Fish communities in Delmarva Peninsula streams, 2022

From 31 May to 29 June, 2022, a Virginia Tech team of 4-5 sampled the fish community in 30 Delmarva Peninsula streams (Maryland and Delaware, USA) as part of a larger stream-health study including other teams who surveyed geomorphology, water quality, flow, temperature, macroinvertebrates, and fish health at the same 30 streams. These 30 Chesapeake Bay Watershed tributaries had upstream drainage areas of 9 to 54 sq. km. At each stream, we sampled fish from two reaches using two-pass backpack electrofishing and seining. Reach A was the main reach surveyed by all the interdisciplinary teams; Reach B was surveyed for fish communities only. Reach length was 20 wetted channel widths, capped at 150 meters. Fish were identified to species, assigned to a length class, inspected for anomalies, and released. Other measurements included water temperature, electrical conductivity, and clarity, and streambed area comprising pool, riffle, and run habitats.