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

Spotfin Shiner (Cyprinella spiloptera)

spotfin shinerThis species is common statewide inhabiting a fairly wide variety of aquatic habitats. It is most numerous in moderate to large-sized streams having moderate water turbidities and low to moderate gradients.

It is more tolerant of increased water turbidities, siltation, and pollution than other species of shiners and thrives in the absence of competition from these other species.

Spotfins are also found in smaller numbers in streams which have higher gradients and are less impacted by siltation and other types of pollution.