Rock Snot Discovered in the Yough

[pwk5017]

Well, this pretty much ruined my day. For those of us(me) who are ignorant of the entire scope of destruction, how devastating is this? Does it severely reduce fish population etc. or does it just turn streams into gross snotty messes, but doesnt seriously affect fish populations?

 

[pcray1231]

I think the extent of destruction is still an open question, and likely to vary from place to place.

Once infected, the stream pretty much always has it, but might not always show symptoms. Then, when and where conditions are right, you get a "bloom". These blooms are going to vary by stream and even location within a stream, it might be minor in some places, and a continuous mat in others. Even after the bloom ends, the stuff sticks around a few months as it breaks down.

Here's a pic often shown. New Zealand, I think. This would be like the worst bloom ever. I don't think we've really seen this level of devastation locally, yet anyway. In fact, the local places that have it have thus far had very little measurable impact, just a nuisance. But serious outbreaks like this are possible.

 

[pwk5017]

Sweet Jesus! That certainly is a worst case scenario--it looks like a nuclear holocaust.

Pcray, indulge me if you dont mind because wikipedia didnt offer much information on the subject. Why is this algae more prevalent in coldwater streams? I have always known algae to thrive in the warmest water possible. If water temps play a large role in the survival of this species, will we see its presence less and less as we travel downstream on the yough(water temps rising)? Finally, what causes those massive blooms, and has anything like that ever happened in the delaware?

 

[ryguyfi]

pcray1231 wrote:
There is no solution beyond somehow poisoning it (which would likely poison everything else too).

Likewise, a felt ban will almost certainly not stop the spread. It may slow the spread, which would be looked at as a victory. But since it's not only felts that spread it, but also natural forces like birds, it is almost certain that virtually every waterway will be exposed to it eventually.

How soon, and how much impact will it have are open questions.

I've been curious lately as to which waterway they'll try a poisoning/treatment in first. It's only a matter of time before they test out some theories on how to get rid of this stuff.

I bought my first pair of rubber soled boots last month. Felt very comfortable compared to felts.


I've fished like 5 times total this year, so it sucks less for me than those who are avid Youghers. I was planning on getting to know that stream a bit more here in the near future.

 

[Stevie-B]

The last that I heard, it likes cold water with low phosphorus content. Didymo has a way of concentrating the phos so it can grow easier and out compete the "native" species. It is sort of like it makes it's own fertilizer.

 

[tennjed]

Take a look at this video shot by a guide on the Gunpowder River. It really puts it into perspective.

http://vimeo.com/39075187

 

[mcneishm]

pcray - I saw it nearly as bad as your picture in the South Branch of the Holston. That was several years ago before I was even aware what the stuff was.

 

[pcray1231]

Why is this algae more prevalent in coldwater streams?

Well, first, I don't think it's true that normal algae likes warmer water. The limestoners are rich with algae and tend to be cooler than non limestoners. That's why you always have that milky color, or at least green, rarely are they gin clear very far from their source. In the ocean, algae blooms often occur in polar regions.

What it likes are excess nutrients. Phosphorus, in particular. Combine that with sunlight and you have conditions ripe for normal algae.

Like all organisms, different types of algae compete against each other, and hold each others populations in check. Didymo has evolved to escape this competition by thriving in nutrient poor waters and being able to survive periods long without much sunlight. It also is very hardy and can tolerate heavy current.

What conditions favor it? I'd assume low water, lots of sunlight would stimulate growth. And the streams where it'll be worst are nutrient poor, fast streams, where other algae doesn't do so well.

 

[Mike]

The milky green color in limestoners is most likely caused by suspended clay particles directly or caused indirectly by their refraction of certain light waves. You'll note that there seems to be a lot of clay associated with limestone streams and in limestone caverns. It takes a lot of energy to get clay particles into suspension via erosive forces, but very little energy to keep it suspended (less than silt, sand, etc).

