Riverine Fish

Ohio is blessed with an abundance of water, but like all developing areas, past and present land use practices affect our water resources.

Land uses that allow soil to runoff into our waterways cause silting of streams and increased turbidity, which can result in a lower quality of water and thus a loss in the diversity of aquatic organisms.

Fish have specific habitat requirements, thus the health of a fish community can tell us a great deal about the quality of the waterway where they reside.

Riverine Fish of Ohio's Scenic Rivers

Bluntnose Minnow (Pimephales notatus)

bluntnose minnowThis is probably the most common fish in Ohio. Bluntnose utilize and tolerate a wide variety of habitat conditions. They are found in every water body capable of supporting fish life and thrive in turbid, nutrient rich waters. They are equally at home in small streams to the largest rivers and lakes. They can become abundant in disturbed habitats when the numbers of competitor species more sensitive to increased turbidities, siltation of instream substrates, or increased water temperatures decline.