IBI scoring protocols along with all years of the monitoring data from the Vermillion River biological monitoring program. The MPCA statewide fish IBI for rivers and streams divides the state into two regions, southern and northern. The Vermillion River Watershed lies within the southern region. The 14 sites monitored in 2014 are within the following three IBI categories: Southern Headwaters, Southern Streams; or Southern Coldwater. Streams within the Southern Headwaters category include small low gradient streams with watershed areas less than 30 square miles and gradients less than 0.5 meters per river mile. Site 14-1 on Middle Creek is within the Southern Headwaters Category. Streams within the Southern Streams category are defined as large warm/cool water streams and small rivers in southern Minnesota where the watershed area is greater than 30 but less than 300 square miles. Site A14 on the main stem of the Vermillion River in the lower quarter of the overall watershed, and site 14-2 on North Creek, both fall within this category. The streams within the Southern Coldwater category include all coldwater streams in southern Minnesota. This category does not include a watershed size requirement. There were 11 reaches monitored in 2014 that are within this category, including sites A2, A3, A5, A6, A8, A9, A12, A13, 13-1, 13-2, and 13-5. The MPCA again assisted the VRWJPO by completing the IBI scores for all of the 2014 monitoring sites, providing the total scores and individual metric scores for each site. The IBI scores are provided in Table 4, comparing all six years of monitoring data. The table includes the previous year’s data from long term sites that were not sampled in 2014. Table 4: IBI scores calculated using the MPCA Statewide IBI scoring criteria for all fish community monitoring sites from the Vermillion River stream fish monitoring project from 2009 through 2014.


MPCA IBI Category

2009 IBI

2010 IBI

2011 IBI

2012 IBI

2013 IBI

2014 IBI

A1 Coldwater Southern Coldwater

41 33 45 39 -- --


36 42 43 38 36.3 42.7


42 55 52 42 66.6 59.8

A4 Warmwater Southern Headwaters

73 75 75 61 -- --


45 40 36 34 38.2 44.2


34 36 41 34 38.5 40.3


40 45 36 34 -- --


51 39 48 39 55.1 52.5



MPCA IBI Category

2009 IBI

2010 IBI

2011 IBI

2012 IBI

2013 IBI

2014 IBI


42 49 38 29 42.6 55.3


80 74 80 80 -- --


40 38 41 49 53.5 46.9


46 48 42 29 51.3 45.3

A14 Warmwater Southern Streams

43 38 40 47 38.8 51.3


-- 75 75 71 -- --

13-1 Coldwater Southern Coldwater

-- -- -- -- 36.8 44.8


-- -- -- -- 71.5 64.5


-- -- -- -- 49.9 --


-- -- -- -- 37.2 61.3

14-1 Warmwater Southern Headwaters

-- -- -- -- -- 60.3

14-2 Warmwater Southern Streams

-- -- -- -- -- 33.0


4.0 Conclusions

Fish community monitoring was conducted at 14 stream sites during the 2014 Vermillion River stream fish monitoring project. The focus of the 2014 monitoring was to continue to monitor and assess a majority of the long term coldwater sites to maintain the datasets, while exploring new sites to further monitor and assess fish communities in other parts of the watershed. The Vermillion River monitoring sites within the watershed fall into three different stream categories from the MPCA IBI protocol: Southern Headwater Streams; Southern Streams and Southern Coldwater Streams. Each of the three stream categories uses a different set of scoring metrics, appropriate for that stream category. In 2014, monitoring was mainly conducted at sites within the Coldwater Streams category, along with three warmwater sites, one within the Southern Headwaters category and two within Southern Steams category. The MPCA again completed the IBI scoring in 2014 and provided the VRWJPO with the IBI scores and the individual metric scores. A discussion of the scores and results within the three stream categories monitored in 2014 is provided. 4.1 SOUTHERN HEADWATERS There have been several monitoring sites within the watershed that have fallen within the Southern Headwaters category during the course of the monitoring program. Sites within this category have normally been smaller tributary streams to one of the main streams (i.e. a tributary to the Vermillion River main stem or South Branch). In 2014 site 14-1 on Middle Creek is located within the upper portion of the creek’s watershed and is within the Southern Headwaters category. There are seven metrics in the Southern Headwaters category of the MPCA IBI (MPCA, 2014):

Sensitive taxa Percent detritivorous taxa Percent generalist feeder taxa Percent serial spawner individuals Percent very tolerant taxa Percent short lived individuals Percent of individuals with DELT anomalies

