2007 NORTHEASTERN NATURALIST 14(4):531–544
An Evaluation of the Ichthyofauna of the Bronx River,
a Resilient Urban Waterway
Joseph W. Rachlin1,*, Barbara E. Warkentine1,2,
and Antonios Pappantoniou1
Abstract - Fish were sampled from the entire 34.4-km Bronx River each year from
2001 to 2005 inclusive, yielding a database of 4000 fi sh com pris ing 23 freshwater
species and 22 estuarine species. These data were compared to the historic data from
1936–1998 as recorded in the New York State De part ment of Environmental Conser
va tion’s digital database, Albany, NY. Only 6 freshwater species reported in the
his tor ic data—Rhodeus sericeus (Bitterling), Salmo trutta (Brown Trout), Semotilus
corporalis (Fallfi sh), Esox americanus vermiculatus (Grass Pickerel), Etheostoma
nigrum (Johnny Dart er), and Esox lucius (Northern Pike)—are no longer in the river.
However, the original report of the presence of the Johnny Darter probably resulted
from taxonomic con fu sion since this species has never been in the Hudson Valley,
and we strongly believe that the report of the presence of grass pickerel is also the
result of misidentifi cation of the specimen for the same reason as given for the johnny
darter. The report of the Brown Trout should be dis count ed since this species has been
only taken in the Bronx River following a stocking event. We have found a breeding
population of Brown Trout in the southern end of Davis Brook, but these have not yet
traversed the multi-channel marsh area to enter the Bronx River proper. Therefore,
only three pre vi ous ly reported species—Bitterling, Fallfi sh, and Northern Pike—
are no longer in the river. Four spe cies—Fundulus diaphanus (Band ed Kil li fi sh),
Ameiurus nebulosus (Brown Bull head), Apeltes quadracus (Fourspine Stick le back),
and Micropterus dolomieu (Small mouth Bass)—not re port ed in the historic database
were part of our 2001–2005 freshwater collection. These discrepancies are ex plained,
and on balance, it was determined that for the past 70 years, the Bronx River has been
remarkably stable in terms of fi sh species and diversity. Ex am i na tion of the estuarine
portion of the river shows that it func tions as an important nursery ground for many
com mer cial and rec re ation al fi sh harvested from New York waters.
Introduction
The impact of urbanization on river systems has been well doc u ment ed
(Gerhard et al. 2004, Limburg et al. 2005). As a result of increased amounts
of domestic and/or industrial waste, sed i ment load, and trash, many urban
rivers have shown degradation in water quality, decrease in species di ver si ty,
and change in the faunal composition over time (Shepp and Cummins 1977).
The loss of riparian vegetation, due to the development of roadways and
industrial complexes adjacent to wa ter ways, has con trib ut ed to in creased
water temperatures and loss of habitat for fi sh (Nislow 2005). In recent
1Laboratory for Marine and Estuarine Research (La MER), Department of Biological
Sciences, Lehman College, 250 Bedford Park Boulevard West, Bronx, NY 10468-
1589. 2Science Department, SUNY Maritime College, 6 Pennyfi eld Avenue, Bronx,
NY 10465-4198. *Corresponding author - joseph.rachlin@lehman.cuny.edu.
532 Northeastern Naturalist Vol. 14, No. 4
years, signifi cant attention has been focused on the plight of aquatic systems
in the face of urban sprawl (Brown et al. 2005). As a result of this attention,
many rivers and streams have been designated as primary sites for cleanup
and restoration. In 1992, the New York State Department of En vi ron men tal
Conservation, which is responsible for monitoring the “health” of over 900
rivers and streams throughout the State, incorporated the Bronx River into
its monitoring program (Bode et al. 2004).
