There is limited information available regarding aquatic wildlife in Frene Creek, Missouri. Searches at the Missouri Department of Conservation, online sources and scholarly sources have failed to return any results.

Frene Creek, Missouri is a third order stream in the Ozarks region of central Missouri and confluences the Missouri River at Hermann, Missouri. According to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, it is a continuously flowing riparian corridor with a substrate consisting of silt, cobble, bedrock, sands and gravel (US Army Corps of Engineers, 2009). Water clarity is usually clear above the backflow of Missouri River waters. The watershed is 2550 hectare with 2025 hectare drainage. Average rainfall is 28 inches and snowfall 12 inches (US Army Corps of Engineers, 2009). No prior surveys or studies of aquatic wildlife are available or known to me through scientific publications, on line, or through the Missouri Department of Conservation. It is assumed that in the lower portions near the Missouri River confluence, species from the Missouri River will exist.

Two sites within the city limits of Hermann, Missouri were sampled using hook and line, a four foot by eight foot one-forth inch bar measure seine net, and a dip net having a three-fifths inch bar measure netting. It was desired to sample one additional site upstream from Hermann. However, on arrival, it was observed that there had been recent gravel mining at this location, thus was not sampled. I was the only person sampling on this date.

Sampling date: 04 November 2011, 1300 hours to sunset.

Surface water temperature was measured at both locations. Temperatures were 12 degrees C at one location and 13 degrees C at the other location.

The following species were caught and identified.

• Large Mouth Bass (Micropterus salmoides)
• Bluegill Sunfish (Lepomis macrochirus)
• Green Sunfish (Lepomis cyanellus)
• Longear Sunfish (Lepomis megalotis)
• Central Stoneroller (Campostoma anomalum)
• Bleeding Shiner (Luxilus zonatus)
• Bluntnose Minnow (Pimephales notatus)
• Orange Throat Darter (Etheostoma spectabile)
• Spothanded Crayfish (Orconectes punctimanus)
• Western Mosquitofish (Gambusia affinis)

Frene Creek appears to be a clean, productive stream with minimal pollutants. Further testing of these waters will be necessary to determine pollution levels, including pollutants dumped by the Missouri River during flooding. These pollutants, if any, may be vastly different in the flood prone areas versus upstream. The several species, including crayfish, suggest that pollutants are typically not present in lethal amounts.
Further sampling will be necessary in order to determine if additional species of fish or crayfish is present, as well as other aquatic organisms.

Bibliography
US Army Corps of Engineers. (2009). APPROVED JURISDICTIONAL DETERMINATION FORM. US Army Corps of Engineers.

Edit: This survey and sampling was performed under a Missouri Department of Conservation Wildlife Collector's Permit.

Edited by LincolnUMike, 23 November 2011 - 12:32 PM.

I'm confused. Are you citing a particular Approved JD that someone filled out? Who? The form itself is just a form...

I'm confused. Are you citing a particular Approved JD that someone filled out? Who? The form itself is just a form...

Just putting out some data on a trip I took this month. Seems to be little information out there on this sampling site.

Edited by LincolnUMike, 24 November 2011 - 10:31 AM.

any photos?

Unfortunately, many are not good for a couple of reasons, one I am not yet able to afford a good camera, second, it was only me sampling. I hope to be able to clean them up a bit with photoshop, but will have to wait a couple more weeks for this (one more week of classes, then finals). Also, I hope to get a couple of pics from the tank.

Thanks for asking!