The Southern Headwaters category uses the metric percent of individuals with DELT anomalies, which has a score of zero unless anomalies are present, in which case negative points are given. The other six metrics add up to a total of 100 points, which results in each metric accounting for up to 16.6 points. In 2014 site 14-1 received an overall IBI score of 60.3 (see Table 4). This score is above the general use threshold for streams in this category as outlined in the MPCA 2014 Fish IBI Fact Sheet (Sandberg, 2014). The general use threshold is defeined by the MPCA as “representing the minimum threshold for attainment and serves as the goal for restoration for management programs when nonattainment is determined” (Bouchard - MPCA, 2014). This IBI score is lower than the IBI scores observed at site A15 on Middle Creek from 2010 through 2012 when the scores ranged from 71-75. However, this IBI score of 60 is still within the overall range of scores observed across all Headwater Stream reaches over the course of the monitoring program. The 2014 site was within the channelized section of Middle Creek that has not yet been connected to the remeandered channel. This baseline score will be used to track the fish community after the new section of channel is connected to Middle Creek to see what


changes in the fish community might result from the newly available habitat in the remeandered section. Site 14-1 scored well on the serial spawner individuals, generalist feeder taxa and short lived individuals metrics. The site scored poorly on the sensitive species and detritivores taxa metrics. 4.2 SOUTHERN STREAMS There is one long term anchor monitoring site in the watershed that is within the Southern Streams category, which is site A14. This is the only anchor site located on the Vermillion River main stem downstream of Highway 52 in the warmwater section of the watershed. In 2014 a second site was monitored on North Creek, site 14-2, which also is within the Southern Streams category. Streams within this category are warmwater streams in southern Minnesota that have watershed areas between 30 and 300 square miles. The updated F-IBI fact sheet (Sandberg, 2014) published by the MPCA indicates that an IBI score of 50 is supporting of the general use threshold for streams in this category. There are nine metrics in the Southern Streams category of the MPCA IBI (MPCA, 2014):

Percent of taxa that are benthic insectivores (excludes tolerant) Percent of taxa that are sensitive Percent of taxa that are detritivores Taxa richness of short-lived species Percent of taxa that are tolerant Percent of early maturing individuals Percent tolerant individuals Combined relative abundance of the two most abundant taxa Percent of individuals with DELT anomalies

The Southern Streams category uses the metric percent of individuals with DELT anomalies, which has a score of zero unless anomalies are present, in which case negative points are given. The other eight metrics add up to a total of 100, which equates to a max metric score of 12.5. Chart 1: Comparison of the IBI scores from site A14 (Southern Streams Category) from 2009 through 2014.

42.6 38.5 40.4

47.5 38.8

51.3

0102030405060708090

100

Site A14

2009

2010

2011

2012

2013

2014

General Use Threshold: 50


Site A14 has generally scored poorly on many of the above metrics. The overall IBI scores at site A14 have been driven by moderately good metric scores for the percent of taxa that are detritivores and also by the poor to very poor metric scores for the percent of sensitive taxa, percent of tolerant taxa, percent of individuals that are tolerant and relative abundance of the dominant two species. In 2014 site A14 received a score of 51 which is the highest score from this site during the six years of the monitoring program. Total fish catch of 41 individuals was by far the lowest number of fish collected during the monitoring program. However, the lower overall catch included a reduced number of tolerant individuals and tolerant species collected which resulted in an improved IBI score. The site again scored well on the percent of detritivore taxa but also received improved metric scores for the short lived taxa, percent of tolerant taxa and combined abundance of the two most abundant taxa metrics. The IBI scores for site A14 from the six years of the monitoring program are displayed in Chart 1. 2014 was the first year for monitoring at site 14-2 on North Creek. The sample reach is located at the downstream end of a section of remeandered channel that has been connected to the creek. There is additional remeandered channel upstream of the monitoring reach that is not yet connected to North Creek. The depth and width of new channel were favorable for this type of stream averaging about 13.5 feet wide and two to three feet depth. However the habitat within the channel lacked complexity, consisting mainly of uniform shaped runs dominated by sandy substrates. There were few undercut banks, pools or snags within the channel to provide habitat diversity for the fish community. Site 14-2 received an IBI score of 33 which is a poor score for this stream type. The site scored moderately well for the short lived taxa and percent of tolerant individuals but scored poorly on all other metrics, including percent of tolerant taxa, percent of the two most abundant species and percent of detritivore taxa. Based conditions that have been observed at other reaches within the watershed to date, the 2014 monitoring results at 14-2 suggest that several factors may be influencing the conditions with the stream. It is possible that it may take some time for natural stream process to add habitat complexity to a remeandered section of channel and corresponding time for the fish community to utilize the improved channel. Alternately, due to the sandy soils from the contributing watershed it may be possible that sands and silts from developed areas are being flushed into the channels and covering habitat features. Additional years of monitoring and field investigations will be used to explore this site further. 4.3 SOUTHERN COLDWATER STREAMS The majority of the long term anchor monitoring sites in the Vermillion River watershed, as well as the additional identified sites in the last two years, are within the Southern Coldwater Streams category. During 2014, 11 of the 14 stream reaches monitored are within the Southern Coldwater Streams category. All 11 coldwater sites monitored in 2014 had been previously monitored in prior years of the program. There are eight total metrics used to score sites within the Southern Coldwater Streams category:

Percent native coldwater individuals Percent sensitive individuals (specific to coldwater streams) Percent of taxa that are detritivores Percent tolerant individuals (specific to coldwater streams) Percent pioneer individuals Percent herbivore individuals Percent native coldwater taxa


