Fluvial Fishes Lab Accomplishments 2017

Oprah Winfrey said the “Year’s end is neither an end nor a beginning but a going on, with all the wisdom that experience can instill in us. Cheers to a new year and another chance for us to get it right.”   At this year's end I chronicle the many transitions, accomplishments, and beginnings in the Fluvial Fishes Laboratory at Virginia Tech.  This past summer, technicians Skylar Wolf and Hae Kim, graduated and began graduate programs at Oklahoma State University and West Virginia University, respectively.  In March, Jason Emmel accepted a position as Fisheries Biologist with Solitude Lake Management, LLC.  
 

Farewell for Jason Emmel (top, left) with (from left to right) Zach Martin, Joe Schmitt, Hae Kim, Skylar Wolf, Corbin Hilling Katie McBain, Jess Jones, and Don Orth. 

Joe Schmitt is now a USGS pathways intern in addition to Virginia Sea Grant Fellow; he passed his preliminary exams this summer, scheduled a spring defense, and assists with field research on Lake Erie.  Corbin Hilling won the Department award for outstanding GTA, and Hae Kim won the Skinner Award from the American Fisheries Society.  I continue to expect and see great work from the many students and associates that work in the lab.  Other awards received are indicated in photos below.

Annual College Awards Banquet.  Skylar Wolf, Corbin Hilling (Outstanding GTA), Joel Snodgrass (Dept. Head), and Hae Kim.

Eric Hallerman presents check for Robert Ross Graduate Scholarship to Jason Emmel.

Eric Hallerman presents Robert E. Jenkins Undergraduate Scholarship to Skylar Wolf.

Eric Hallerman presents check for Robert Ross Graduate Scholarship to Corbin Hilling.

Skinner Memorial Travel Award Winners in Tampa, Florida.  Hae Kim and former Hokies Dan Weaver and Michael Moore.

The lab members made numerous presentations for the Virginia Chapter of the American Fisheries Society, Northeast Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies, New River Symposium, World Recreational Fishing Conference, Annual Meeting of the American Fisheries Society, Southeastern Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies, and the Invasive Catfish Symposium.  Many other talks were given wherever and whenever someone asked about fishes, such as the Master Naturalists and James River Rats.

  
In July, I attended the World Recreational Fishing Conference.  Click here or tweets about the conference   See photo of poster at this link.

World Recreational Fishing Conference poster session.  Background. 

Teaching Ichthyology continues to be the most fun activity and all lab members participate.  Every year the number of members grow in Ichthyology on Flickr and Virginia Tech Ichthyology public group on Facebook.  Students develop their voice and develop a Becoming an Ichthyologist digital story.  View one of these.  This year some favorite principles of teaching were shared on The Fisheries Blog -- see the Nine principles for instructors to help students learn.

Joe Schmitt, Jason Emmel, and Zach Moran with 40 kg Blue Catfish. 

Papers and Reports

Carey, C., D. Orth and V. Emrick. 2017. Biological surveys for the Fries Hydroelectric Dam Project in the upper New River, Virginia. Final Report to TRC Solutions, Reston, Virginia. Conservation Management Institute, Department of Fish and Wildlife Conservation, College of Natural Resources and Environment, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, Blacksburg. VTCMI-Technical Report-03-2017.  

Dickinson, B.D., S.L. McMullin, D.J. Orth, and J.R. Copeland.  In press. Trotline catch rates vary by hook and bait type in the New River, Virginia. Journal of the Southeastern Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies.     

Hatcher, H.R.,  M.J. Moore, and D.J. Orth. 2017.  Spawning observations of Clinch Dace in a mountain stream.  The American Midland Naturalist 177:318-326. 

Hilling, C.D., S.L.Wolfe, J.R. Copeland, D.J. Orth, E. M. Hallerman. In press.  Occurrence of two non-indigenous catostomid fishes in the New River, Virginia. Northeastern Naturalist

Hilling, C.D., A.J. Bunch, R.S. Greenlee, D.J. Orth and Y. Jiao. In press. Natural mortality and size structure of introduced Blue Catfish in Virginia tidal rivers. Journal of the Southeastern Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies. 

