UWM Technology Aids in the Conservation and Reestablishment of Native Fishes in Wisconsin

If you think technology at UWM is only applicable to land use, you are mistaken. Associate Professor of Ecology and Evolution of Fishes, Timothy Ehlinger, and his student team from the Department of Biological Sciences have taken technology to the water.

According to Ehlinger’s personal Fish Ecology Web page (www.uwm.edu/~ehlinger/): “The work I conduct together with my students at the University of Wisconsin–Milwaukee is… actively involved in the conservation and reestablishment of native fishes in Wisconsin. Projects include the design and implementation of stream restoration and rehabilitation plans, the ecology of rare and threatened species, genetic differentiation of exploited fishes and the effects of exotic species invasions on native fauna.”

To do this vitally important work, Ehlinger and his students rely on technology to quickly and efficiently monitor and report on aquatic environments. Research Specialist and Lab Manager, Lori Schacht Dethorne, says that the team currently makes use of 22 YSI 6600 sondes to evaluate different water qualities. A sonde is an instrument package used for profiling and monitoring water conditions. The 6600 sonde device, created by Yellow Springs Incorporated (YSI), records temperature, conductivity, oxygen, pH level and turbidity, via sensors, to measure water quality and changes. Dethorne says the equipment offers leading-edge sensor technology and requires only minimal maintenance and cleaning.

Each sonde is enclosed in a plastic PVC case. Holes are drilled in the case so that water can flow through. The pipes are held at a certain location in the stream by posts that are pounded in to the streambed. Water flows through the pipes and an internal computer tracks the information reported by the sensors.

Data is collected by the sonde every 10 minutes and sent to a computer in Ehlinger’s lab at UWM via modem transmission. The amount and frequency of the data collected allows the team to evaluate what goes on 24/7 in any type of weather. For example, they can determine and report on what pollutants are in the water at certain points in a river and they can observe the effects of a large thunderstorm or a snow melt on a creek. Once the information is received, Dethorne calibrates, organizes and queries the data and then posts it on a Web page (see www.uwm.edu/~ehlinger/ysi_data.htm).

In the Milwaukee area, past and present research includes Lincoln Creek, Quaas Creek and Underwood Creek, as well as the Pike and Milwaukee Rivers. Currently, several sondes are also in the Fox River because the team is working with high school students in Green Bay to increase their awareness of the Fox River and its cleanup.

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