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Carpe diem: Fish species sighted in Mahoning River after century of extirpation
By Sarah Lehr
LOWELLVILLE
Experts say the triumphant tale of one fish species can be attributed, in part, to local de-pollution efforts.
Brian Alsdorf of the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency documented the presence of the bigeye chub, a type of carp, last month in the Mahoning River, downstream from the village of Lowellville.
The freshwater fish had been extirpated from the river for more than a century, according to an update from the Ohio EPA. Extirpation, also known as local extinction, refers to the status of a species that continues to exist in some areas, despite being wiped out from a portion of its former habitat.
The bigeye chub, named for its bulging eyes, fares best in rivers and streams with sandy rather than silty bottoms.
Because the fish is particularly sensitive to murky water, its presence is one barometer for judging water quality.
Officials have attributed the bigeye chub’s re-emergence to efforts to restore the Mahoning River to a free-flowing state.
In particular, the 2013 removal of 12 concrete bridge piers from the Mahoning River near Lowellville by the First Energy Corp. may have tipped the scales, officials say.
“Rivers, by nature, are meant to be free flowing, [without] obstructions such as dams,” Stephanie Dyer of the Eastgate Regional Council of Governments wrote in an email, in which she described how a free-flowing river carries lighter sediments, such as silt or sand, downstream while heavier materials, such as rocks, sink to the bottom.
“This area of the Mahoning River where the Bigeye Chub was found is now free flowing. Therefore, the river is able to flush any fine materials downstream and deposit them naturally along its banks. Any fine materials once held back by the piers and/or log jam has now been wash downstream and redistributed as nature intended,” the email said.
As agencies work to remove additional barriers from the Mahoning River, Dyer said, more native fish species are likely to return.
Lowellville has received a $2.38 million EPA grant to remove a dam from the Mahoning River within the village. Other local governments, such as Struthers, are hoping to eventually receive funding for similar dam-removal projects.
If all goes swimmingly, one result of such projects could be fewer fish out of water.