Martin, Z.P., S. Ciparis, P.L. Angermeier, and D.J. Orth. 2017.  Impact of mining effluent on fish populations.  Virginia Center for Coal and Energy Research, Blacksburg, Virginia.  87 pp. 

Moore, M.J., E.M. Hallerman, and D.J. Orth. 2017. Densities and population sizes of Clinch Dace Chrosomus sp. cf. saylori in the upper Clinch River Basin in Virginia. Copeia 105(1):92-99.   doi: http://dx.doi.org/10.1643/CI-16-506.

Moore, M.J., D.J. Orth, and E.A. Frimpong. 2017. Occupancy and detection of Clinch Dace using two gear types.   Journal of Fish and Wildlife Management  8(2):530-543. https://doi.org/10.3996/022017-JFWM-01  Link to press release 

Orth, D. J.  in press.   Social media may empower fisheries students via learning networks. Fisheries 42:

Orth, D.J., Y. Jiao, J.D. Schmitt, C.D. Hilling, J.A. Emmel, and M.C. Fabrizio. 2017.  Dynamics and role of non-native Blue Catfish Ictalurus furcatus in Virginia's tidal rivers.   Final Report, Virginia Department of Game and Inland Fisheries, Henrico, Virginia.  129 pp.

Orth, D.J. 2017. How I got where I am.  American Currents 40(4):21-24.  To subscribe. 

Orth, D.J. 2017.  Beautifully Grotesque Fish of the American West.  Book Review   Pacific Northwest Quarterly 108:36-37

Schmitt, J.D., E.M. Hallerman, A. Bunch, Z. Moran, J.A. Emmel, and D.J. Orth. 2017. Predation and prey selectivity by non native catfish in an Atlantic slope estuary.  Marine and Coastal Fisheries: Dynamics, Management, and Ecosystem Science 9(1):108-125.  Doi: 10.1080/19425120.2016.1271844 

Caitlin Carey, Research Associate, with Muskellunge captured on the New River.

New video media were created for a variety of purposes. 

• Learn Your Fishes Well -- to the tune of Teach Your Children Well
• DNA barcoding   --  an introduction to DNA barcoding and confirmation of the new Moxostoma introduced in the New River 
• Know all the fish --  parody to the tune, King of the Road, by Roger Miller
• Say Croppie --  parody to the tune of Let it Be, by Paul McCartney and John Lennon
• Accidental Gar  -- parody to the tune of The Long and Winding Road, by Paul McCartney and John Lennon
• My dog ate my lab notebook --  Michael Moore describes the stories contained in his lab notebook after his dog chewed on it.
• My awesome science -- Created for Patrick Goff, Middle School Teacher, summer project on Why My Science is Awesome.

Undergraduate students Hunter Hatcher, left, and Allison Mosley, second from right, help Michael Moore, second from left, and Donald Orth count and identify fish collected from a southwest Virginia stream before safely returning them to the  stream. Photo by Valerie F. Orth.   see press release. 

Rebecca Bourquin, MS student, studies the population genetic differentiation of the Clinch Dace in relation to barriers. 

Chanz Hopkins, field and lab assistant with the Fluvial Fishes Lab, worked on the biological surveys for the Fries Hydroelectric Dam Project in the upper New River, Virginia.  

Chanz Hopkins with a recent darter capture.

New projects for 2017

E.M. Hallerman,  M.H. Schwarz, and D.J. Orth.  Commercial production of selected native freshwater ornamental species.  Award from NIFA, Southern Regional Aquaculture Center.    Project will develop captive production protocols for Rainbow Darter Etheostoma caeruleum and Mountain Redbelly Dace Chrosomus oreas.  Sara Sweeten and Caitlin Carey will lead this effort.

Integrative Science and Solutions for Freshwater Systems: Concept Paper - A plan to build a signature-strength in Freshwater Systems.  Virginia Tech Global Systems Science Destination Area. This is a multi-investigator effort to enhance an interdisciplinary program whereby a holistic perspective of freshwater systems can permeate into VT-shaped students and bridge the gaps among water-relevant biophysical, social sciences, and the arts.

