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

Tippecanoe Darter (Etheostoma tippecanoe)

tippecanoe darterOne of the smallest of all Ohio darters, the Tippecanoe Darter is an inhabitant of some of the larger rivers and streams possessing moderate gradients and clean gravel substrates.

They frequent those sections of riffles characterized by moderate gradients and substrates composed primarily of sand and gravel. Small cobbles may also be found on these riffles.

In the lower Muskingum River where a small population still persists these darters are found in chutes having gravel substrates, relatively swift currents and depths ranging from 1 to 4 feet. Elsewhere populations are found in Paint Creek, Deer Creek, and Big Darby Creek with some individuals also being found in the Scioto River below Big Darby.

The Tippecanoe is intolerant to the effects of siltation and turbidity. When turbidity increases as a result of storms, these darters will retreat from their territories into adjacent pools.

Reproductive success hinges in part on weather and flow conditions during the breeding season and population levels may swing wildly from year to year as a consequence.