Long-Term Illinois River Fish Population Monitoring Program

In 1957, William C. Starrett initiated the Long Term Illinois River Fish Population Monitoring Program (long term electrofishing-LTEF) to relate spatial and temporal changes of the fish community to changes in water and habitat quality throughout the entire Illinois River. There are currently a total of 28 collection sites with 27 sites on the Illinois Waterway (25 sites on the Illinois River and 2 sites on the lower Des Plaines River) and a single site on the Mississippi River below Grafton, IL. The current database contains data for most years; funding lapses and high water conditions have precluded 8 years of sampling over the entire span of the LTEF project.The LTEF project has used the same boat mounted 3-phase AC electrofishing gear to sample fish communities mostly within side channel habitat. Sampling is conducted for one hour at most sites under the normally stable, low water period during a six-week window between late August and early October. Sampling is not conducted if water levels exceed specific criteria established for each site or water temperature falls below 50° F. Data collected for fishes includes species identification, weights, lengths, and the occurrences of external lesions, parasites, or deformities. Ancillary water quality data are also collected at each site and include dissolved oxygen, specific conductance, secchi transparency, and surface velocity. Currently, this work is planned through April 2009 with funding provided by the Federal Aid to Sportfish Restoration Program (Illinois Department of Natural Resources and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service) as project F-101-R.