From the upcoming edition of "North American Journal of Fisheries Management" I found this interesting piece entitled "Survival and Dispersal of Hatchery-Raised Rainbow Trout in a River Basin Undergoing Urbanization" by Jonathan P. Runge, James T. Peterson and Christopher R. Martin. While the paper deals with one of the southern-most trout fisheries in the U.S. centered around the Atlanta metro area, the findings are most likely applicable to all streams and rivers in highly urban or rapidly developing areas. In particular here in Indiana, this urbanization could potentially affect smallmouth fisheries in our states rivers. In a nutshell, from the paper:
"The increase in urban and suburban development is a global problem for aquatic resource managers. During the past decade, urban growth has increased dramatically in the southeastern United States (U.S. Census Bureau 2004), potentially threatening the unique aquatic fauna in the region, as well as managed sport fish populations. The resulting land use conversion and associated increases in water use can alter the dynamics of fish populations and communities, particularly in sensitive coldwater fisheries.
...With the increasing amount of impervious surface area (e.g., pavement and rooftops) that accompanies urban development, the ability of hypolimnetic water releases to mitigate summer warming trends may diminish. As more urban development occurs, surface water inputs from precipitation during the summer become increasingly warmer (Ferguson and Suckling 1990) because runoff is warmed by remaining on the surface and is discharged into the river faster than would have occurred historically (Paul and Meyer 2001). Instead, impervious surfaces inhibit the ability of storm water to reach cool subterranean strata and recharge groundwater; thus, sources of cool groundwater input can be lost (Ferguson and Suckling 1990; Finkenbine et al. 2000; Wang et al. 2003; Krause et al. 2004)."
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