INHF Fall 2009 magazine: Partners protect endangered Topeka shiner

This article first appeared in INHF's Fall 2009 magazine.

by Kraig McPeek

In the past 200 years, Iowans have dramatically changed our state’s hydrology by altering stream channels and draining or creating wetlands. While all these changes are justifiable from one perspective or another, some came at the expense of Iowa’s native fish populations.

As a fish enthusiast, I’ve always been fascinated by the dynamic ecological relationships between small stream fish and game fish. Ecosystems are much like a giant chain – and only as strong as the weakest link. To have naturally reproducing and healthy populations of game fish, we must have healthy populations of small stream fishes like the Topeka shiner (Notropis topeka).

Kraig McPeek, USFWS

In this May 2009 photo, IN HF staff and interns help the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service measure aquatic populations in restored oxbows. Before the restoration, these oxbows supported no aquatic life. Hoping to re-establish the federally endangered Topeka shiner (and the health of the larger ecosystem), the USF WS partnered with private landowners and groups like IN HF to excavate and restore 20 “dead” oxbows along select Iowa streams. Of the 10 restored oxbows they studied, researchers found aquatic life in all oxbows and an astounding 354 Topeka shiners in one oxbow alone.

Topeka shiners in Iowa

The Topeka shiner, now listed as federally endangered, was once found in many streams and rivers throughout Iowa. Seth Meeks’ 1891 report to the U.S. Fish Commission recorded the Topeka shiner in the Des Moines River and its tributaries, the Iowa River (near Amana), the Cedar and Shellrock Rivers (near Waverly), the Big Sioux River (near Sioux City) and the Boyer River (in western Iowa).

From 1997 to 2000, Dr. Bruce Menzel (formerly of Iowa State University) conducted a study to update the known range of the Topeka shiner and create a list of Iowa rivers still supporting the species. Of 614 locations sampled, Menzel found Topeka shiners in only 66 locations, with many sites producing fewer than five individual fish.

According to Menzel’s study, the Topeka shiner’s Iowa range now appears to be limited to the North Raccoon River and its tributaries, with smaller known populations in the Boone, Rock and Little Rock Rivers. The North Raccoon and Boone River populations are nationally significant as they are the only group found within the upper Mississippi River drainage. All others occur within the Missouri River drainage. More...

For more information, e-mail Cathy Engstrom, Director of Communications, or call (515) 288-1846.

Perennials: Ecology College

Topeka shiner, restoring a
'prairie remnant' (part 1 of 3)

Perennials: Ecology College

Topeka shiner, restoring a 'prairie remnant' (part 1 of 3)

Topeka shiner, restoring a
'prairie remnant' (part 1 of 3)