Meet the Managers: Fisheries Management
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Issue 4 > Meet the Managers There are seven main programs in Resource Management and Science: (1) Air Quality, (2) Cultural Resources, (3) Fire, (4) Fisheries, (5) Inventory and Monitoring, (6) Vegetation, and (7) Wildlife. This month, meet the people and projects in Fisheries Management and Science. 
NPS photo. One of many streams in the Smokies that is home to native fish, insects, and other animals. Over 2,100 miles of streams thread their way through the Great Smoky Mountains. In each mile lives a diverse community of native fish, amphibians, insects, and larvae, some of which are found only in the Southern Appalachians. Besides things we hope to find in our water, however, there are also many things that threaten Smokies’ streams: chemical contaminants, metals leached from rocks and soil, diseases, and non-native plants and animals. To tackle these issues, Park fisheries managers and university researchers monitor water quality, fish populations, and watersheds to better understand the dynamics of water running through diverse ecosystems. The Park uses this science information to make rules about fishing, restore populations of native and endangered fish, and even influence national pollution laws. The Park also uses this information to educate the public and visitors about how they can help keep Smokies streams healthy. Read about fisheries and water quality issues: Return to Dispatches from the Field: Issue 4 main page. |
Did You Know?
More than 240 species of birds have been found in the park. Sixty species are year-round residents. Nearly 120 species breed in the park, including 52 species from the neo-tropics. Many other species use the park as an important stopover and foraging area during their semiannual migration.