P. Bugas, M. Pinder, V. Kells, D. Wheaton, C. Hilling, and D. Orth. A Field Guide to the Freshwater Fishes of Virginia.  Johns Hopkins University Press.   Field guide will fulfill a longstanding need in nature education. Central and Southern Appalachians are unrivaled in the U.S. for aquatic species diversity, which makes this regional field guide extremely important.  The book will teach the beginner how to identify the families and reliably identify the most common species with field characteristics.

Post-doctoral research associate, Sara Sweeten, displays a Jefferson salamander she raised in captivity. 

In addition to student essays (example),  we frequently post fish-related articles on Chesapeake Catfish, Virginia Tech Ichthyology, and elsewhere.

Catfish Now!

• The importance of taking kids fishing. by Joe Schmitt

Lab challenge: Guess who is older!  the catfish or the boy?

ChesapeakeCatfish.com

• How big can North American Catfish get? by Joseph Schmitt
• Defining an invasive species - not as straightforward as you would think. by Joseph Schmitt

Virginia Tech Ichthyology

• Yellow Perch and European Perch.  Dec 8 
• Trends in Dam Removal: Reversing Irreversible Decisions.  Nov 17
• Can weed relieve stress in fish?  Nov 10
• Social Media is About the Social. Sept 22.
• Hackelbacks and  Old Spade Face. Aug 16. 
• Climate Change and the Fishes. July 13.
• Lessons from Lionfish. June 7.
• Playlist for Fish Nerds. June 6. 
• Bowfishing for “Rough”Fish. June 1.
• Congratulations Graduates! May 19
• A Rare Peek at Clinch Dace Spawning.  April 18.
• Mad About Madtoms  April 12.
• Painful Stings of the Notorious Noturus  April 7.
• Learning Lessons about Lampreys.  April 2.
• Pike Killifish: A Small, Specialized Ambush Piscivore. Feb 9 
• Puzzling Over Large Aggregations of Sharks. Jan 31. 
• Shades of Gray Snapper. Jan 26.
• Sea Lamprey and Unexpected Costs of Shipping. Jan 20. 

Cheers to 2018!  If interested,  join Virginia Tech Ichthyology on Facebook and follow Fluvial Fishes Lab on Twitter @donaldorth

I don't always think it was a good year.  But 2017 was awesome. Cheers to the new year.

Yellow perch and European perch

In Wisconsin and other Midwestern states, a fish fry means a perch fry. There is no tastier pan fish. Throughout its range, the perch is a popular sport fish, put up a good fight, and are good to eat.  Friday night still means time for a fish fry. Fridays were a day of abstinence from meat and fish were not meat simply because they were cold blooded.  The Irish, Polish, and German immigrants settled in the Midwestern USA and knew how to fry large quantities of fish.  

Friday fish fry.   Photo by Loco Leprechaun.

After a serving of fried perch, one has to wonder “Why eat anything else?”  The perch of the Midwestern fish fry are Yellow Perch Perca flavescens Mitchill, 1814.  Students and anglers alike appreciate the Yellow Perch because it is so easy to catch and easy to identify.  Yellow Perch are yellow with 5-7 dark vertical bands that fade gradually near the belly.  The two dorsal fines are separate.  The large spiny dorsal fin has 13- 15 spines and a soft second dorsal fin has 12 to 15 years plus 1 or 2 spines.  There are spines on the opercula tip and the caudal fin is forked.  Yellow Perch have a rough texture from ctenoid scales.  Yellow Perch remain active all winter long and provide year-round angling opportunities.  And the biology of the Yellow Perch has been well studied in numerous systems.  Yellow Perch can dominate many small lakes and thereby compete with other fishes for food.  In these cases, they typically outcompete salmonid species.  Yes, other fish may not like the Yellow Perch as much as we do. 
 

Yellow perch illustration by Val Kells. © Johns Hopkins University Press

 But the Yellow Perch are not the only perch -- there are three species of perch in the genus Perca.   The European Perch (Perca fluviatilis Linnaeus, 1758) are identical to Yellow Perch.   European Perch are distributed across most of northern Europe, eastern Russia, the British Isles and as far south as the Caspian Sea.  The national fish of Finland is the European perch. They do reach larger sizes, with jumbo perch often exceeding three pounds in weight. In January 2010 a perch with a weight of 3.75 kg (8 lb 4 oz) was caught in the River Meuse, Netherlands. 

