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An Evaluation Of The Emerald Shiner (Notropis Atherinoides) As A Bioindicator Of Urban Water Pollution In The Upper Niagara River, Rebecca J. Johnson

Great Lakes Center Masters Theses

Using fishes as bioindicator species can be an effective method for detecting poor water quality in aquatic ecosystems. In the Niagara River, the emerald shiner (Notropis atherinoides) is a keystone species that is sensitive to ecosystem degradation and, therefore, fills the bioindicator role. Like other model bioindicators, emerald shiners are abundant and, when exposed to a persistent disturbance, exhibit individual signs of stress before the onset of population decline. This research evaluated the health of emerald shiners captured from the upper Niagara River, which is at times inundated with untreated sewage from combined sewer overflows (CSOs). Water samples …