The Bronx River, a 34.4-km urban river, fl ows from its current source
at Davis Brook, Valhalla, NY, south to its mouth between Clason and Hunts
Points on the East River, at the extreme western end of Long Island Sound
(Fig. 1). For the fi rst 22.3 km of its course, the river passes through a suburban
and lightly urbanized landscape, essentially following the Bronx River
Parkway, America’s fi rst scenic parkway. In many communities along this
22.3-km reach, the river has been incorporated, by means of small im poundments,
into village and town parks. During construction of the Bronx River
Parkway, between 1916 and 1925, the river was re-channeled and straightened
so that it would parallel the course of the parkway and reduce fl ooding,
which was a signifi cant problem due to the original sinuous course of the
river in Westchester County. The last section of the Parkway was begun in
1931 near East 233rd Street in the Bronx and was completed in the fall of
1960, and the section of the river paralleling the parkway in the Bronx was
also modifi ed and in places re-channeled. In this last 12.1 km, the river enters
New York City and fl ows through an ever more densely ur ban ized area. As it
enters the city, the river fi rst traverses a section known as the shoelace, with
reduced bank forest cover and poor bank stabilization, then proceeds through
a restored section known as the Bronx Forest before it enters sequentially
the grounds of the New York Botanical Garden (NYBG) and the Wildlife
Conservation Society’s Bronx Zoo (WCS). In the section of the river within
the NYBG and WCS properties, the river fl ows over three major dams built
at their current sites between 1845 and the early 1850s; the 182nd Street Dam,
the southern-most of the three, was built in the early colonial period by the
De Lancey family (Bolton 1948, Comfort 1906). The northernmost of these,
within the grounds of NYBG, is a 2.1-m dam at the Snuff Mill at rkm 7.2
(river mile 4.5), followed by a 4.3-m Twin Dam Complex at rkm 6.3 (river
mile 3.9) within the grounds of WCS, and then the river cascades over a 5.5-
m dam at the southern end of the WCS property at 182nd Street (rkm 4.8, river
mile 3.0). Below this last intact dam, the river becomes tidally infl uenced
and more estuarine as it fl ows southward, and its banks are heavily urbanized
and industrialized.
It was our goal to study the fishes of both the freshwater and estuarine
sections of this urban river and to compare its species composition with
past reports of ichthyofaunal data for the Bronx River, derived from the
Historic Distribution of Inland Fishes of New York State (Carlson 2001),
the com pre hen sive study of the status of fish in New York State (Carlson
2007 J.W. Rachlin, B.E. Warkentine, and A. Pappantoniou 533
and Daniels 2004), and the 1984 report of Bronx River fishes (Schmidt
and Samaritan 1984). The historic database (Carlson 2001, Carlson
and Daniels 2004) has records for the years 1936, 1954, 1957, 1986, and
1998, and covers the river from rkm 9.0 (river mile 5.6)–rkm 31.7 (river
mile 19.7). This database lists a total of 21 species of freshwater fish
Figure 1. Map of the Bronx River from its source in Davis Brook to its mouth at the
East River between Hunts Point and Clason Point, New York, NY. Station locations
marked with an X, followed by the station number.
534 Northeastern Naturalist Vol. 14, No. 4
(Table 1). The study by Schmidt and Samaritan (1984) listed a total of 17
species of which only two—Notropis hudsonius (Clinton) (Spottail Shiner)
and Cyprinus carpio Linnaeus (Common Carp)—were not reported in
the historic da ta base, bringing the total reported species number for the
freshwater reach of the Bronx River to 23. The finding of Spottail Shiner
in the Bronx River was first reported in 1982 (Samaritan and Schmidt
1982). Our current study of the ichthyofauna of this river began in 2001,
and continued an nu al ly through 2005.
