Oxbow NWR Final CCP - U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service

Fish
Chapter 3: Refuge and Resource Descriptions
Fish species documented in the main stem of the Nashua River include:
largemouth bass (Micropterus salmonoides), smallmouth bass
(Micropterus dolomieui), brown and yellow bullhead (Ictalurus nebulosus
and Ictalurus natalis), yellow perch (Perca flavescens), chain pickerel
(Esox niger), redfin pickerel (Esox americanus americanus), bluegill
(Lepomis macrochirus), pumpkinseed (Lepomis gibbosus), black crappie
(Pomoxis nigromacultus), white perch (Morone americana), white sucker
(Catostomus commersoni), blacknose dace (Rhinichtys atratulus), spottail
shiner (Notropis hudsonius), golden shiner (Notemigonus crysoleucas),
tesselated darter (Etheostoma olmstedi), fallfish (Semotilus corporalis),
common shiner (Notropis cornutus), slimy sculpin (Cottus cognatus) and
goldfish (Carassius auratus) (MassWildlife 1974 and MADEP 1993).
Native brook trout are found in Walker Brook (Town of Shirley 1996). The
Squannacook River, which flows into the main stem of the Nashua River
just north of the refuge, supports wild brook and brown trout (Salvelinus
fontinalis and Salmo trutta) populations, and also gets stocked with brook,
brown, rainbow (Oncorhynchus mykiss) and tiger trout (Salmo trutta x
salvelinus fontinalis) (MassWildlife 1974). It is likely that some of these
trout find their way into the main stem of the Nashua River. The fish
species found in the Nashua River in its course through the refuge are
listed in Appendix D.
In 1994, a 2.5 mile section of the Nashua River in the Fort Devens area was
surveyed by the Service to check levels of contaminants in fish tissues
(USFWS 1997). PCBs, DDT and mercury were found in fish tissues; as well
as chlordane compounds and dieldrin. Chromium, arsenic, cadmium, lead
and selenium were also detected at elevated levels in fish tissue. This report
recommends separate evaluation of the contaminant concentrations in fish
from the Fort Devens section of the Nashua River by human health risk
assessors. “Based on fish carcass and whole body analytical results,
receptor groups that consume fish organ tissue or use the entire fish in
meals may be at greater risk from some contaminants.”
As part of the large scale plan for fish restoration in the Merrimack River,
the Nashua River Watershed is a current and future release location for
river herring. Anadromous fish restoration is a cooperative effort among
state agencies including the Massachusetts Division of Marine Resources,
MassWildlife, and federal agencies including the Service, National Marine
Fisheries Service and U.S. Forest Service. The Nashua River is considered
a self-sustaining river in that it has existing fish passage facilities at dams
which need to be modified or improved as part of the plan. This watershed
will also be monitored and evaluated to ensure effective and efficient
upstream and downstream passage of fish. Fish that would benefit from
this effort include the river herring (Alosa pseudoharengus), American
shad (Alosa sapidissima) and American eel (Anquilla rostrata).
Comprehensive Conservation Plan
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