Freshwater Sportfish

by: Rachel McGuire

Alabama is known for its freshwater sportfishing scene. Sportfish, otherwise known as game species, are types of fish that are prized by anglers for the sport, and not exclusively for consumption.

Alabama sportfish can be divided into the following major groups: black bass, bream (or sunfish), crappie, temperate bass, pickerel, perch, and trout.

Angling shoals. Photo Credit: Steve Sammons
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Exploring Pathogen Pollution in Our Waters Educator Professional Development Training 

On June 6-7, 2023, a new cohort of educators gathered at the Alabama 4-H Center in Columbiana to complete their certification as 4-H Alabama Water Watch (AWW) Educators who will conduct bacteriological monitoring with their students in the coming school year. This is the second cohort of educators to be part of this NOAA BWET-funded project, which started with the first cohort in 2021. 

Educators wrap up bacteria monitoring on Lay Lake and pose by the Alabama 4-H Center sign. Photo Credit: Mona Dominguez
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AWW at the 2023 National Monitoring Conference

AWW’s Mona and Rachel with their Southeastern counterpart citizen science water quality monitoring programs. Featured left to right, Georgia Adopt-A-Stream (Cecilia Nachtmann), South Carolina Adopt-a-Stream (David Chestnutt), Alabama Water Watch (Rachel McGuire and Mona Dominguez), Kentucky Watershed Watch (Malissa McAlister and Steven Evans), and Mississippi Watershed Stewards (Lexi Firth) at the 2023 National Monitoring Conference. Photo Credit: Rachel McGuire

Citizen science, or community science, is a field that has seen noticeable expansion and growing relevancy in recent years. Water quality monitoring programs are some of the most established citizen science programs in the U.S., and each program is unique in how it is organized, taught, the utility of and the parameters collected, data entry and activation, and more. These programs educate residents and empower them with a language that links land use decisions, climate, water quality, and overall ecosystem health. 

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Aquatic Snakes & Gators

by: Rachel McGuire

Alabama is home to 49 species of snakes, 12 of which are considered aquatic. Snakes are legless, carnivorous reptiles covered in overlapping scales. While most snakes lay eggs, the aquatic snakes of Alabama are viviparous, meaning they give birth to live young. Snakes also shed their outer layer of skin periodically as they grow. Sometimes you can find the snake shed off a trail, near a creek, or simply on the forest floor.

Snakes may instill fear in many people; however, it is important to remember they are important members of our native wildlife community and serve a function to our precious ecosystems. When encountering a wild snake, be sure to give space, respect, and appreciation.

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Freshwater Turtles

The fourth installment of our 12 Months of Aquatic Critters Blog Series is: freshwater turtles! Alabama is home to 31 species of freshwater turtles. That’s more than any other state!

Turtles have roamed the Earth for 220 million years. This diverse, but easily recognizable, group of reptiles has several common traits. All turtle species : 1) have a bony or leathery shell 2) have ribs fused to their shell and specialized neck muscles to ventilate their lungs 3) lack teeth and instead have a bony beak like modern birds and 4) are oviparous (meaning they lay eggs).

In all Alabama turtle species, the females dig a nest cavity with their hind feet. Turtles are long-lived creatures, with many species living 60-80 years or more. Females never lose their fertility, despite their longevity. Sexual dimorphism, or noticeable physical differences between males and females, is present in most turtle species. In fact, it is common for the females to grow larger than the males.

Humans have a long history of using turtles as a food source and, more recently, exploit turtles for the pet trade and hobby collections. Turtles win hearts regularly with their sheepish, yet oftentimes stately appearance. Just look at this face:

A Yellow-bellied Slider. Photo Credit: Alan Cressler

Read on for more facts about some of the turtle species that call Alabama home:

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Aquatic Amphibians

Written by: Rachel McGuire

Our third installment of the 12 Months of Aquatic Critters blog series is Aquatic Amphibians! Amphibians are small vertebrates that need water or a moist environment to survive. This group of critters breathes and absorbs water through thin skin. The vast majority of amphibian larvae are aquatic and undergo metamorphosis (there are several forms!) to become terrestrial, semi-terrestrial, or aquatic adults.

An American bullfrog tadpole. Most amphibian larvae are aquatic. Photo Credit: Alan Cressler
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12 Months of Aquatic Critters Blog Series

Alabama Water Watch will be celebrating native aquatic critters each month throughout the year of 2023! From the vastly underrated freshwater snails to the popular and stately sea turtles, we will take you on a journey through the various aquatic amphibians, fishes, insects, mammals, mollusks, and reptiles, that call Alabama home.

HERE’S THE SCHEDULE:

January – Caddisflies and EPT Friends

February – Darters

March – Aquatic Amphibians

April – Freshwater Turtles

May – Snakes & Gators

June – Freshwater Sportfish

July – Marine Sportfish

August – Freshwater Mussels

September – Saltwater Turtles

October – Freshwater Snails

November – Crayfish

December – Aquatic Mammals

Do you have photos or videos of darters of aquatic wildlife in Alabama? If so, share them with us using the AWW Photo/Video Submission form.

Darters

Our second installation of the 12 Months of Aquatic Critters blog series features the diverse group of freshwater fishes known as darters!

Darters are a group of small, slender freshwater fish in the family Percidae (Perch family) that are native to eastern North America. Most live near the bottom of clear streams and “dart” quickly when disturbed or when feeding. Darters eat small aquatic insects (i.e. the critters highlighted in Caddisflies and EPT Friends), worms, and small crustaceans. Some darters are exceptionally showy with bright colors and patterns that rival most tropical fish available at your local pet shop! During the breeding season, male colors become even brighter, sometimes, even expanding to additional parts of the body. For most darters in Alabama, spawning season occurs from early spring to early summer.

There are a total of 80 species of Darters found in Alabama. Of those, several species are federally endangered (Boulder Darter, Rush Darter, Vermillion Darter, and Watercress Darter) or federally threatened (Goldline Darter, Slackwater Darter, and Trispot Darter) under the Endangered Species Act. Furthermore, there are 27 darters on the 2015 Alabama State Wildlife Action Plan‘s Species of Greatest Conservation Need (SGCN) List and one species, the Lipstick Darter, is on the Watch List for the SGCN.

We’ll introduce you to some of the rarer species below.

A Watercress Darter | Photo Credit: Jeffrey Drummond
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