Methods
For our sampling protocol, we established a series of stations along
the length of the river from its source in Davis Brook to its mouth at
buoy markers 5 and 6 between Hunts and Clason Points (Fig. 1). The
nine freshwater stations consisted of: Station 1 at Davis Brook (rkm 34.4,
river mile 21.4), now the source of the Bronx River; Station 2 (rkm 33.3,
river mile 20.7); Station 3 (rkm 31.2, river mile 19.4); Station 4 (rkm
21.9, river mile 13.6); Station 5 (rkm 16.9, river mile 10.5); Station 6
(rkm 12.1, river mile 7.5) at Nereid Avenue at the border between Bronx
and Westchester Counties; Station 7 (rkm 6.8, river mile 4.2) within the
New York Botanical Garden just south of the Snuff Mill Dam; Station 8
(rkm 6.3, river mile 3.9) within the Wildlife Conservation Society’s Bronx
Zoo just south of the Twin Dam Complex; and Station 9 (rkm 4.5, river
mile 2.8) in the West Farms Section of the river, where the river, being
south of the 182nd Street Dam, is tidally influenced but still essentially
freshwater. The four estuarine stations were: Station 10 (rkm 1.8, river
mile 1.1); Station 11 (rkm 0.3, river mile 0.2), Station 12 at Clason Point
(a marine, shore based station in the East River, south of the mouth of
the Bronx River); and Station 13, the Federal Channel, which runs from
the mouth (rkm 0, river mile 0) north to Station 10. Each of the sampling
stations 1–9 was sampled over a length of 150 m at each visit. The
distances, north from the mouth of the river, given for each station are
at the midpoint of this 150-m run. Stations 10, 11, and 12 were sampled
over a 50-m run at each visit; again the distance given is for the midpoint
of each sampling run. Station 13, the Federal Channel, was sam pled by
trawl over the entire 1.8-km distance between the mouth and Station 10
at each sampling event.
Sampling in the freshwater reaches of the river was conducted using
1.22-m2 fi ne-mesh (0.32-cm, stretched nylon mesh) seines. On fi ve oc casions,
one each in March 2005 at Station 5, in May 2005 at Station 6, and
in June 2005 at Station 4, and twice in April 2005 at Stations 1 and 5, when
conductivity was appropriate, a Smith-Root backpack electro-shocker was
employed to supplement the seine sampling. Sampling in the Federal Channel
was accomplished using a benthic shrimp trawl, 3.3 m wide with 3.8-cm
2007 J.W. Rachlin, B.E. Warkentine, and A. Pappantoniou 535
stretch mesh #9 nylon body and 3.3-cm stretch mesh #15 nylon cod end
(Nylon Net Co., Memphis, TN), operated from the stern deck of a 14.02-m
buoy-tender chartered from SUNY Maritime College, Bronx, NY. The net
was towed for sequential 10-minute tows at a speed of one knot, traveling
both north and south at each sampling visit. Tow line, between the stern deck
of the vessel and the “doors” of the net, was 28 m to insure that the net fi shed
at the bottom. The 2.0-m mean low water depth of the Federal Channel is
maintained by the US Army Corps of Engineers. Other shore-based stations
in the estuary or adjacent East River were sampled using the same seines as
in the freshwater reaches of the river, and minnow traps supplemented this
sampling; traps were left to soak for 2 hrs. Since each collecting day occupied
the same amount of time on station, regardless of which station was
being sampled or the gear used, we designated each collection date as a unit
of effort and were therefore able to compute “catch per unit effort” to gain a
sense of the relative abundance of each species by station (Table 1).
The sampling protocol of our 13 sampling stations was designed so that
each station was visited at least once per month during the sampling season.
All sampling was conducted between March and September of each year
(2001–2005) to be consistent with and overlap the sampling periods in the
historic data base (Carlson 2001, Carlson and Daniels 2004) for the Bronx
River. These periods in the historic data base were: July, for the 1936 data at
rkm 10.0–31.7; July, for the 1954 data at rkm 31.1; June–July, for the 1957
data at rkm 24.8–31.1; September, for the 1986 data at rkm 22.1–31.1; and
September, for the 1998 data at rkm 9.0–27.8. All of the New York State
historic data (Carlson 2001, Carlson and Daniels 2004) for the Bronx River
are presented as species presence in our Table 1.