Percent of individuals with DELT anomalies The Southern Coldwater Streams category again uses the DELT anomalies metric, which gives a zero or negative score. Therefore the other seven metrics add up to a total of 100, which equates to a max metric score of 14.3. Eight of the 11 coldwater sites monitored in 2014 were long term anchor sites. For these sites there is moderate variation in the IBI scores across years (see Chart 2). The general use threshold for Southern Coldwater Streams was identified as an IBI score of 50 in the updated MPCA F-IBI fact sheet (Sanberg, 2014). Due to the moderate variation in the IBI scores for the streams in this class, many of the streams have had scores both above and below the threshold over the five years of monitoring. In 2014 three of the nine long term anchor sites scored above the general use threshold, which is similar to the 2013 results when four sites scored above the general use threshold. Site A3 received an IBI score of 60 in 2014 which is similar to the 2013 score of 67. Site A3 has received the highest IBI scores for all of the coldwater anchor sites in the program and has scored above the general use threshold four of the last five years. Sites A1 and A7 were not monitored in 2013 or 2014. Chart 2: Comparison of IBI for the fish community in the Southern Coldwater Streams category.

Most years the coldwater reaches are generally scoring at or below the impairment threshold, indicating that the streams are scoring poorly on several metrics while scoring well on only a few metrics. Only five of the ten long term anchor sites have scored above the general use threshold over the five years of the monitoring program. In 2014, three sites scored above the general use threshold of 50, site A3 on South Creek and sites A8 and A9 on the Vermillion River main stem. Sites A3 and A8 both scored above 50 in 2013 but this is the first time during the monitoring program that site A9 has scored above 50.

41 36

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33

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The main metrics that appear to be driving the coldwater IBI scores in the Vermillion River include moderately good scores for the relative abundance of herbivore species and relative abundance of pioneer species, along with poor to very poor metric scores for the relative abundance of native coldwater taxa (i.e. species) and relative abundance of native coldwater individuals. Metric scores for abundance of sensitive individuals and number of coldwater tolerant taxa varied from year to year across sites but in general coldwater sites have scored poorly on the sensitive species metric. The good metric scores for the abundance of herbivore species and relative abundance of pioneer species are for metrics that have a negative relationship. The coldwater sites are scoring well for both of these metrics due to the low number or complete absence of these species and individuals. It is likely that the sites will continue to always score well on these metrics in the future as the species that comprise these metrics are not prevalent in or even absent from the watershed. An additional factor for sites that have scored above the general use threshold of 50 is high metric scores for the coldwater sensitive species metric. High scores were received for this metric when brown trout and other sensitive coldwater fish have comprised a significant portion of the total catch. There were four new coldwater reaches monitored for the first time in 2013. Three of the four sites from 2013 were monitored again in 2014, including 13-1, 13-2 and 13-5. The scores for these sites from 2013 and 2014 are displayed in Chart 3. Site 13-4 on North Creek was not monitored in 2014. Chart 3: IBI scores for 2013 and 2014 monitoring years for Southern Coldwater Streams sites established in 2013.

The IBI score for site 13-1 was slightly better in 2014 compared to 2013 but still below the general use threshold for Southern Coldwater Streams. There were no brown trout collected from site 13-1 in either 2013 or 2014. There have been very few brown trout collected from the main stem of the Vermillion River this far up in the watershed where site 13-1 is located. Similar to most coldwater sites in the watershed, site 13-1 scored well on two metrics due to the absence of the herbivore species and pioneer species and scored moderately well on the number of tolerant species present. The site scored low on the sensitive species, native coldwater species, and native coldwater individuals metrics.

36.8

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Site 13-2 is located on South Creek, approximately 1.5 miles downstream of the long term site at A3. Site 13-2 scored very well during both 2013 and 2014 monitoring years receiving the highest IBI score in the program each of the last two years. The IBI scores at both site 13-2 and site A3 were driven by the fact that the total catch was mainly comprised of brown trout and that there were very few tolerant individuals or species present in the catch. The high percentage of brown trout resulted in high to very high scores for the sensitive coldwater species metric even though scores were low for the native coldwater taxa and native coldwater individual metrics. Total catch at site 13-5 was down in 2014, however the IBI score increased due to increased metric scores for the low number of tolerant fish and detrivores present in the catch. All coldwater sites received a score of “zero” for the ‘percent of native coldwater individuals’ metric in 2014. However, even with the absence of native coldwater fish, most of the coldwater sites did receive some positive points for the native coldwater taxa metric, mainly due to the metric being weighted for drainage area (MPCA communication). The MPCA indicated that for some coldwater streams with small to moderate drainage areas (a reference or scale of area was not provided) the normal or typical range of coldwater taxa can include zero native coldwater taxa. The MPCA indicated that as a result it is therefore possible for certain coldwater streams to receive positive scores for the native coldwater taxa metric, even if no native coldwater taxa are observed or collected. The most abundant coldwater species in the Vermillion River watershed is the brown trout, which is an introduced species. As a result it is not counted in the native coldwater taxa or associated native coldwater individuals metrics. However, the brown trout is counted as part of the sensitive coldwater individuals metric. Therefore sites where brown trout comprise a large portion of the total catch are receiving high scores for the sensitive coldwater individuals metric. This occurred for several sites in both 2013 and 2014. The two native coldwater species metrics account for almost 30 percent of the total IBI score and most reaches are scoring zero out of 14 almost every year for the native coldwater individuals metric and zero to five most years for the native coldwater taxa metric. Based on the most recent MPCA F-IBI publication (July 2014), there are no fish that have been collected during this monitoring program that would be counted in the two metrics based on native coldwater species. The coldwater stream reaches are receiving relatively low scores for the taxa richness of tolerant species in coldwater streams and relative abundance of individuals that are sensitive in coldwater streams (when brown trout are not present in high numbers). Over the course of the biological monitoring program a fairly large number of tolerant species and individuals have been collected from all sites in the watershed, including tolerant warmwater species found in coldwater reaches. There are a number of warmwater tributary streams as well as warmwater ditches and ponds that are either draining directly to coldwater stream reaches in the Vermillion River or are connected temporarily during high precipitation driven runoff events. This connection of warmwater tributaries to the coldwater streams is the likely reason for the presence of many of the tolerant or warmwater species within the coldwater reach catch. It is unlikely that this condition will change in the Vermillion River and as a result, some tolerant and/or warmwater species will likely always be present to some degree within coldwater reaches.