 

[Mike]

Didymo has already caused problems for Pa anglers. It was apparently Didymo that was a problem for shad anglers using downriggers well downsream in the Delaware system (Lehigh Valley area) this spring as lines were being fouled by what was thought to be loose strands of Didymo in the water column. This problem had never occurred in any previous year. Accumulated strands eventually would clog rod eyelets while anglers were reeling in their lines to the extend that the lines would not pass through the guides until the material was removed.

As for other experiences, I am now aware of a biologist who will not return any longer to her home state to fish for trout because of the problem that Didymo causes for her angling.

 

[timmyt]

"There is no solution beyond somehow poisoning it (which would likely poison everything else too). "

What would the consequences be of putting something in the water to rob it of phosphorus? Since it seems that didymO thrives in phosphorus rich waters?

 

[pwk5017]

Actually, I seem to have gathered its the opposite, didymo thrive in waters LOW in P. It seems to have a competitive edge over other species in this environment. Who knows, the solution may be to introduce an excess of nutrients into the system to boost other algae species. This could easily backfire and turn into the largest man made algae bloom in history...

 

[hendeylathe]

O.K. If it's in the Yough now, what do we do. I've been cleaning my gear for years now. I hope that anglers that do travel to other watersheds are mindful of their gear also. The angling community I hope will do our part. As for kayaks, rafts and yes, driftboats, I hope they are aware of the situation. I'd hope the rafting industry in Ohiopyle has a plan. The river is "tuned" by the USACE for the rafting industries purposes more so than the anglers purposes. They've got a dog in this hunt too.

 

[YoughRiverGuide]

hendeylathe wrote:
I'd hope the rafting industry in Ohiopyle has a plan.

:lol: Too funny. Rafting industry and plan do not fit in the same grammatical construct.

What to do? It seems like this stuff varies in intensity depending upon the watershed, and time will tell how well it does on the Yough. The bright side, if there be one, is that the blooms occur during a time when very few people fish the river, and the predictably high water in the spring will help to dislodge those blooms by the time people are actually able to get on the river. Of course that is best case. So what to do is continue to fish, and try not to spread the stuff around.

 

[attackone]

i suggest that we get with r local tu chapter and try to put signs up on every popular pull off of what the stuff is...wva and md have a good many signs out...i was at the cranberry river in wva in may and they had signs up about it and it isnt even in the river...it will educate people that dont know anything about it

 

[barbless]

From watching that documentary on the Gunpowder, which noted that high flows and fast currents can blast enough didymo loose to ameliorate the problem, I wonder if a carefully applied suction dredge- perhaps underpowered a bit- might help control didymo blooms in some smaller rivers and streams, as long as it's used carefully in a limited application with the right timing, at the beginning of the bloom period.

Suction dredges can cause habitat problems of their own, of course. This is really a suggestion to be evaluated by someone with the expertise.

 

[CLSports]

Someone may have mentioned this, but I have not read through all posts, I heard from a friend who said he heard that it is in the Lehigh River now as well. Any confirmation on this heresay?

 

[timmyt]

Well the lehigh drains into the delaware, so if it isnt yet, its only a matter of time

 

[BeastBrown]

I thought I saw someone post pictures of frack water withdrawals on the Youg. So, if there are multiple water removal sites, at different points in the river, I'd imagine they'd be spreading it all around. Unlesss............they care about the environment. A Tu in the area might wanna get on that.

 

[salmonoid]

pwk5017 wrote:
Actually, I seem to have gathered its the opposite, didymo thrive in waters LOW in P. It seems to have a competitive edge over other species in this environment. Who knows, the solution may be to introduce an excess of nutrients into the system to boost other algae species. This could easily backfire and turn into the largest man made algae bloom in history...

I don't think we humans have a really good track record with removing invasive species... We introduce them in the first place; inadvertently, intentionally, ignorantly. Then, we come up with some half-****ed and half-baked ideas on how to eradicate them (by importing their natural enemies, for instance, which are, in and of themselves a NEW invasive species). I'm not saying that the human spirit won't prevail on this one at some point, but its a tough cell to eradicate, and we will probably have multiple missteps along the way. Globalization sure has messed with ecosystems...