AUTHORS: Zane McAdams, U.S. Geological Survey; Dustin Broaddus, U.S. Geological Survey; Ryan Trimbath, U.S. National Parks Service; Eric Waits, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency; Marc Mills, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency; Alexander V. Catalano, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers; Matthew R. Acre, U.S. Geological Survey
ABSTRACT: The Cuyahoga River watershed was designated as an Area of Concern by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency in 1987. Of the original nine Beneficial Use Impairments (BUIs), five remain, three of which address water quality, fish population status, and habitat availability. The American Brook Lamprey (Lethenteron appendix; ABL), is a non-parasitic, cold-water species sensitive to habitat degradation and considered an indicator species– presence reflects good habitat quality while absence suggests poor habitat quality. Though widely distributed, population status assessed at the HUC-8 watershed scale are highly variable depending on local conditions. Since 1984, the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency (OEPA) has consistently monitored the Cuyahoga River as part of their standardized sampling to document all fish biodiversity in the river. The first ABL occurrence in the watershed was recorded in 2000 in Salt Run, a cold-water tributary located at river kilometer (rkm) 49 within Cuyahoga Valley National Park. Since then, sporadic occurrences have been documented in Salt Run and Dickerson Run, both cold-water tributaries. In 2023, we recorded the first ABL ammocoete, confirmed through genetic analysis, in the mainstem Cuyahoga River near the confluence with a cold-water tributary at rkm 43. We developed a standardized backpack electrofishing sampling protocol in 2024 to explore potential habitat in the mainstem that may be suitable for the species near cold-water tributaries, including the two known ABL tributaries. We discovered the species at one new location, Columbia Run (rkm 41.2), not represented in historical samples. Two specimens were collected at various metamorphic stages suggesting that recruitment has been occurring near Columbia Run. These findings suggest expansive restoration efforts such as, but not limited to, dam removals appear to be resulting in range expansion of ABL, including into the mainstem of the Cuyahoga River.