4.4 CONCLUSIONS IBI scores across the sites within the Vermillion River Watershed again exhibited a wide amount of overall variation in 2014, similar to the 2013 monitoring year. The two sites on South Creek again scored much higher than all other streams in the watershed, with these scores driven mainly by the total fish catch being comprised of a high percentage of brown trout. There were two sites monitored in the Southern Streams category, site A14 on main stem of the Vermillion River downstream of Highway 52 and site 14-2 on North Creek. Results from site 14-2 indicate that the low habitat diversity within the remeandered reach is limiting the use by the fish community. Site A14 score above the general use threshold for the first time during the monitoring program due to lower numbers of tolerant individuals and taxa. The monitoring reaches within the Southern Coldwater Streams category have generally scored at or below the impairment listing threshold with some variation across monitoring years. The coldwater reaches are currently being limited by the very low number or complete absence of native coldwater species and individuals, as well as a limited number of sensitive coldwater species in the Vermillion Watershed. However, results from 2013 and 2014 revealed that higher IBI scores above the general use threshold can be achieved when brown trout comprise the majority of the total catch at a site combined with a low abundance of tolerant species and individuals.


5.0 References

Bouchard, R. W. 2014. Development of biological criteria for tiered aquatic life uses: Fish and macroinvertebrate thresholds for attainment of aquatic life use goals in Minnesota streams and rivers. Minnesota Pollution Control Agency, Environmental Analysis and Outcomes Division, St. Paul, MN

Fish Community Sampling Protocol For Stream Monitoring Sites. (Revised February 2009).

Minnesota Pollution Control Agency: Biological Monitoring Program. Development of a Fish-Based Index of Biotic Integrity (F-IBI) for Minnesota’s Rivers and

Streams. July 2014. Minnesota Pollution Control Agency. Sandberg, J. 2014. Fish-Based Index of Biotic Integrity (F-IBI) Fact Sheet for Minnesota

Rivers and Streams. Minnesota Pollution Control Agency. Sandberg, J. 2011. Fish Indices of Biotic Integrity (F-IBI) used to assess streams and rivers

in the State of Minnesota. Minnesota Pollution Control Agency. Lyons, J. 1992. The Length of Stream to sample with towed electrofishing unit when fish

species richness is estimated. North American Journal of Fisheries Management. Vol. 12. pp. 198-203.

Mundahl, Neal D. and Simon, Thomas P. 1999. Development and Application of an Index of

Biotic Integrity for Coldwater Streams of the Upper Midwestern United States. pp. 383-415 In Thomas P. Simon (ed.) “Assessing the Sustainability and Biological Integrity of Water Resources Using Fish Communities”. CRC Press. Boca Raton, FL.

Niemela, Scott and Fiest, Michael D. 2002. Index of Biological Integrity Guidance for

Coolwater Rivers and Streams of the Upper Mississippi River Basin. Minnesota Pollution Control Agency: Biological Monitoring Program

Figures

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Appendix A

Field Photos

Photo 1: Site 13-1 looking upstream at Vermillion River main stem.

Photo 2: Site A3 looking upstream at South Creek.

Photo 3: Site 13-2 looking upstream at South Creek.

Photo 4: Site 14-1 Looking Upstream at Middle Creek.

Photo 5: Site 14-2 looking upstream at North Creek.

Photo 6: Site 13-5 looking upstream at Vermillion River main stem.

Photo 7: Site A14 looking upstream Vermillion River main stem.

Photo 8: Electrofishing with back-pack unit at site 13-1.

Photo 9: Electrofishing with back-pack unit at site 14-2 on North Creek.

Photo 10: Electrofishing with barge set-up at site 13-5 on Vermillion River main stem.

