Linking Channel Stability, Fish Habitat, and Fish Assemblage in the Lower Chippewa River

Abstract

We conducted a study of shallow water fish assemblages in three reaches of the Lower Chippewa River in western Wisconsin. The reaches were distinguished by the stability and diversity of their channel forms; features quantified from analyses of historic and aerial photographs. For each reach, we mapped the distribution of backwater, island, sandbar and riffle habitats. Fish surveys then were conducted from each habitat to characterize the link between fish diversity patterns and local habitat- and reach-scale conditions.