Plunging into the World of Freshwater Fishes
Last Saturday, 8 intrepid explorers joined BRDC staff on a snorkeling program at Straight Branch, a tributary of the South Fork of the Holston. Fortunately, we thought to bring an underwater camera this trip to share some of the experience.
A participant demonstrates the “Alligator crawl”
Last Saturday, 8 intrepid explorers joined BRDC staff on a snorkeling program at Straight Branch, a tributary of the South Fork of the Holston. We donned wetsuits to protect us from the 60 degree water and fastened masks and snorkels to plunge into the world of freshwater fishes. While the water in these mountain creeks may seem too shallow for snorkeling (ranging from less than a foot to around 3 feet at the deepest), it is the best way to experience this underwater world. By moving slowly and “alligator crawling” upstream, the fish quickly become accustomed to our presence and swim just inches away from us! Fortunately, we thought to bring an underwater camera this trip to share some of the experience.
A Snubnose Darter tries to blend in with the silt
The aptly named Snubnose Darter (Etheostoma simoterum) stands out from other darters thanks to its very blunt face. While these fish are quite common in our area, they are only found in mid to large side streams in south western Virginia, mostly in tributaries of the Tennessee river system. This male (identified by the row of orange scales above its dark lateral stripe) was curious but cautious, getting close enough to allow everyone to get a good look at him. If his dorsal fins were flared, the striking red would be more visible, but he was likely hiding these colors to help camouflage with the silt below.
The Northern Hog Sucker only swam away when a large group of us got very close
This ~8 inch Northern Hog Sucker (Hypentelium nigricans) was one of the largest fish we got to see, besides a few rainbow and brown trout who sped past us too fast to get a good look. Hog Suckers are mostly benthic feeders, meaning they suck up tiny crustaceans, insects, and algae from the bottoms of stream beds to feed on. They tend to stay close to the stream bed, and only swim quickly when evading predators. With their large size and slow lifestyle, this fish barely minded the gaggle of humans as long as we respected its personal space.
Large schools of shiners earned their name with shocking colors and mesmerizing iridescence. In this river system, we see several species including Warpaint Shiners (Luxilus coccogenis), named for bold red and black streaks on the males’ faces, Saffron Shiners (Notropis rubricroceus), identified by the males’ gold and scarlet lateral stripes, and Tennessee Shiners (N. leuciodus), who are silver with an olive back and a thin dark lateral stripe. These fish often swim in mixed schools, using bright colors and reflective scales to disorient predators. This defense was certainly effective against our camera- most of our pictures of shiners came out as shiny, unfocused streaks!
Mixed schools of Warpaint Shiners, Saffron Shiners, and Tennessee Shiners were a dazzling sight
Creek Chubs are a common sight, along with their nests if you know what to look for
Creek Chubs (Semotilus atromaculatus) were very abundant today. Almost anywhere we looked, a school of half-foot brown fish lazed along the bottom of the stream. While these fish may look boring compared to some of the flashier fish in this river, they have a fascinating life history. Adults develop large tubercles on their snouts- thick scales that stand out from the face. The males use their tubercles to roll pebbles into nests each spring, providing a place for a courted female to lay her eggs. This streambed was full of these pebble nests, even months after their construction.
Most of the participants were able to catch glimpses of trout, with potential sightings of all three species that occur in southwest Virginia! The beautiful native Brook Trout (Salvelinus fontinalis) can be identified by the squiggly pattern on its back called vermiculation. This river is stocked with Brook trout and Rainbow Trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss), who have small speckles and a pink lateral stripe. Brown Trout (Salmo trutta) are stocked in connecting rivers, and populations have found their way here as well. All three species are very fast swimmers and voracious predators, so they were very difficult to observe except for quick glimpses as they sped past. We managed to photograph one juvenile trout (possibly a young rainbow), seen below.
A juvenile trout, likely Rainbow finally caught on camera! We also saw Brown Trout and everyone’s favorite- Brook Trout. How many other fish can you count in the background?
The barrier between aquatic ecosystems and terrestrial is the thinnest line possible, yet these two environments are completely alien to one another. It’s easy to forget all the action and excitement going on just on the other side of the water’s surface. Snorkeling is an amazing opportunity to literally immerse yourself in a different world. It’s a great reminder that sometimes, the best experiences come when we take a moment to observe and appreciate everything that’s already around us.
Young Explorers find possibly the ugliest but coolest creature in the Blue Ridge Mountains
Suited up and ready to roll we made our way downstream to form lines of snorkelers. With 64 deg water even the experienced snorkelers were hesitant, but once the crew laid flat and got their heads in the water the elation began to ring out.
Young Explorers Club goes snorkeling for Hellbenders
On Thursday September 3, 2015, BRDC hosted a sign up and preparatory meeting for the Young Explorers Club at the Independence Public Library where twelve young explorers signed the membership rules and code of conduct to become the founding members of the club. During the meeting we discussed the basic premise of an explorers club and introduced them to the hobby of being a naturalist. In preparation for our first outing, a snorkeling trip to the South Fork of the Holston River, we studied up on fish species with the Guide to Freshwater Fishes of Virginia and discussed the hellbender. The following Saturday we met up and carpooled over the mountain to Buller Fish Hatchery and the South Fork of the Holston River which is part of the Tennessee River watershed to explore the riches of a mountain stream.
With the water low and the sun shining bright it was the perfect day to explore the creek bottom. After a short study of the Mount Rogers National Geographic Map (part of the naturalist packs) the club took on the challenge of squeezing into wetsuits. Suited up and ready to roll we made our way downstream to form lines of snorkelers. With 64 deg water even the experienced snorkelers were hesitant, but once the crew laid flat and got their heads in the water the elation began to ring out. The group worked their way up stream finding all sorts of creatures. The occasional scream or snorkel muffled rambling of excitement signaled the next great find. Trout, darters, sculpin and crayfish were everywhere! Rhiannon became the group fish whisper as she surfaced with multiple sculpins and darters in hand for everyone to have a close look.
We worked our way up stream in 16" of water searching every crevice and crack for creatures of the deep, until the leading edge discovered the stone cold face of a hellbender under a large rock! Everyone got a chance to peak over the edge and come face to face with one of the ugliest creatures of the Blue Ridge. Hellbenders are often referred to as Mud Puppies by locals and have a mottled light brown and dark brown skin that resembles the coloration of a brown algae covered rock. On first look, one would not recognize the motionless hellbender for a salamander, not the least of the reasons being that it was over 20" long! Two beady pale blue eyes sat at the front of the head and kept a watch out for unsuspecting crayfish or snorkelers in this case! Lifting up the rock we got to see the full extent of the salamander. Handling the spectacular creature gently, everyone observed its "white finger nails" and long flat tail that it uses to propel itself in the water. Being careful to return the rock to its exact position, we let the hellbender crawl back into its hiding place. We were left stunned by the simultaneous beauty and ugliness of the hellbender. As such a docile creature it is easy to feel sympathy for its vulnerability but then you remember it eats crayfish for a living and is basically pure muscle! For more information about the hellbender, its distribution and threats, please visit: http://www.dgif.virginia.gov/hellbender/
Luke enjoying the waterfall!
The afternoon was capped off with a refreshing dunk under the cascading waterfall of the dam. The explorers found a large air pocket behind the water and took turns disappearing into the deafening roar of the water. After a gearing down we documented the species observed in our journal and each member got a Hellbender poster and one of the Crayfish of Virginia courtesy of the Virginia Department of Game and Inland Fisheries. Everyone departed wishing we could keep on exploring and excited for the next trip afield!
The Young Explorers Club