UNDERSTANDING THE ECOLOGICAL AND SOCIAL CONSTRAINTS TO ACHIEVING SUSTAINABLE FISHERIES RESOURCE POLICY AND MANAGEMENT

• Sponsoring Institution: National Institute of Food and Agriculture
• Project Status: COMPLETE
• Funding Source: HATCH
• Reporting Frequency: Annual
• Accession No.: 0225584
• Multistate No.: NC-_old1189
• Project Start Date: Oct 1, 2011
• Project End Date: Sep 30, 2016
• Program Code: [(N/A)]- (N/A)

Recipient Organization
KANSAS STATE UNIV
(N/A)
MANHATTAN,KS 66506

Performing Department
Biology

Non Technical Summary
Water extractions in the High Plains aquifer have increased drying in streams and reduced the volume of many storage reservoirs. Moreover, introductions of nonnative species have been shown to be detrimental to established sport fisheries as well as native fish diversity in streams and rivers. State resource agencies are often conflicted with protection of these different resources; particularly if that protection limits the use of other resources by their citizens. A current limitation in assessing the sustainability of fisheries resources in Kansas is a synthesis of major influential factors. In short, there is an imbalance between the data collected and the incorporation of those data into policy decisions. We have identified six major drivers of fisheries resource quality that, if evaluated, would greatly enhance our ability to manage for the sustainability of resources in the region: Land management, Invasive species, Dewatering of aquifers, Fragmentation, Climate change and Water Pollution. Evidence for the importance of these factors influencing fisheries resources comes from a variety of collaborative research between agency and university personnel. Specifically, we have compiled spatially and temporally extensive databases to evaluate relationships between fisheries resources and environmental conditions. We have developed models to predict species distributions in relation to habitat features of streams (Oakes et al. 2005, Gido et al. 2006) and have identified potential interactions between small stream fish communities and those that occur in large reservoirs (Falke and Gido 2006) and large rivers (Thornbrugh 2010). These studies identified critical habitat needs and constraints of many species within the region. In addition, retrospective analyses identified long-term trends in species distribution patterns, which have highlighted species in need of conservation and documented the spread of invasive species (Gido et al. 2010). Building on these past efforts to include other states will greatly aid in the interpretation of these patterns by expanding our analysis beyond the political boundaries of each state.

Animal Health Component

(N/A)

Research Effort Categories

Basic

(N/A)

Applied

(N/A)

Developmental

(N/A)

Classification

Knowledge Area (KA)	Subject of Investigation (SOI)	Field of Science (FOS)	Percent
135	0899	1060	50%
132	0899	1060	50%

Knowledge Area
135 - Aquatic and Terrestrial Wildlife; 132 - Weather and Climate;

Subject Of Investigation
0899 - Wildlife and natural fisheries, general/other;

Field Of Science
1060 - Biology (whole systems);

Keywords

fisheries, sustainable resources, climate change, prairie streams,

species distribution models, invasive species, groundwater, fish

habitat, fragmentation, water pollution

Goals / Objectives
The overarching goal of this regional research project will be to determine the factors that facilitate or hinder fisheries sustainability in the United States. More specifically, we will aim to address how climate change, invasive species, land use, surface/groundwater dynamics and governance systems affect fish habitat, communities, and production dynamics in order to conserve and restore sustainable and economically viable aquatic ecosystems and fishery resources. Objective: 1. Improve understanding of the causes underlying the changes in habitat, such as climate change, invasive species, and land use, and the associated effects on the production and resilience of fisheries and aquatic communities. Outputs: Comprehensive databases with biotic (fisheries) and abiotic (habitat) information across the region. Peer-reviewed manuscripts describing large scale patterns of species and resources Training of graduate students and other project personnel. Outcomes: Results from the proposed projects will facilitate management decisions by providing tools (e.g., GIS databases and web-based interfaces) that allow easy access to fisheries resource data.

Project Methods
We propose a collaborative research project between state and federal agencies and university faculty that will enhance our ability to forecast changes to, and measure sustainability of fisheries resources in response to global and regional drivers of ecosystem change. Biological data will be collected through existing monitoring programs with the various land/water management agencies. Environmental data will be obtained from ongoing monitoring programs throughout the region (e.g., land cover maps, stream discharge data). A variety of univariate and multivariate statistical approaches can be used to evaluate associations among these factors and local and regional scale. Syntheses of the principal associations will be the basis for developing tools to be used by managers to identify critical habitat needs for fisheries resources and to plan for their protection, enhancement and restoration. The determination of associations between fisheries resources and key environmental drivers will be shared with numerous scientific and lay audiences. We are particularly focused on sharing our results via refereed publications that can be broadly accessed and used by other scientist and fisheries managers. In addition, our data bases can be integrated into web interfaces that allow managers access to data on species distributions and related environmental parameters. Databases can also be made available via ftp sites that are easily accessed by all interested parties.

Progress 10/01/11 to 09/30/16

Outputs
Target Audience:Water resource managers, including state and federal natural resource agencies (e.g., Kansas Department of Wildlife, Parks and Tourism, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service), non-profit organizations, and the general scientific community. Changes/Problems: Nothing Reported What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided? Nothing Reported How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?We anticipate that our research will be accepted for publication in a scientific journal where it can be accessed by interested parties. What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals? Nothing Reported

Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals? We completed ananalysis and prepared a manscript describing the association between groundwater depletion, surface water and the abundance and diversity of fish communities.

