Pennsylvania Angler & Boater - September/October 2014 - 40

Longnose Dace

photos-Deborah Weisberg

40

Pennsylvania Angler & Boater * September/October 2014

and greater conservation awareness, biodiversity is
improving in the Allegheny River and elsewhere.
For instance, the Gilt Darter, a colorful native that was
hard to find in the Allegheny River after the 1930s, has
reappeared with such abundance that efforts are now
underway to remove it from Pennsylvania's threatened
species list.
"Thanks in large part to the Clean Water Act, it started
swimming in from French Creek and recolonizing in
the Allegheny River," said Fischer. "It swam down the
Allegheny River toward the Ohio River and up as far as
Warren. But, it could not get past the Kinzua Dam."
Fischer is currently working with his counterpart in
New York to reintroduce the Gilt Darter to the upper
Allegheny River, above the dam.
"Pennsylvania hopes to eventually join three other
states in claiming a secure population of Gilt Darters,
although they represent a fraction of the 18 states in which
the Gilt Darter historically was found," said Fischer.
"Ensuring that species such as Gilt Darters are not lost
is something every angler should appreciate," said Fischer.
photo-Deborah Weisberg

"Fisheries are complex systems with intricate
relationships among species that even scientists don't fully
understand, but they are amazingly efficient," said Fischer.
Mussels, for instance, serve as forage for otters as well as
fish with molar-like teeth such as Freshwater Drums and
River Redhorses. Mussels, in turn, use bass and darters in
clever ways to establish new colonies.
"Mussels trick fish into hosting their larvae," said
Fischer. "They have mantle flaps that they can wiggle to
imitate a minnow, which attracts the prospective host fish.
When the fish attacks, the mussel shoots out larvae, which
attach to the gills of the fish."
"The larvae hitch a ride downstream, feeding off their
host as they journey, and when they mature enough to be
self-sufficient, they drop off and colonize," said Fischer.
The host fish isn't harmed by its living cargo, and is,
in fact, performing an important ecological service by
assisting with colonization, since mussels continuously
filter toxins from water.
Anglers who target Walleyes, bass or any other gamefish
can thank creatures like these for helping to maintain a
fishery's quality and equilibrium.
"Each of Pennsylvania's six major river basins has a
distinct biodiversity signature, and none is more awesome
than the Ohio Basin, which includes the Allegheny River
and one of its key tributaries, French Creek," said Fischer.
"The free-flowing middle Allegheny River and French
Creek, in particular, abound in rare and non-game fish and
mussels," said Area 2 Fisheries Biologist Allen Woomer.
"French Creek is well-known for this in scientific
circles. Part of its unique richness has to do with its glacial
history, but it also hasn't suffered the traumas of mining
and other industrial activities that have affected other
fisheries," said Woomer.
The entire Allegheny River may have once resembled
French Creek, but manmade impacts such as the
construction of locks and dams and sand and gravel
dredging in the lower reaches caused some species to
disappear. Since passage of the Clean Water Act of 1972

Hellgrammite

Crayfish in a stream like Oil Creek keep Smallmouth Bass and
other species well-fed.
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Pennsylvania Angler & Boater - September/October 2014

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