Photo 11: Processing brown trout collected on South Creek

Photo 12: Male brown trout collected from site A13 on the South Branch

Appendix B

MN DNR Special Survey Permit No. 19910

Appendix C

Species Summary Table

T:\1305 Dakota\18\Report\App C_Species Summary Table_2014

Species Summary Table for Fourteen monitoring SitesVermillion River 2014 Fish Monitoring Study

Species Combined

Total Catch

Percentage of Total Catch

Number of Sites Observed Sites

Bigmouth Shiner 21 1.8% 2 A8, A14Black Bullhead 30 2.5% 5 A2, A5, A6, A8, 13-1Black Crappie 2 0.2% 2 A13, A14Bluegill 158 13.3% 9 A2, A3, A5, A6, A8, A9, A12, A13, 13-2Brook Stickleback 7 0.6% 2 13-5, 14-2Brown Trout 78 6.6% 8 A2, A3, A5, A8, A9, A12, A13, 13-2Central Mudminnow 172 14.5% 12 A2, A5, A6, A8, A9, A12, A13, A14, 13-1, 13-5, 14-1, 14-2Common Carp 18 1.5% 2 A9, 14-2Fathead Minnow 15 1.3% 4 A6. A13, 14-1, 14-2Golden Shiner 2 0.2% 2 A5, 13-5Green Sunfish 73 6.1% 10 A2, A3, A5, A6, A8, A9, A12, A13, A14, 13-5Hybrid Sunfish 23 1.9% 3 A5, A6, A8Iowa Darter 158 13.3% 11 A2, A5, A6, A8, A12, A13, 13-1, 13-2, 13-5, 14-1, 14-2Johnny Darter 72 6.1% 7 A5, A6, A8, A12, A13, A14, 14-1Largemouth Bass 39 3.3% 11 A2, A3, A5, A6, A8, A9, A13, A14, 13-1,13-5, 14-2Northern Pike 97 8.2% 13 A2, A3, A5, A6, A8, A9, A12, A13, A14, 13-1, 13-2, 13-5,14-1 Pearl Dace 1 0.1% 1 A14Pumpkinseed 1 0.1% 1 A3White Sucker 222 18.7% 12 A2, A5, A6, A8, A9, A12, A13, A14, 13-1, 13-5, 14-1, 14-2

1189 100.0%

Appendix D

Trout Collections Summary Table

Brown Trout Summary Table Vermillion River 2014 Fish Monitoring StudySite Fish Length (in) Length (mm)Site A2 Brown Trout 14.1 359

Brown Trout 9.4 238Brown Trout 4.4 111Brown Trout 3.2 82Brown Trout 3.6 91Brown Trout 3.2 81Brown Trout 15.9 403Brown Trout 3.3 85Brown Trout 6.7 171Brown Trout 15.8 401Brown Trout 4.1 104Brown Trout 3.2 82Brown Trout 3.9 100Brown Trout 13.5 342Brown Trout 22.5 570Brown Trout 17.9 455Brown Trout 17.5 445Brown Trout 17.7 450Brown Trout 15.1 383Brown Trout 14.9 378Brown Trout 16.5 420Brown Trout 14.2 360Brown Trout 15.9 403Brown Trout 3.3 85

Site A3 Brown Trout 16.9 430Brown Trout 15.1 382Brown Trout 4.5 115Brown Trout 4.8 121Brown Trout 4.1 103

Site A5 Brown Trout 3.9 100Brown Trout 4.6 117Brown Trout 11.2 285Brown Trout 4.0 101Brown Trout 3.7 95

Site A6 Brown Trout 16.7 425Site A8 Brown Trout 4.0 102

Brown Trout 4.0 101Brown Trout 4.1 104Brown Trout 11.1 281Brown Trout 4.3 109

Site A9 Brown Trout 3.8 97Site A12 Brown Trout 19.1 485

Brown Trout 4.6 116Brown Trout 4.6 116Brown Trout 15.7 398Brown Trout 4.6 117Brown Trout 4.0 101Brown Trout 17.3 440Brown Trout 12.2 310Brown Trout 4.1 105Brown Trout 5.4 138Brown Trout 5.0 128Brown Trout 4.3 110Brown Trout 5.2 132Brown Trout 3.8 97Brown Trout 4.0 101

Site A13 Brown Trout 18.7 475Brown Trout 8.8 223Brown Trout 4.4 112Brown Trout 3.8 97Brown Trout 3.8 96Brown Trout 4.6 117Brown Trout 4.1 105Brown Trout 3.1 78Brown Trout 18.7 475Brown Trout 4.6 117Brown Trout 4.2 107Brown Trout 4.0 102Brown Trout 3.7 95Brown Trout 4.4 112Brown Trout 9.8 248Brown Trout 4.3 110

Site A14 No Brown Trout Collected --Site 13-1 No Brown Trout Collected --Site 13-2 Brown Trout 17.3 440

Brown Trout 16.5 420Brown Trout 12.2 310Brown Trout 12.2 310Brown Trout 4.3 110Brown Trout 5.1 130Brown Trout 4.3 110

Site 13-5 No Brown Trout Collected --Site 14-1 No Brown Trout Collected --Site 14-2 No Brown Trout Collected --

Appendix E

MPCA State Wide Fish IBI Fact Sheet

The following document provides an overview of recently-developed Fish Indices of Biotic Integrity (F-IBI) used to assess streams and rivers in the State of Minnesota. Complete documentation of the F-IBI, including information regarding development, calibration, scoring and application will be available in March of 2014. Any questions regarding this document or the F-IBI in general may be referred to:

John Sandberg Minnesota Pollution Control Agency Brainerd, MN 218-316-3913 [email protected]

For the purposes of F-IBI development, Minnesota’s streams and rivers were partitioned into nine classes, across two geographic regions.

