Water Quality Division

Assessment of Fish

To determine the overall health of a stream, it is important to consider the type and health of fish that live there. Certain fish are more or less tolerant of pollution than other fish. While fish tolerant of pollution are often found in streams with excellent, good, or poor water quality, sensitive fish are intolerant of pollution and cannot thrive in streams with poor water quality. Therefore, sensitive fish are only found in streams with excellent water quality. It is often the absence of sensitive species, or a high ratio of tolerant to sensitive species, that indicates poor water quality. We collect fish from each monitored stream every one to five years by seining and/or electroshocking in a 400 meter reach of the stream. One of every species of fish caught is kept as a sample specimen and all others are counted and released.

Western OK		Northeastern OK		Southeastern OK
Tolerant Fish	Intolerant, Sensitive Fish	Tolerant Fish	Intolerant, Sensitive Fish	Tolerant Fish	Intolerant, Sensitive Fish

Black Crappie	Central Stoneroller	Black Crappie	Banded Darter	Black Crappie	Black Redhorse
Bluegill Sunfish	Freckled Madtom	Bluegill Sunfish	Black Redhorse	Bluegill Sunfish	Carmine Shiner
Channel Catfish	Golden Redhorse	Carp Sucker	Cardinal Shiner	Channel Catfish	Golden Redhorse
Common Carp	Logperch	Channel Catfish	Carmine Shiner	Common Carp	Leopard Darter
Fathead Minnow	Orangethroat Darter	Common Carp	Fantail Darter	Fathead Minnow	Logperch
Freshwater Drum	Speckled Chub	Fathead Minnow	Greenside Darter	Freshwater Drum	Redspot Chub
Gizzard Shad	Spotted Sucker	Freshwater Drum	Northern Studfish	Gizzard Shad	Smallmouth Bass
Green Sunfish	Suckermouth Minnow	Gizzard Shad	Ozark Minnow	Green Sunfish	Striped Shiner
Largemouth Bass		Green Sunfish	Redspot Chub	Largemouth Bass
Longear Sunfish		Largemouth Bass	Shadow Bass	Longear Sunfish
Longnose Gar		Longear Sunfish	Slender Madtom	Longnose Gar
Orangespot Sunfish		Longnose Gar	Smallmouth Bass	Orangespot Sunfish
River Carpsucker		Orangespot Sunfish	Southern Redbelly Dace	River Carpsucker
Smallmouth Buffalo		River Carpsucker	Stippled Darter	Smallmouth Buffalo
Spotted Gar		Smallmouth Buffalo	White Sucker	Spotted Gar
Warmouth Sunfish		Spotted Gar		Warmouth Sunfish
White Crappie		Warmouth Sunfish		White Crappie
Yellow Bullhead Catfish		White Crappie		Yellow Bullhead Catfish
		Yellow Bullhead Catfish

Fish are assessed in conjunction with stream habitat and stream water quality to determine the stream's overall health.

Last Modified on 10/01/2012