Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Units Program: Georgia
Education, Research and Technical Assistance for Managing Our Natural Resources

Georgia Project


Fish community response to commercial operation of the Richard

September 2002 - September 2007


Personnel

Participating Agencies

  • Corps of Engineers

We propose to reinstate the fish community monitoring conducted previously on J. Strom Thurmond and Richard B. Russell by the Georgia Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit. The goals for this 5-year effort are two fold. First, evaluate the effects of commercial pump-back operation of the Russell Project; and second, provide statistically-rigorous, scientifically-sound information on which to base management decisions about the operation of the Russell Project. The proposed study will encompass a variety of hydrological and climatological conditions and several year-classes of blueback herring and threadfin shad. The main tasks and objectives of this study are to: Task One: Evaluate fish community response in J. Strom Thurmond and Richard B. Russell Reservoirs to commercial operation of the Russell Project Objective: Monitor trends in fish populations in the Savannah River Arm of the Reservoir and the lower third of Richard B. Russell Reservoir. Task Two: Evaluate response of pelagic fishes to the installment and operation of a dissolved oxygen diffuser system in J. Strom Thurmond Reservoir. Objective: Determine if pelagic species with high dissolved oxygen requirements use habitat created by the operation of dissolved oxygen diffuser installed in J. Strom Thurmond Reservoir