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

Central Mottled Sculpin (Cottus bairdi)

Central Mottled SculpinA frog-faced fish requiring fast flowing currents, the Mottled Sculpin is one of the most unique fishes found in Ohio's fast-flowing stream habitats.

They prefer the swifter currents of clean streams characterized by low levels of siltation, cool temperatures, and high dissolved oxygen levels. The Mottled Sculpin belongs to a family of fishes called Cottidae. Their large heads and heavy, tapered bodies reflect the bottom-oriented habits of this particular family of fishes.

Sculpins spend their entire lives nestled among riffles feeding on various benthic (bottom-feeding) macro-invertebrates, preferably chironomids, mayfly nymphs, and stonefly larvae. In Ohio, populations of the Mottled Sculpin are centered primarily around the glacial boundary and the glacial moraines of west-central Ohio where high gradient, spring-fed streams provide ideal habitat conditions for this species. They are largely absent from unglaciated Ohio away from this boundary with the exception of streams found on the Flushing Escarpment in eastern Ohio.

The Bass Island region of Lake Erie once supported a large population of sculpins. But this population was extirpated (wiped out) in the 1950s along with most of the other bottom dwelling organisms as a result of the accelerated eutrophication (excess nutrients that stimulate plant growth) and and pollution occurring at that time.

Inland, local populations have been extirpated due to habitat destruction and increased rates of siltation observed in many Ohio streams. In eastern Ohio, acid mine drainage from strip-mining continues to be a problem.