Results
From 2001 through 2005, we documented a total of 4000 fi sh comprising
23 species from the freshwater section and 22 from the estuarine section
(Table 1), for a total of 45 species; two species, Apeltes quadracus (Mitchill)
(Fourspine Stickleback) and Fundulus heteroclitus (Linnaeus) (Mummichog)
were found in both zones. We do, however, know that Anguilla rostrata
(Lesueur) (American Eel), being catadromous, would also be in the
estuary, although it was not taken by our sampling at Stations 10–13. Not
included in Table 1, but for completion, we mention that one specimen each
of Alosa aestivalis (Mitchell) (Blueback Herring), in December 2002, and
Alosa mediocris (Mitchell) (Hickory Shad), in October 2002, were taken by
hook and line at Hunts Point just south of the mouth of the Bronx River
by local fi sherman and deposited in our laboratory collection.
A careful examination of Table 1 shows that of the 23 species of fresh wa ter
fi sh listed, only Rhodeus sericeus (Pallas) (Bitterling), Semotilus corporalis
Mitchill (Fallfi sh), Etheostoma nigrum Rafi nesque (Johnny Dart er), Esox
536 Northeastern Naturalist Vol. 14, No. 4
Table 1. Catch per unit effort for fi sh species collected from 13 stations in the Bronx River, years 2001–2005, and occurrence of fi sh species, as re port ed in the New
York State De part ment of Environmental Con ser va tion’s digital database, Albany, NY by year and as collected in this current study, are designated by an X.
Station designations Collection years
2001–
Species 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 1936 1954 1957 1986 1998 2005
Ameiurus nebulosus 0.3 1.0 1.0 X
Anguilla rostrata 0.3 9.8 X X
Apeltes quadracus 2.0 3.3 35.5 0.4 0.1 X
Carassius auratus (L.) (Goldfi sh) 1.0 X X
Catastomus commersoii 13.3 30.3 19.0 27.3 34.5 7.0 12.3 X X X X X X
Cyprinus carpio 0.3 0.8 0.7 X
Esox americanus americanus 0.3 X
E. americanus vermiculatus X
E. lucius X
Etheostoma nigrum X
E. olmstedi 4.7 9.0 27.0 2.0 2.5 6.0 7.5 28.0 X X X X X
Fundulus diaphanus 0.5 0.5 X
F. heteroclitus 0.3 7.3 6.8 7.0 12.8 0.5 65.6 X X X
Gambusia affi nis 0.3 X
Lepomis auritus (L.) (Redbreast Sunfi sh) 6.7 0.5 5.5 X X
L. gibbosus (L.) (Pumpkinseed) 2.7 0.3 0.3 0.5 X X X
L. macrochirus Rafi nesque (Bluegill 0.3 0.5 0.5 1.3 X X
Sunfi sh)
Luxilus cornutus (Mitchill) 0.5 X X
Micropterus dolomieu 0.7 X
M. salmoides (Lacépedè) (Largemouth 2.0 2.3 0.5 0.7 1.0 X X X
Bass)
Notemigonus crysoleucas (Mitchill) 1.0 X X X
(Golden shiner)
Perca fl avescens (Mitchill) 0.7 1.0 X X
(Yellow Perch)
Pimephales promelas Rafi nesque (Fathead 0.5 2.7 0.8 X X
Minnow)
2007 J.W. Rachlin, B.E. Warkentine, and A. Pappantoniou 537
Table 1, continued.