Publications

• Type: Journal Articles Status: Under Review Year Published: 2017 Citation: Perkin, J.S., K.B. Gido, J.A. Falke, K.D. Fausch, H. Crockett, E.R. Johnson, J. Sanderson. In review. Groundwater pumping shrinks Great Plains stream fish assemblages. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

Progress 10/01/14 to 09/30/15

Outputs
Target Audience: Nothing Reported Changes/Problems: Nothing Reported What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?A postdoctoral research associate was responsible for the majority of data collection and compliation. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?A presentation of these data was given at the annual meeting of the American Fisheries Society in Portland, Oregon in summer 2015. What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?Our goal for the next period is to complete our analysis andfinish writing a manscript describing the association between groundwater depletion, surface water and the abundance and diversity of fish communities.

Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals? We have compiled data on groundwater levels in eastern Colorado, western Kansas and southwestern Nebraska to develop a model that predicts surface flow based on distance to water level. In addition, we evaluated trends in the amount of available habitat (surface water) to fishes in this region. We are currently working on a manuscript to describe these patterns.

Publications

Progress 10/01/13 to 09/30/14

Outputs
Target Audience: Scientists working with state and federal agencies. I specifically interacted with the Kansas Department of Wildlife, Parks and Tourism, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the Kansas Department of Health and Environment. Changes/Problems: Nothing Reported What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided? Nothing Reported How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest? Yes, the book "Kansas Fishes" has been widely distributed to natural resource agency personnel, educators and the general public. What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals? My primary goals is to maintain and update our current database on the distribution of fishes so it can be used to evaluate potential areas of conservation priorities.

Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals? The database of fishes was used to generate distribution maps for the book "Kansas Fishes" that was published in 2014. These maps show historic and current records of each species of fish that occurs in the state.

Publications

• Type: Books Status: Published Year Published: 2014 Citation: Kansas Fishes Committee (D.A. Distler, M.E. Eberle, D.R. Edds, K.B. Gido, S.G. Haslouer, D.G. Huggins, T.D. Mosher, W.J. Stark, J.R. Tomelleri, J.R. Triplett, E.O. Wiley). 2014. Kansas Fishes. University Press of Kansas, Lawrence.

Progress 01/01/13 to 09/30/13

Outputs
Target Audience: Scientists working with state and federal agencies. I specifically interacted with the Kansas Department of Wildlife, Parks and Tourism, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the Kansas Department of Health and Environment. Changes/Problems: Nothing Reported What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided? One graduate student (Matthew Troia) helped develop the GIS database. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest? The GIS database was used to generate maps that will be used in the upcoming "Fishes of Kansas" book that will appear in summer 2014. What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals? Nothing Reported

Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals? GIS database of recent and historic fish collections in the state of Kansas was improved by inclusion of a large number of historic species accounts.

Publications

Progress 01/01/12 to 12/31/12

Outputs
OUTPUTS: The overarching goal of this regional research project is to determine the factors that facilitate or hinder fisheries sustainability in the United States. More specifically, we aim to address how climate change, invasive species, land use, surface/groundwater dynamics and governance systems affect fish habitat, communities, and production dynamics in order to conserve and restore sustainable and economically viable aquatic ecosystems and fishery resources. A Research Team Meeting was held at the American Fisheries Society meeting in St. Paul, MN in August 2012. Plans were discussed to coordinate research activities among states and collaborators. I was not able to attend this meeting. However, a graduate student working in my lab presented a paper at the AFS Sustainability Symposium related to NC1189. PARTICIPANTS: Keith B. Gido (PI) TARGET AUDIENCES: Scientists working with state and federal agencies. I specifically hope to work with the Kansas Department of Wildlife, Parks and Tourism, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the Kansas Department of Health and Environment. In addition, publications are relevant to scientist working on the conservation and management of streams. PROJECT MODIFICATIONS: Nothing significant to report during this reporting period.

Impacts
Collaborative research projects that extent beyond state boundaries are useful in assessing sustainability of aquatic resources because many species are highly migratory and their distribution overlaps political boundaries. Coordinated efforts among states would also reduce the redundancy and provide confirmation of local processes across broader geographic scales.

Publications

• No publications reported this period

Progress 01/01/11 to 12/31/11

Outputs
OUTPUTS: The overarching goal of this regional research project is to determine the factors that facilitate or hinder fisheries sustainability in the United States. More specifically, we aim to address how climate change, invasive species, land use, surface/groundwater dynamics and governance systems affect fish habitat, communities, and production dynamics in order to conserve and restore sustainable and economically viable aquatic ecosystems and fishery resources. A planning meeting was held at the American Fisheries Society meeting in Seattle, Washington in September 2011. Plans were discussed to coordinate research activities among states and collaborators. As a result of this meeting, I have scheduled a meeting with an NC1189 partner from Nebraska (Dr. Mark Pegg) for spring 2012 to discuss collaborative projects. PARTICIPANTS: Keith B. Gido (PI) TARGET AUDIENCES: Scientists working with state and federal agencies. I specifically hope to work with the Kansas Department of Wildlife, Parks and Tourism, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the Kansas Department of Health and Environment. In addition, publications are relevant to scientist working on the conservation and management of streams PROJECT MODIFICATIONS: Nothing significant to report during this reporting period.

Impacts
Collaborative research projects that extent beyond state boundaries are useful in assessing sustainability of aquatic resources because many species are highly migratory and their distribution overlaps political boundaries. Coordinated efforts among states would also reduce the redundancy and provide confirmation of local processes across broader geographic scales.

Publications

• No publications reported this period