Carbaryl, Carbofuran, and Methomyl - National Marine Fisheries ...

those fish and invertebrates that leave a burning area or simply spares some fish that were
in a different location at the time of the fire (USFS 2000). Small fires or fires that burn
entirely in upland areas also cause ash to enter rivers and increase smoke in the
atmosphere, contributing to ammonia concentrations in rivers as the smoke adsorbs into
the water (Greswell 1999).
The presence of ash also has indirect effects on aquatic species depending on the amount
of ash entry into the water. All ESA-listed fishes rely on macroinvertebrates as a food
source for at least a portion of their life histories. When small amounts of ash enter the
water, there are usually no noticeable changes to the macroinvertebrate community or the
water quality (Bowman and Minshall 2000). When significant amounts of ash are
deposited into rivers, the macroinvertebrate community density and composition may be
moderately to drastically reduced for a full year with long-term effects lasting 10 years or
more (Buchwalter, Jenkins et al. 2003), (Minshall, Royer et al. 2001; Buchwalter,
Sandahl et al. 2004). Larger fires can also indirectly affect fish by altering water quality.
Ash and smoke contribute to elevated ammonium, nitrate, phosphorous, potassium, and
pH, which can remain elevated for up to four months after forest fires (Buchwalter,
Jenkins et al. 2003).
Many species have evolved in the presence of regular fires and have developed
population-level mechanisms to withstand even the most intense fires (Greswell 1999).
These same species have come to rely on fire’s disturbance to provide habitat
heterogeneity. In the past century, the human population has increased dramatically,
resulting in urban sprawl and the development of formerly remote locations. This
condition has increased the urban/wildland interface. As a result, the threat of fires to
personal property and people has increased, including the demand for protection of their
safety and belongings. We expect listed fish species will be exposed to an increasing
number of fires and fire fighting techniques over time. Currently, federal, state, and local
resource agencies lack long-term monitoring data on the effects of wildland fire on listed
Pacific salmonids and their habitats. Thus, we are unable to quantify the overall effects
of wildland fire on the long-term survival of listed Pacific salmonids at this time.
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