• Southern Classes • Southern Rivers • Southern Streams • Southern Headwaters • Southern Coldwater

• Northern Classes • Northern Rivers • Northern Streams • Northern Headwaters • Northern Coldwater

• Statewide • Low Gradient

The classification framework partitions natural variability in fish community structure, based largely on patterns observed among least-impacted sites. Fish communities occurring at sites within each class are more similar to each other than to those in other classes. The classification factors are unaffected by human disturbance to ensure that the framework reflects natural variability and that the resulting F-IBI reflect impacts.

Regionalization largely follows major watershed boundaries and reflects significant post-glacial barriers to fish migration (e.g. St. Anthony Falls). Classification criteria are briefly described within individual one-page summaries and a complete “classification key” is available on page 9 including a map of the geographic regions and the relevant watershed area and reach gradient thresholds.

F-IBI development was stratified by class, with a unique suite of metrics, scoring functions, impairment thresholds, and confidence intervals identified for each. Metric lists and descriptions are included in the individual class summaries, as well as impairment thresholds and 90% confidence limits for F-IBI score. Lists of species associated with each metric are available upon request. F-IBI scores higher than the upper confidence limit reflect good biological condition, while scores below the lower confidence limit reflect poor biological condition. When F-IBI scores fall within the confidence interval, interpretation and assessment of waterbody condition involves consideration of potential stressors, and draws upon additional information regarding water chemistry, physical habitat, land use activities, etc. Assessment decisions are made by MPCA’s Watershed Assessment Teams; documentation for the Water Quality Assessment process can be found at:

http://www.pca.state.mn.us/index.php/water/water-types-and-programs/minnesotas-impaired-waters-and-tmdls/assessment-and-listing/tmdl-water-quality-assessment.html

2/25/2014 1 | P a g e



Southern Rivers

Large warm/coolwater rivers in southern MN and the western portion of the Red River Basin

Sites in southern Minnesota and the Glacial Lake Agassiz Basin (GLAB) ecoregion, where watershed area exceeds 300 square miles.

Examples: Red River of the North, Minnesota River, St. Croix River (below Taylors Falls), Red Lake River (within GLAB), Blue Earth River, Chippewa River, Otter Tail River (within GLAB), Zumbro River

Exclusions: Mississippi River (below St. Anthony Falls), Minnesota River (above Laq qui Parle confluence)

Low-End Scoring: <25 individuals (IndPct metrics = 0), <6 taxa (TX and TXPct metrics = 0)

Biocriteria: Upper CL: 60 Exceptional Use threshold: 71 General Use threshold: 49 Modified Use threshold: NA Lower CL: 38

MetricName Category Response Metric_Desc_tech

DetNWQTXPct Trophic negative Relative abundance (%) of taxa that are detritivorous

GeneralPct Trophic negative Relative abundance (%) of individuals that are generalist feeders

Insect-TolPct Trophic positive Relative abundance (%) of individuals that are insectivore species (excludes tolerant species)

Piscivore Trophic positive Taxa richness of piscivorous species

SLvdPct life history negative Relative abundance (%) of individuals that are short-lived

SSpnTXPct Reproductive negative Relative abundance (%) of taxa that are serial spawners (multiple times per year)

TolPct Tolerance negative Relative abundance (%) of individuals that are tolerant

VtolTXPct Tolerance negative Relative abundance (%) of taxa that are very tolerant

SensitiveTXPct Tolerance positive Relative abundance (%) of taxa that are sensitive (scoring adjusted for gradient)

SLithop Reproductive positive Taxa richness of simple lithophilic spawning species (scoring adjusted for gradient)

DomTwoPct dominance negative Combined relative abundance of two most abundant taxa

FishDELTPct tolerance negative Relative abundance (%) of individuals with Deformities, Eroded fins, Lesions, or Tumors

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Southern Streams

Large warm/coolwater streams and small rivers in southern MN and the far-western portion of the Red River Basin

Sites in southern Minnesota and the Glacial Lake Agassiz Basin (GLAB) ecoregion, where watershed area exceeds 30 square miles but is less than 300 square miles.

