Pacific Southwest Research Station

Nearshore Indicators for Clarity, Habitat, and Ecological Sustainability

Completed in December 2010, this project evaluated conditions of the nearshore fishery and tested and developed traditional and novel metrics to determine long-term and short-term changes to the nearshore habitat of Lake Tahoe.

Lead Researchers: Sudeep Chandra, University of Nevada, Reno; Craig Williamson, Miami University of Ohio; James Oris, Miami University of Ohio; Geoffrey Schladow, University of California, Davis

Final Products available for download:

• Final Report
• Excel Worksheet for Estimating Ultraviolet Attainment Threshold (UVAT) Depth

Project Summary

Figure 1. Map of Lake Tahoe with site locations- 49 sites for snorkeling surveys, and 14 transects
() for minnow trap surveys.

Lake Tahoe's fishery is among one of the least studied of all the large lakes in the world.  Over time there have been a variety of stressors (e.g. introduction of species, eutrophication, nearshore habitat modification), which may have impacted the fishery and only a limited amount of snapshot investigations have been conducted to investigate these impacts or determine the status of a particular species. With little to no information on the status of fishery, in particular the nearshore components where most of the native, littoral fish reside, we have compiled information to determine the status of the nearshore native and non-native fish community and if there are quantifiable indicators and methodologies that can be created to determine the condition of the nearshore fishery. Furthermore, we conducted experiments to determine if ultraviolet radiation (UV) can be used to link nearshore and non-native fish ecology to the physical environment.