Station designations Collection years
2001–
Species 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 1936 1954 1957 1986 1998 2005
Rhinichthys atratulus 23.3 0.3 25.0 4.8 5.0 2.0 0.3 2.3 X X X X X X
Rhodeus sericeus X
Salmo trutta 2.0 X X X X
Semotilus atromaculatus (Mitchill) 0.7 X X
S. corporalis X
Anchoa mitchilli (Valenciennes) (Bay 7.7 1.9 0.9 X
Anchovy)
Archosargus probatocephalus (Walbaum) 0.1 X
(Sheepshead)
Brevoortia tyrannus 11.0 1.0 X
Cynoscion regalis 0.1 0.7 X
Dorosoma cepedianum (Lesuer) (Gizzard Shad) 0.2 X
Gobiosoma bosc 0.4 X
G. ginsburgi 0.1 X
Menidia menidia 55.6 72.8 0.9 1.4 X
Microgadus tomcod 0.1 X
Morone saxatilis 0.8 3.3 X
Myoxocephalus aenaeus (Mitchill) (Grubby) 0.1 0.3 X
Paralichthys dentatus 0.1 X
Peprilus triacanthus (Peck) (Butterfi sh) 0.3 X
Pholis gunnellus 0.1 X
Pomatomus saltatrix 0.1 X
Prionotus carolinus (L.) (Northern Searobin) 0.1 X
Pseudopleuronectes americanus 3.9 1.0 0.4 1.1 X
Syngnathus fuscus Storer (Northern Piperfi sh) 0.1 X
Tautogolabrus adspersus 0.1 X
Urophycis regia (Walbaum) (Spotted Hake) 0.3 X
538 Northeastern Naturalist Vol. 14, No. 4
lucius Linnaeus (Northern Pike), and Esox americanus vermiculatus Lesueur
(Grass Pickerel) were not part of the 2001–2005 col lec tion. But the 2001–
2005 collection included Ameiurus nebulosus (Lesueur) (Brown Bullhead),
fourspine stickleback, Cyprinus carpio (Common Carp), Esox americanus
americanus Gmelin (Redfi n Pickerel), Fundulus diaphanus (Lesueur) (Banded
Killifi sh), Gambusia affi nis (Baird and Girard) (Western Mosquitofi sh), and
Micropterus dolomieu Lacépède (Smallmouth Bass), which are absent from
the historic database. The estuarine species listed in Table 1–those collected
from Stations 10–13 (Fig. 1)–represent the fi rst time that a species list for the
estuarine portion of the Bronx River has been compiled; it includes 22 species.
Thus the current total fi sh species count, both freshwater and es tu a rine, consists
of 45 species with mum mi chog, fourspine stickleback, and American eel
being found in both zones of the Bronx River.
Table 1 also shows the catch-per-unit-effort data for the 2001–2005
collection for both the freshwater and estuarine portions of the river. The
southernmost portion of Station 9 (rkm 4.5, river mile 2.8; Fig. 1) represents
the northern-most excursion of measurable salinity (0.5 ppt) during summer
low-fl ow periods, although the tidal pulse is felt as far north as 180th Street
(rkm 4.7, river mile 2.9) during spring tides (Larson et al. 2004, Rachlin
2005). These “catch-per-unit-effort” data provide an indication of the rel a tive
abundance of fi sh species by station, and their lateral distribution throughout
the system. It can be seen (Table 1) that in the freshwater reaches of the river,
Etheostoma olmstedi Storer (Tessellated Darter) is the most widely distributed
fi sh with a range extending from Station 1 in the north to Station 9 in the
south (Fig 1). The next two most widely distributed species are Rhinichthys
atratulus (Hermann) (Blacknose Dace), whose range also extends from Station
1 south to Station 9, and Mummichog, which is found from Station 4
(Fig. 1) in the north to and throughout the estuary, except in the Federal Channel
(Station 13). All other species have more restricted ranges (Table 1).
By summing the catch-per-unit-effort data for a species across all sta tions
from which that species was collected (Table 1), one gets an estimate of its
relative abundance in the river. From the point of view of overall abundance
in the river as a whole, Catostomus commersoii (Lacépède) (White Sucker)
is the most abundant species, followed by Menidia menidia (Linnaeus) (Atlantic
Silverside), which is restricted to the estuarine portion of the river.
Next in abundance is Mummichog, followed in order by Tessellated Darter,
Blacknose Dace, and Fourspine Stickleback. None of the other fi sh species,
in either the freshwater or estuarine sections of the river, approach the catchper-
unit-effort values of these species.
