Ohio NFC Hosts Sampling Event on East Branch of the Chagrin River...
The Ohio chapter of NFC recently hosted a native fish sampling event on the East Branch of the Chagrin River in partnership with the Geauga Park District and the Holden Arboretum. This was the second year that they held the event, and included both morning and afternoon sessions.
The group captured 17 different native species in the including: bluntnose and silverjaw minnow, central stoneroller, western blacknose and longnose dace, creek and river chub, sand and striped shiner, rainbow, Johnny, and fantail darter, stonecat, and white and northern hog sucker. Longnose dace are a Species of Concern.
Also encountered were nonnative steelhead trout, a popular sportfish in Ohio, which were used to discuss the effects introduced species have on ecosystems, including Ohio’s rare native brook trout. The group also captured one naturally occurring hybrid, longnose dace x striped shiner, which is unusual in nature and likely the result of some sort of range change.