Examples: Cobb River, Tamarac River, Sleepy Eye Creek, Middle River, Rock River, Hawk Creek, Minnehaha Creek, Shell Rock River


Biocriteria: Upper CL: 59 Exceptional Use threshold: 66 General Use threshold: 50 Modified Use threshold: 35 Lower CL: 41


BenInsect-TolTXPct trophic positive Relative abundance (%) of taxa that are benthic insectivores (excludes tolerant species)

DetNWQTXPct trophic negative Relative abundance (%) of taxa that are detritivorous

MA<2Pct reproductive negative Relative abundance (%) of early-maturing individuals (female mature age <=2 years)

SensitiveTXPct tolerance positive Relative abundance (%) of taxa that are sensitive

SLvd life history negative Taxa richness of short-lived species

TolTXPct tolerance negative Relative abundance (%) of taxa that are tolerant

TolPct tolerance negative Relative abundance (%) of individuals that are tolerant



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Southern Headwaters

Small, moderate to high-gradient warm/coolwater streams in southern MN and the far-western portion of the Red River Basin

Sites in southern Minnesota and the Glacial Lake Agassiz Basin (GLAB) ecoregion, where watershed area is less than 30 square miles and gradient is greater than 0.5 m/km.

Examples: Cobb Creek, Otter Creek, Pine Island Creek, Milliken Creek, Little Cottonwood River, Okabena Creek, Chaska Creek




DetNWQTXPct trophic negative Relative abundance (%) of taxa that are detritivorous

GeneralTXPct trophic negative Relative abundance (%) of taxa that are generalist feeders

Sensitive tolerance positive Taxa richness of sensitive species

SLvdPct life history negative Relative abundance (%) of individuals that are short-lived

SSpnPct reproductive negative Relative abundance (%) of individuals that are serial spawners (multiple times per year)

VtolTXPct tolerance negative Relative abundance (%) of taxa that are very tolerant


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Southern Coldwater

Coldwater streams in southern MN and the far-western portion of the Red River Basin

Examples: South Fork of Root River, Trout Run, Vermillion River, Valley Creek, Hemingway Creek



CWSensitivePct_10DrgArea tolerance positive Relative abundance (%) of individuals that are sensitive in coldwater streams (scoring adjusted for drainage area)

CWTol_10DrgArea tolerance negative Taxa richness of tolerant species in coldwater streams (scoring adjusted for drainage area)

NativeColdTXPct_10DrgArea habitat positive Relative abundance (%) of taxa that are native coldwater species (scoring adjusted for drainage area)

NativeColdPct habitat positive Relative abundance (%) of individuals that are native coldwater species

HerbvPct trophic negative Relative abundance (%) of individuals that are herbivorous

SdetTXPct_10DrgArea trophic negative Relative abundance (%) of taxa that are detritivorous (scoring adjusted for drainage area)

PioneerPct life history negative Relative abundance (%) of individuals that are pioneer species


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Northern Rivers

Large warm/coolwater rivers in northern MN

Sites in northern Minnesota, excluding the Glacial Lake Agassiz Basin (GLAB) ecoregion, where watershed area is greater than 500 square miles (>350 square miles watershed area in the Red River Basin).

Examples: Rainy River, Mississippi River (above St. Anthony Falls), St. Croix River (above Taylors Falls), Red Lake River (outside of GLAB), St. Louis River, Crow Wing River, Crow River, Little Fork River, Big Fork River, Kettle River



DetNWQPct trophic negative relative abundance (%) of individuals that are detritivorous

ExoticPct composition negative Relative abundance (%) of individuals that are exotic

Insect-TolPct trophic positive Relative abundance (%) of individuals that are insectivorous (excludes tolerant species)

NestNoLithPct reproductive negative Relative abundance (%) of individuals that are non-lithophilic nest-guarders

SLithopTXPct reproductive positive Relative abundance (%) of taxa that are simple lithophilic spawners

SSpnTXPct reproductive negative Relative abundance (%) of taxa that are serial spawners (multiple times per year)

VtolTXPct tolerance negative Relative abundance (%) of taxa that are very tolerant

SensitivePct tolerance positive Relative abundance (%) of individuals that are sensitive (scoring adjusted for gradient)

SensitiveTXPct tolerance positive Relative abundance (%) of taxa that are sensitive (scoring adjusted for gradient)



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Northern Streams

Large warm/coolwater streams and small rivers in northern MN

Sites in northern Minnesota, excluding the Glacial Lake Agassiz Basin (GLAB) ecoregion, where watershed area is greater than 50 square miles but less than 500 square miles (>350 square miles watershed area in the Red River Basin).

Examples: Cloquet River, Elk River, Boy River, Rice Creek, Platte River, Stony River, Schoolcraft River, Ashley Creek, Sand Hill River



DarterSculpSucTXPct composition positive Relative abundance (%) of taxa that are darters, sculpins, and round-bodied suckers

DetNWQPct trophic negative Relative abundance (%) of individuals that are detritivorous

General trophic negative Taxa richness of generalist species

Insect-TolTXPct trophic positive Relative abundance (%) of taxa that are insectivorous (excludes tolerant species)

IntolerantPct tolerance positive Relative abundance (%) of individuals that are intolerant

MA>3-TolPct reproductive positive Relative abundance (%) of individuals with a female mature age >=3 (excludes tolerant taxa)

SensitiveTXPct tolerance positive Relative abundance (%) of taxa that are sensitive

SLithopPct reproductive positive Relative abundance (%) of individuals that are simple lithophilic spawners

SSpnTXPct reproductive negative Relative abundance (%) of taxa that are serial spawners (multiple times per year)

Vtol tolerance negative Number of taxa that are very tolerant



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Northern Headwaters

Small, moderate to high-gradient warm/coolwater streams in northern MN

Sites in northern Minnesota, excluding the Glacial Lake Agassiz Basin (GLAB) ecoregion, where watershed area is less than 50 square miles and gradient is greater than 0.5 m/km.

