(4.6) HISTORY - 1994 Environmental Studies Concerning Four Alternatives for Rodman Reservoir and the Lower Ocklawaha River

From the

Ocklawahaman Paul Nosca

Information-Source-Document Archives

"Ocklawaha River Migratory Fish Assessment"

Selected Excerpted Pages From:

1994

Environmental Studies

Concerning Four Alternatives for

Rodman Reservoir and the Lower Ocklawaha River

Prepared for the Florida Department of Environmental Protection

By the St. Johns River Water Management District

15 December 1994

An Information, Opinion, Photos, & Sources Report

Compiled by Ocklawahaman Paul Nosca

With the assistance of Captain Erika Ritter

Created: 18 February 2015

Last Revised: 29 May 2015

NOTE: Click-on individual photos / pages to enlarge them!

Jordan, F. 1994. Ocklawaha River migratory fish assessment. Environmental studies concerning four alternatives for Rodman Reservoir and the lower Ocklawaha River, Volume 14 (and also mentioned in the Executive summary, Volume 1). Prepared for the Florida Department of Environmental Protection, Tallahassee, FL by the St. Johns River Water Management District, Palatka, FL. Available as a hardcopy.

"Discussions with veteran commercial fishermen revealed that striped bass were common to abundant in the Ocklawaha River up to Moss Bluff Dam, while anadromous shad were common but did not spawn in the river. Adult American eel were probably more abundant historically, but have undergone a decline in the Ocklawaha River and throughout the St. Johns River. These observations support the limited historical information on migratory fish usage of the Ocklawaha River. Therefore, it appears that Rodman Dam poses a barrier to the spread of a variety of migratory fishes that historically used the river system."

"It is currently speculated that the population endemic to the St. Johns River is no longer contributing to the standing stock of striped bass and its hybrids (i.e., native population extirpated and replaced by hatchery stocks; unpublished data, FGFWFC). Dams have contributed significantly to the demise of striped bass throughout its historic range (Rulifson et al. 1982). Furthermore, it has been suspected that the collapse of the St. Johns River population may be related to the construction of Rodman Dam, because the Ocklawaha River was probably a major spawning ground (McLane 1955)."

REFERENCE AS: Nosca, P. 2015. "Selected excerpted pages from: 1994 Environmental studies concerning four alternatives for Rodman Reservoir and the lower Ocklawaha River" webpage report. "Ocklawahaman Paul Nosca reports" website. Paul Nosca, Eureka, FL. https://sites.google.com/site/ocklawahamanpaulnoscareports/1994-environmental-studies-concerning-four-alternatives-for-rodman-reservoir-and-the-lower-ocklawaha-river

Email: ocklawahaman1@gmail.com

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