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Changing Fish Assemblages and Aquatic Habitat Changing Fish Assemblages and Aquatic Habitat GiacominiGiacomini Wetland Restoration AreaWetland Restoration Area
National Park ServicePoint Reyes National Seashore
Brannon Ketcham, Hydrologist
Point Reyes National Seashore
Michael Reichmuth, Fisheries BiologistSan Francisco Area Network
December 2008Robert Campbell/Chamois Moon
National Park ServicePoint Reyes National Seashore
Lagunitas Creek Estuary
Dynamic Estuarine Transition Zone
Area has undergone dramatic shifts in habitat in the last 150 years.
Pre-Restoration Condition– Drainage ditches and abandoned slough
•Primarily stickleback and mosquitofish•Low species diversity•Drainage ditches did support tidewater goby
–Flooding constrained to major events
•Levees prevented overbank flow•Only major events overtopped or breached levees•Ponding condition, no lasting habitat effects.
October 29, 2008Robert Campbell/Chamois Moon
National Park ServicePoint Reyes National Seashore
GiacominiGiacomini Restoration AreaRestoration Area
Giacomini Project a connected freshwater tidal complex at the head of Tomales Bay thereby expanding estuarine transition zone
– Tidal Restoration•Daily tidal regime restored to nearly half of restoration area•Extreme tide events cover more than 67% of the restoration area•Subtidal and tidally ponded areas represent ~20% of project area
– Floodplain Restoration•Active area flooded at ~1.5 to 2-year event•Inundation depth and duration varies based on tidal elevation at time of event
– Seasonal Hydrologic Regime•Primarily freshwater in winter
–December – May•Saline to hypersaline in summer
–June – November
October 29, 2008Robert Campbell/Chamois Moon
National Park ServicePoint Reyes National Seashore
GiacominiGiacomini Restoration AreaRestoration Area
With only one full post-restoration monitoring event complete, preliminary results indicate:
– Shift in species within Restoration Area•Reduction in mosquitofish, increase in other marine influenced species
– Increase in species diversity
– Fall 2009 observations•Continued increase in diversity•Tidewater goby documented at multiple sites in newly restored habitat•Increase in marine derived species•Decrease in non-native mosquitofish (less freshwater habitat)
1914
National Park ServicePoint Reyes National Seashore
Figure 2 Average number of fish per station, June 2009.
0
10
20
30
40
50
Native
Gob
ySalm
onids
Sculpi
nStic
kleba
ckTop
smelt
Starry
Flound
erYell
owfin
Gob
yBay
Pipe
fish
Mosqu
itofis
hCali
fornia
Roa
ch
Sacram
ento
Sucke
r
Long
jaw M
udsu
cker
Other
Ave
rage
Num
ber o
f Fis
h pe
r Sam
ple
Loca
tion
Restoration AreaUndiked MarshLagunitas CreekTomasini
130 7554
0
10
20
30
40
50
Native
Gob
ySalm
onids
Sculpi
nStic
kleba
ckTop
smelt
Starry
Flound
erYell
owfin
Gob
yBay
Pipefis
hMos
quito
fish
Califor
nia R
oach
Sacram
ento
Succe
r
Long
jaw M
udsu
cker
Other
Ave
rage
Num
ber o
f Fis
h pe
r Sam
ple
Loca
tion
Restoration AreaUndiked MarshLagunitas CreekTomasini
126
Figure 1 Average number of fish per station, 2005- 2008.
1914
National Park ServicePoint Reyes National Seashore
0
10
20
30
40
Native
Gob
y
Sculp
in
Stick
lebac
k
Top S
melt
Yello
wfin G
oby
Mos
quito
fish
Bay P
ipefis
h
Other
Ave
rage
Num
ber o
f Fis
h pe
r Sam
ple
Loca
tion
Pre Restoration
Post Restoration
126 133
Figure 3 Average fish per station within Restoration Area. Pre- restoration results include 2005-2008, Post-restoration includes June 2009 only.
October 29, 2008Robert Campbell/Chamois Moon
National Park ServicePoint Reyes National Seashore
GiacominiGiacomini Restoration AreaRestoration Area
Factors influencing ongoing aquatic habitat changes
– Activation of the floodplain habitat on southern edge of project area•Differential scour and deposition on floodplain and marshplain areas•Recruitment of woody debris and riparian vegetation
– Continued evolution of tidal channel•Expansion of existing channels and development of new channels
October 29, 2008Robert Campbell/Chamois Moon
National Park ServicePoint Reyes National Seashore
Daily Tidal Inundation
1.5 to 2 year floodplain
National Park ServicePoint Reyes National Seashore
September 2009Robert Campbell/Chamois Moon
National Park ServicePoint Reyes National Seashore
August 5, 2008Robert Campbell/Chamois Moon
National Park ServicePoint Reyes National Seashore
…… and what about the and what about the cohocoho salmon salmon
October 29, 2008Robert Campbell/Chamois Moon
National Park ServicePoint Reyes National Seashore
GiacominiGiacomini Restoration AreaRestoration Area
Potential expanded overwinter habitat for coho salmon
– Project area primarily fresh water for winter and spring months•Monitoring has documented salmonids in the mainstem of Lagunitas•Tidal channels and marshplain could support overwintering fry and smolts until outmigration. •Expanded monitoring efforts include PIT tagging to document individuals
