Penn. DEP to study smallmouth bass habitats in lower Susquehanna River

The decline of smallmouth bass in the lower Susquehanna River has spurred the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection to monitor water quality in the river for the next three years, according to the National Water Quality Monitoring News.

The study was spurred by findings that young smallmouth bass have been declining due to the presence of waterborne pollutants like endocrine disrupters.

Researchers are monitoring dissolved oxygen, salinity, pH, specific conductance and temperature continuously.  They will also analyze water chemistry for the presence of nutrients and endocrine disrupters.

Macroinvertebrates, fish and mollusks will be sampled to get a better understanding of the lower Susquehanna’s biological health.

Several sampling sites will be near U.S. Geological survey stream gauges, maximizing the team’s resources.

Image: Susquehanna River (Credit: Nicholas A. Tonelli, via Flickr)