European Perch Perca fluviatilis   Photo by G. Schmida Source

Therefore, any curious thoughtful student must ask, “how did these two similar perches come to exist?”  The process is called speciation.  Speciation is a lineage-splitting event that produces two or more species.  The event can be any event that separates subgroups such that the populations diverge due to different selective pressures and experiences different random events.  Many generations of such natural selection and restricted gene flow give rise to two unique species.   In the case of the speciation in the perches, geographic isolation due to the separation of the continents was the obvious cause. 

Many glacial advances and retreats have occured over the last 2.5 million years.  This map shows one time period of the extent of glaciation during the Pleistocene.

                                                                                              

The species may still have the ability to cross breed, which raises the question as to whether to to are distinct species or subspecies.   I like to think of them as incipient species.   Time is needed for reproductive isolating mechanisms to develop.  Speciation requires that the two incipient species be unable to produce viable offspring together or that they avoid mating with members of the other group.

Distribution of Yellow Perch in North America.   Source: roughfish.com

When we examine the broad geographic range of the Yellow Perch, the student of Ichthyology will wonder just how similar Yellow Perch are over this distribution.  The patterns of genetic diversity are related to connectivity, dispersal, and distribution   There are northern postglacial, southern glacial refugia and coastal populations that have limited opportunities for connectivity and dispersal, each of which have diverged genetically  and are more distantly related though distinct from the European Perch (Sepulveda-Villet and Stepien 2012).  Patterns do not always conform to the isolation-by-distance hypothesis.  Even within single bodies of water homing behavior and spawning group fidelity may result in fine-scale genetic differentiation. In Europe, the southern refugia diverged from the founder populations.

Continential configurations and connections during the mid-Cretaceous (88 MYPB, Carney and Dick 2000).

Divergence between the two species began when the continents separated.  During the Cretaceous, North America was divided by a large inland sea.  North America remained connected to Europe through Greenland and the Faroe Island in the east, and to Siberia in the west. Europe and North America began to separate during the Eocene (53-57 MYBP). While we cannot be sure where the ancestral percid fish originated,  Carney and Dick (2000) hypothesized that Perca originated as early as the Oligocene (30MYBP) when North America and Europe were still connected across the North Atlantic.  Earliest Perca fossils in western Europe were found in deposits dated to 26 MYBP.       Speciation was via the vacariant event of separation of North America and Eurasia due to opening of the Atlantic Ocean.   Millions of years have led to the present day species and the Friday fish fries made possible by the Yellow Perch. 

  

References

Brown, T.G., Runciman, B., Bradford, M.J., and Pollard, S. 2009. A biological synopsis of yellow perch (Perca flavescens). Can. Manuscr. Rep. Fish. Aquat. Sci. 2883: v + 28 p.

Carney, J.P., and T.A. Dick. 2000. The historical ecology of yellow perch (Perca flavescens [Mitchell]) and their parasites.   Journal of Biogeography 27:1337-1347.  http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1046/j.1365-2699.2000.00511.x/abstract

Fisch-Hitparade (in German). 2010.  http://www.fisch-hitparade.de/fischhitparade/fang_anzeigen.php?fid=9854  Retrieved 30 November  2017.

NesbØ, C.L., T. Fossheim, L.A. VØllestad, and K.S. Jakobsen.   1999.  Genetic divergence and phylogeographic relationships among European perch (Perca fluviatilis) populations reflectglacial refugia and postglacial colonization.  Molecular Ecology  8:1387-1404.

Sepulveda-Villet, O., A.M. Ford, J.D. Williams, and C.A. Stepien. 2009. Population genetic diversity and phylogeographic divergence patterns of the Yellow Perch (Perca flavescens).  Journal of Great Lakes Research 35:107-119.

Sepulveda-Villet, O., and C.A. Stepien. 2012. Waterscape genetics of the yellow perch (Perca flavescens): patterns across large connected ecosystems and isolated relict populations.   Molecular Ecology 21:5795-5826.