Discussion
Examination of the data presented in Table 1 shows a remarkable consis
ten cy in the majority of fi sh species in the Bronx River from the period
2007 J.W. Rachlin, B.E. Warkentine, and A. Pappantoniou 539
1936 through 2005. This would indicate that over this 70-year period, the
river, from the point of view of its ichthyofaunal content and diversity, has
re mained as a relatively resilient aquatic environment in spite of occasional
episodes of anthropogenic pollution resulting from combined sewage outfl
ows (CSOs) and industrial spills from the various communities through
which the river fl ows. There are, however, a few species that were present
in the historic database, but are no longer found in the river. The fi rst missing
species is Semotilus corporalis Mitchill (Fallfi sh), re port ed in the 1936
collection between rkm 9.98–31.7 (river mile 6.2–19.7), and then disappearing
from all subsequent collections. It had been speculated that poor water
quality in the Bronx River caused the elimination of this species (Schmidt
and Samaritan 1984); however, it is possible, since these fi sh readily take
a fl y lure and have been, on occasion, the object of a recreational fi shery
(Werner 2004), that a relatively marginal population was simply overfi shed.
This explanation has some support since the Bronx River in this region has
often been stocked with Salmo trutta Linnaeus, (Brown Trout) to support a
recreational fl y fi shery, and these animals (Fall fi sh) could have been taken
along with the trout. Further, we found no meaningful degradation in habitat
or water quality (Rachlin 2005) in this stretch of the river to account for
the extirpation of this species. Additional support for this idea is the fact
that Blacknose Dace have been associated with the same habitats favored
by Fallfi sh and have even been reported to spawn on Fallfi sh nests (Smith
1985). However, elimination of the Fallfi sh due to sensitivity to pollutants
and/or poor water quality, post 1936, can not be explicitly ruled out. Our data
in di cate that populations of Blacknose Dace show good representation in the
river from Station 1 south to Station 9 (Fig 1, Table 1).
Brown trout reported in the 1954, 1957, and 1986 collections from rkm
22.0–31.1 (river mile 13.7–19.3) were the result of seasonal stocking, and
never established themselves as a breeding population in the Bronx River.
We did, however, fi nd a breeding population in the southernmost reaches
of Davis Brook (Station 1) just south of Valhalla, NY, which is adjacent to
the Kensico Reservoir (Fig 1). From here, Davis Brook opens into a multichannel
marsh before coalescing again into a single stream, which at this
point is called the Bronx River. This marsh area serves as an effective barrier
preventing the downstream migration of the trout. We have never collected
any trout south of this marsh area.
The next fish to be considered is the Johnny Darter, reported once in the
1954 collection from rkm 31.1 (river mile 19.3) and never reported again
from any section of the Bronx River. This fish, found in streams and rivers
of the western drainages in New York State (Smith 1985, Werner 2004),
is typically not part of the fauna of the Bronx River. However, the more
characteristic Tessellated Darter can easily be confused with the Johnny
Darter, especially during the breeding season when the males become quite
dark, obscuring the lateral V, W, or X markings used to quickly distinguish
540 Northeastern Naturalist Vol. 14, No. 4
between these two species. Since the Tessellated Darter is common in and
ranges throughout the freshwater reaches of the Bronx River, it is reasonable
to assume, given the known distribution of the Johnny Darter, that
the reported occurrence of this species in the 1954 collection could have
re sult ed from a misidentification.
Equally problematical is the report of Grass Pickerel in the 1957
col lec tion between rkm 24.8 and 31.1 (river mile 15.4–19.3), and our
finding of Redfin Pickerel at our Station 2 (rkm 33.3, river mile 20.7)
in es sen tial ly the same stretch of river. These subspecies of Esox americanus
Gmelin (Pick er el) are very difficult to tell apart, especially in
their ju ve nile stages, which are the stages captured in both studies. It is
quite possible that the 1957 report represents a misidentification; we are
rea son ably certain of our iden ti fi ca tion, having used the characteristics
dis cussed by Crossman (1966), Smith (1985), and Werner (2004). Based
on Crossman’s taxonomic study of Pickerel in eastern North America,
using 13 morphological characters and including distribution maps of
Redfin Pickerel, Grass Pickerel, and their intergrades (Crossman 1966),
it seems very unlikely that Grass Pickerel, which in New York State is
found only in the central and western parts of the state, would be, or ever
had been, in the Bronx River. There is also some question regarding the
taxonomic status of these subspecies and therefore, it is best to simply
state that Pickerel is found in this section of the river. The presence of
Northern Pike, only reported once in the 1954 collection from the same
section of the river as Pickerel, and its absence from all other col lec tions,
including our current survey, cannot be explained; nor do we have an
explanation for the absence of Spottail Shiner, reported by Schmidt and
Samaritan (1984) but not collected by us nor reported in the historic database
(Carlson 2001, Carlson and Daniels 2004) for the Bronx River.