Examples: Twelvemile Creek, Grove Creek, Flint Creek, Mayhew Creek, Tibbetts Brook, Shingle Creek, Little Ann River, Hardwood Creek, Barber Creek



DarterSculp richness positive Taxa richness of darter and sculpin species

Hdw-Tol habitat positive Taxa richness of headwater species (excludes tolerant species)

InsectCypPct trophic positive Relative abundance (%) of individuals that are insectivorous Cyprinids

Insect-TolTXPct trophic positive Relative abundance (%) of taxa that are insectivorous (excludes tolerants)

Minnows-TolPct composition positive Relative abundance (%) of individuals that are Cyprinids (excludes tolerant species)

NumPerMeter-Tolerant composition positive Number of individuals per meter of stream sampled

(excludes tolerant species)

PioneerTXPct life history negative Relative abundance (%) of taxa that are pioneers


SLithop reproductive positive Taxa richness of simple lithophilic spawning species



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Northern Coldwater

Coldwater streams in northern MN

Examples: Cascade River, Straight River, Little Rock Creek, Stony Brook, Little Isabella River, Crooked Creek, Midway River, Clearwater River



CWSensitiveTXPct_11Grad tolerance positive Relative abundance (%) of taxa that are sensitive in coldwater streams (scoring adjusted for gradient)

CWIntolerantPct tolerance positive Relative abundance (%) of individuals that are intolerant in coldwater streams

PioneerTXPct life history negative Relative abundance (%) of taxa that are pioneer species

Cold habitat positive Taxa richness of coldwater species

CWTolPct tolerance negative Relative abundance (%) of individuals that are tolerant in coldwater streams

PercfmPct composition negative Relative abundance (%) of individuals that are members of the order Perciformes

OmnivoreTXPct trophic negative Relative abundance (%) of taxa that are omnivorous

NestNoLithPct reproductive negative Relative abundance (%) of individuals that are non-lithophilic nest-guarders


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Low Gradient

Small, low-gradient warm/coolwater streams across the entire state

Sites in southern Minnesota and the Glacial Lake Agassiz Basin (GLAB) ecoregion, where watershed area is less than 30 square miles and gradient is less than 0.5 m/km***.

Sites in northern Minnesota, excluding the Glacial Lake Agassiz Basin (GLAB) ecoregion, where watershed area is less than 50 square miles and gradient is less than 0.5 m/km***.

***In either region, sites meeting the watershed area criteria may be classified as Low Gradient despite exceeding 0.5 m/km, based upon secondary characteristics including: lack of riffle habitat, slow flow velocity, dominance of fine-grained substrates, and a riparian zone dominated by wetland vegetation.

Examples: West Branch Sunrise River, South Fork Groundhouse River, Bassett Creek, Daggett Brook, Sedan Brook, West Branch Floodwood River, Big Slough



Hdw-TolPct habitat positive Relative abundance (%) of individuals that are headwater species (excludes tolerant species)

Minnows-TolPct composition positive Relative abundance (%) of individuals that are Cyprinids (excludes tolerant species)

NumPerMeter-Tolerant composition positive Number of individuals per meter of stream sampled

(excludes tolerant species)

OmnivoreTXPct trophic negative Relative abundance (%) of taxa that are omnivorous

PioneerTXPct lifehistory negative Relative abundance (%) of taxa that are pioneers


SLithop reproductive positive Taxa richness of simple lithophilic spawning species


Wetland-Tol habitat positive Taxa richness of wetland species (excludes tolerant species)


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Classification Key for Minnesota Stream & River F-IBI 1a. Northern…………..5 1b. Southern…………..2 Southern 2a. coldwater………………..Southern Coldwater (pg 5) 2b. warmwater……………..3

3a. Drainage area >300 sq mi………………….Southern Rivers (pg 2) 3b. Drainage area <300 sq mi………………….4 4a. Drainage area >30 sq mi…………... Southern Streams (pg 3) 4b. Drainage area <30 sq mi……………5 5a. Gradient >0.50 m/km…………Southern Headwaters (pg 4) 5b. Gradient <0.50 m/km…………Low-Gradient (pg 10) Northern 5a. coldwater………………Northern Coldwater (pg 9) 5b. warmwater……………6

6a. Basin = Red…………..7 6b. Basin = other……........8 7a. Drainage area >350 sq mi………………………Northern Rivers (pg 6) 7b. Drainage area <350 sq mi………………………9

8a. Drainage area >500 sq mi………………Northern Rivers (pg 6) 8b. Drainage area <500 sq mi………………9

9a. Drainage area >50……………....Northern Streams (pg 7) 9b. Drainage area <50………………10 10a. Gradient >0.50 m/km…...Northern Headwaters (pg 8)

10b. Gradient <0.50 m/km…...Low-Gradient (pg 10)

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