SCDNR fisheries biologists conduct research on the SC7 Expedition trail
S.C. Department of Natural Resources (SCDNR) fisheries biologists conducted an electrofishing demonstration on the Middle Saluda River at Jones Gap State Park as part of the sixth-annual South Carolina 7 (SC7) Expedition, earlier this month: The demonstration highlighted the role of fisheries monitoring in assessing the health of mountain streams.
Using backpack electrofishing equipment, SCDNR staff temporarily and harmlessly stunned fish with a controlled electrical current, allowing biologists to safely collect, identify, measure and document native species before returning them unharmed to the stream. The survey revealed a variety of native mountain stream species, including minnows, sculpins and other fish adapted to the cold, oxygen-rich waters of the Blue Ridge region…