I decided to sample today. I was going to try a small stream off route 101, but got distracted. I was in downtown keene doing some shopping and such, and decided to sample the ashuelot their.

Sampling downtown keene has been an idea kicking around my head for a while. It's verya ccessible, it's located in the "gap" in the dwarf wedgemussel population thuse no endangered species to disturb, and given the post on urban darters recently here it gave a possibility of tesselates.

So I went to the Ashuelot off Martel Court in Keene down by the agway. This area was rural enough to not be mocked by people driving by who see things such as fishing (let alone entering the water) in a city as odd and worth insulting. The area also had the elusive mix of a sandy substrate and kickable rocks.

Their were alot of cyprinids their but they did not let me get close enough to net and soon scattered, so I tried kick netting. I got two tesselated darters.

I also seen an odd site of a duckling swimming upstream alone with no mother with itdn't net it (i was hoping to take it to fish and game, i know you shouldn't disturb young deer and rabbits as their mother often abandons them for short periods of time while they forage, but this was a lone ducking traveling in the open, ducklings usually travel with their mothers) i went to tell fish and game about it but no one was in the building.

so I got two tesselated darters in a city. I found it odd how they had more black markings and skinnier bodies than the one i got from new york had.

Sadly my tank was not yet cycled so I had to let them go.

But hey, I am good at FINDING fish at least.

Edited by FirstChAoS, 06 June 2009 - 06:04 PM.

I decided to sample today. I was going to try a small stream off route 101, but got distracted. I was in downtown keene doing some shopping and such, and decided to sample the ashuelot their.

Sampling downtown keene has been an idea kicking around my head for a while. It's verya ccessible, it's located in the "gap" in the dwarf wedgemussel population thuse no endangered species to disturb, and given the post on urban darters recently here it gave a possibility of tesselates.

So I went to the Ashuelot off Martel Court in Keene down by the agway. This area was rural enough to not be mocked by people driving by who see things such as fishing (let alone entering the water) in a city as odd and worth insulting. The area also had the elusive mix of a sandy substrate and kickable rocks.

Their were alot of cyprinids their but they did not let me get close enough to net and soon scattered, so I tried kick netting. I got two tesselated darters.

I also seen an odd site of a duckling swimming upstream alone with no mother with itdn't net it (i was hoping to take it to fish and game, i know you shouldn't disturb young deer and rabbits as their mother often abandons them for short periods of time while they forage, but this was a lone ducking traveling in the open, ducklings usually travel with their mothers) i went to tell fish and game about it but no one was in the building.

so I got two tesselated darters in a city. I found it odd how they had more black markings and skinnier bodies than the one i got from new york had.

Sadly my tank was not yet cycled so I had to let them go.

But hey, I am good at FINDING fish at least.

Sometimes it surprising what you can still find in urban areas. You wouldn't believe the Orangethroat we find in urban Lexington KY.

But hey, I am good at FINDING fish at least.

When I have a few fish die, this is my exact thoughs. I usually have a very diverse tank, and have trouble keeping them sometimes.

A recent research project I worked on compared black darter (Etheostoma duryi) populations from two sites, one in a good condition rural stream and one from downtown Athens, AL (admittedly not a real big city). The Athens population was significantly bigger, with more egg production. We attribute the differences to a richer food web in Athens. So I don't think that an "urban" stream is inherently worse, although I wouldn't extend that to a creek in say, downtown Jersey City...