Carterville FRO completed pre-project monitoring of the fish community during the 2007 rearing season in the Herculaneum reach of the Middle Mississippi River (MMR) for the Stone Dike Alterations Project. 

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) St. Louis District is planning a project that will alter the configuration of dike fields in this reach to restore some habitat diversity in the river. 

Notching of wing dikes and constructing chevron dikes will create island and side channel habitat that this particular reach is lacking.  During July and August of 2007 the Carterville FRO conducted surveys of the fish community in this reach to obtain baseline data for evaluating potential benefits of restoration for the fish community. 

A suite of fishery gears (electrofishing, mini-fyke nets, hoop nets, gill nets, and trawling) was used to capture a wide range of species.  Surveys were also conducted at a similar “control” reach located near Trail of Tears State Park in Missouri.  This will help to determine if any changes in the fish community at Herculaneum are systemic or the result of restoration activities. 

Matt Mangan