OREGON CHUB RESEARCH IN THE WILLAMETTE VALLEY 1991- 1999 Paul Scheerer Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife Corvallis , Oregon 97333. Scheerer, P., D. 1999.
OREGON CHUB RESEARCH IN THE WILLAMETTE VALLEY 1991- 1999 Paul Scheerer Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife Corvallis , Oregon 97333 [pdf]Paper  abstract   bibtex   
Oregon chub Oregonichthys crameri are endemic to the Willamette Valley of western Oregon. This species was formerly distributed throughout the Willamette Valley in off-channel habitats such as beaver ponds, oxbows, stable backwater sloughs, and flooded marshes (Snyder 1908) (Figure 1). These habitats usually have little or no water flow, silty and organic substrate, and considerable aquatic vegetation and cover for hiding and spawning. In the last 90 years, these habitats have disappeared rapidly because of changes in seasonal flows resulting from the construction of dams throughout the basin, channelization, revetments, diking, drainage of wetlands, and agricultural practices. By 1967, the channel length of Willamette River had been drastically reduced (Sedell and Froggatt 1984). This loss of habitat combined with the introduction of non-native species to the Willamette Valley such as largemouth bass Micropterus salmoides, smallmouth bass Micropterus dolomieui, crappie Pomoxis sp., bluegill Lepomis macrochirus, and western mosquitofish Gambusia affinis has resulted in a sharp decline in Oregon chub abundance. The reduction of suitable habitat and the restricted distribution of the Oregon chub resulted in a determination of "endangered" status under the federal endangered species act (Markle and Pearsons 1990; Rhew 1993).

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