The only other fish that has been extirpated from the river is Bitterling.
This fish, common in northern Europe and central and north east ern Asia,
was probably introduced into the United States in the early 1920s (Smith
1985, Werner 2004); at various times it has been reported from both the
Bronx and Sawmill rivers in New York State (Carlson 2001, Schmidt and
Samaritan 1984, Smith 1985, Werner 2004). Although reported in the 1936
collection, Schmidt and Samaritan (1984) last re port ed it from the Bronx
River in 1979, and we had collected three spec i mens from the river at
Paxton Avenue (rkm 16.9, river mile 10.5) in 1981. No collections since
that date have ever reported finding Bitterling, and one of us (A. Pappantoniou),
who has recently collected in the Saw mill River, also reports the
absence of Bitterling from that river. This fish requires the presence of a
unionid mussel in order to complete its life cycle because it, by obligation,
deposits its eggs into the mantle cavity of these mussels (Breeder
1933, Przybylski and Garcia-Berthou 2004). It had been suggested that
the assumed “demise” of unionid mus sels from the river, due to pollution,
2007 J.W. Rachlin, B.E. Warkentine, and A. Pappantoniou 541
might have accounted for the Bitterling’s ex tinc tion. Schmidt et al. (1981)
speculated that the Bitterling, which was last seen in the Sawmill in 1951,
continued to exist as a marginal pop u la tion in a small 1.2-km stretch of
the Bronx River in the vicinity of Paxton Avenue where there were small
populations of the unionid mussel Pyganodon cataracta (Say), with which
the Bitterling had been as so ci at ed. Since populations of this unionid mussel,
specimens of which are quite large (between 7.46–13.87 cm in length),
are currently found at an av er age population density of 1.4 mussels/m2 in
the Paxton Avenue section of the Bronx River just south of its confluence
with the Sprain Brook, we believe that the absence of Bitterling cannot be
ex plained by the assumed “absence” of these mussels; instead we suggest
that by the late 1950s for the Sawmill and by the late 1980s for the Bronx
River, these marginal pop u la tions of Bitterling were no longer able to sustain
themselves and went extinct in these rivers.
Based on the current presence of a total of 23 species of fish in
the freshwater reaches of the Bronx River (Table 1), and the fact that
the majority of these species have been part of the historic data base of
ich thy o fau na for the river since 1936 (Table 1), we conclude that this
river has been remarkably stable in terms of its fish species for the past
70 years. The species do represent, for the most part, stress-tolerant forms
(Schmidt and Samaritan 1984), which is what one would expect from
an urban river flowing through communities with zones of light industry,
residential ar eas, and community parks at various distances from its
banks. The pres ence in our collections of Fourspine Stickleback, Brown
Bullhead, Banded Killifish, and Smallmouth Bass, which were not reported
in the historic data base (Table 1), do not necessarily represent
new introductions into the river. Rather, it likely reflects that the historic
database consists of col lec tions made at intermittent times and was not
the result of intensive surveys. Our sampling, conducted in each collecting
season (March through Sep tem ber) from 2001 to 2005, and using a
variety of sampling gear, was an intensive survey.
An examination of Table 1 shows a community of 22 marine and
es tu a rine fish species, many of which are important to the commercial
and recreational fisheries of New York. Among these are American
Eel, Brevoortia tyrannus (Latrobe) (Atlantic Menhaden), Cynoscion
regalis (Bloch and Schneider) (Weakfish), Microgadus tomcod (Waldbaum)
(Atlantic Tom cod), Morone saxatilis (Waldbaum) (Striped Bass),
Paralichthys dentatus (Linnaeus) (Summer Flounder), Pomatomus saltatrix
(Linnaeus) (Bluefish), Pseudopleuronectes americanus (Waldbaum)
(Winter Flounder), and Tautogolabrus adspersus (Waldbaum) (Cunner).
