Growing up in North Georgia, the river systems have always been a huge part of my life. So, when I joined the SCALE lab, I knew I wanted to work on a project that kept me close to the water in some way or another. After many discussions in lab meetings and a bunch of scheduling, the SCALE lab team and I were presented with an opportunity to get out on the water and get the ball rolling. The University of North Georgia owns some land in Lumpkin County that Hurricane Creek runs through. UNG has plans to eventually remove some of the pine trees from a portion of land near the creek. So, to determine if there is any effect on the water quality from the logging operation, we wanted to perform an assessment of stream health pre- and post-tree removal. Our plan was to survey the fish population using nets and backpack electrofishers given that understanding the types of fish in the stream is an effective way to assess the water quality and overall stream health. This was my chance to get my feet wet!

It was cool out on the Sunday morning when we met at the creek to do our assessment. I could hear the water moving on the other side of some trees as we waited for Dr. Chris Skelton to arrive. Dr. Skelton, an expert in stream ecology and all things fish, was coming up to teach everyone about the equipment we would be using and was going to work our first data collection with us. I was nervous as he went through the ins and outs of the backpack electrofisher with me. I had never used one before and I really didn’t want to unintentionally shock anyone around me or myself, but was excited to learn and get started. The handheld portion of the electrofisher really resembles a metal detector. It is long and light with the current activated by pressing a lever forward on the handle. The backpack it is connected to is quite heavy as it contains the battery and the controls to adjust voltage output. Every time the electrofisher is activated, it makes a very distinct, high-pitched tone. I was so excited to use it that I was dancing in my waders.

Equipped with multiple dip nets, a seine net, buckets, and the two backpack shockers, we were ready to hit the creek. The moment I pressed the lever and heard the tone the first time, the nervousness was gone and I was hooked. We moved slowly upstream, electrofishers leading and netters just behind ready to collect any fish stunned by the electric current. It was more difficult than I expected to actually get the fish in the nets, even after they had been stunned. One person trying to get a fish quickly turned into multiple as we attempted to collect as many as possible. At some points, depending on the anatomy of the creek, we stopped and utilized the seine net instead of our dip nets. It was more effective in spots where we couldn’t see the fish and the current was strong enough to pull them in for us.

After a few hours of alternating these techniques, we reached the limit of our advance on Hurricane Creek and were ready to make our way back to look at everything we collected. All together, we netted well over 200 fish of various sizes that day and with the help of Dr. Skelton were able to distinguish them into 19 species. I had no idea that there were that many species in any stream around here. It was a beautiful sight that has given me an even greater appreciation for our river systems.

All things considered, it was a great day on the water for me and everyone in the SCALE lab. I didn’t shock anyone, we got some good data, Dr. Patterson got to hold a raccoon skull, and only one person fell in!

In the meantime, while we wait on the school to implement their plans for the land, we are planning to assess the effects of other factors that could possibly impact stream health and the fish populations of North Georgia. For Hurricane Creek specifically, we are interested in how a culvert could be impacting fish populations.

As we continue our work on Hurricane Creek and begin other projects, I will keep this blog going to keep everyone updated.

Another Thank You to Dr. Skelton for showing us how to perform a stream assessment and teaching me how to run the electrofisher. It will be very beneficial in the projects to come.