Since the majority of these species are found in the Bronx River Estuary
in their juvenile to young-adult stages, it is clear that this estuary
serves as an important nursery ground for these species. If we consider
the estuary proper to begin just south of Drew Garden (rkm 4.34, river
542 Northeastern Naturalist Vol. 14, No. 4
mile 2.7) at the southern end of Station 9 (Fig 1), and to extend south
to the river’s mouth on the East River, then our sampling stations from
Station 10 (rkm 1.8, river mile 1.1) and south including the Federal Channel
(Station 13) are in the heart of the estuary. Catch-per-unit-effort data
(Table 1) shows that the most abundant species in the estuary are Atlantic
Silverside and Mummichog, both of which serve as a food resource for
many of the commercially and recreationally important fish species listed
above. Among the least abun dant species in the estuary were Gobiosoma
bosc (Lacépède) (Naked Goby), Gobiosoma ginsburgi Hildebrand and
Schroeder (Seaboard Goby), Paralichthys dentatus (Summer Flounder),
Pomatomus saltatrix (Bluefish), and Pholis gunnellus (Linnaeus) (Rock
Gun nel). The low values for Summer Flounder and Bluefish can be explained
by the fact that these are seasonal migrants into the area, and
both of these species were taken only at Clason Point and in the Federal
Channel near the mouth of the river. The Seaboard Goby was also taken
from the Federal Channel, but was found in tires brought up by our trawl
net, and thus are easily missed. The Rock Gunnel also was taken in the
Federal Channel, and the Naked Goby was collected by seine at Station
10. These last two species represent first records for their presence in the
Bronx River Estuary, and as such, the specimens have been forwarded to
the ichthyological collection at the New York State Museum at Albany for
cataloging; their catalogue numbers are NYSM 57943 for Naked Goby,
and NYSM 58903 for Rock Gunnel.
Together, the total of 45 fish species throughout the entire extent of the
Bronx River and its estuary justifies the continuing efforts of organizations
in the Bronx and Westchester counties to continue their efforts to clean
its shoreline and banks, and to mitigate the introduction of contaminants
from combined sewage and storm water outflows, as has been the goal
and involvement of organizations such as the Bronx River Alliance, other
local NGOs, New York City’s Department of Environmental Protection,
New York State’s Department of Environmental Conservation and the Office
of the Attorney General of the State of New York. So far these efforts
have proven to be remarkably successful (Bode et al. 1999, Larson et al.
2004, Rachlin 2005). This success and the use of the river’s fish fauna as
the object of a recreational fishery, especially for youngsters, provides the
various communities along its banks with a sense of ownership, and argues
well for this urban river’s continued improvement in terms of water quality
and visual appearance.
Acknowledgments
The authors wish to thank CUNY graduate students Linda Lalicata and Athena
Tiwari and undergraduate student Cindy Walsh from Lehman Col lege’s Laboratory
for Marine and Estuarine Research, several un der grad u ate and grad u ate
students from SUNY Maritime College, and SUNY Maritime College’s Cap tains
2007 J.W. Rachlin, B.E. Warkentine, and A. Pappantoniou 543
Fleureton, Johansson, Palmiotti, and Smith for their field assistance. We also
acknowledge Christine Delevan for her as sis tance with manuscript prep a ra tion,
and two anon y mous reviewers and the Guest Editor, Professor Robert E. Schmidt
of Bard College at Simon’s Rock, Great Barrington, MA, whose com ments on
an earlier draft greatly improved this manuscript. This research was supported in
part by PSC-CUNY Research Awards #66276-0035, 67291-0036, and by an award
from Congressman Jose E. Serrano’s WCS/NOAA Lower Bronx River Part ner ship
Grants Program.
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