Prioritizing Fish Reintroductions in Lower Abrams Creek, Great Smoky Mountains National Park Based on Ecological Benefit and Source Population Integrity.

Published by National Park Service | Department of the Interior | Metadata Last Checked: January 25, 2026 | Last Modified: 2018-07-17T00:00:00Z

Field methods include the capture of fishes using backpack electrofishing using the same methodologies employed by Great Smoky Mountains National Park fish biologists. In particular, alternating current electricity generated by a backpack electrofisher will be used to capture fishes in three GSMNP basins: (1) Deep Creek, (2) Pigeon River, and (3) Little River. At each site where fishes are collected, the lower caudal fin lobe will be surgically removed from up to three targeted species: (1) Banded Sculpin (Cottus carolinae), (2) Mottled Sculpin (Cottus bairdi), and (3) Greenside Darter (Etheostoma blennoides). Tissue samples will be preserved in 1 ml microcenterfuge tubes containing DNA shield (a liquid designed to reduced DNA degradation during storage). Tissue samples will be transported to the research laboratory of Dr. Joshuah Perkin at Tennessee Technological University, digested, and DNA extracted before 96-well plates containing sampled are shipped for genotyping by sequencing at the Cornell University Institute of Biotechnology. Field methods will be employed to minimize mortality caused by electrofishing and tissue sample collection. Previous research has shown lower caudal fin lobe fin clips result in minimal mortality and fin ray regeneration will eventually proceed. All point data will be protected as sensitive data according to an existing data management plan between Dr. Joshuah Perkin and GSMNP staff (i.e., Matt Kulp and Kendra Straub).

Find Related Datasets

Click any tag below to search for similar datasets

Complete Metadata

accessLevel	public
bureauCode	[ "010:24" ]
contactPoint	{ "fn": "NPS IRMA Help", "@type": "vcard:Contact", "hasEmail": "mailto:NRSS_DataStore@nps.gov" }
description	Field methods include the capture of fishes using backpack electrofishing using the same methodologies employed by Great Smoky Mountains National Park fish biologists. In particular, alternating current electricity generated by a backpack electrofisher will be used to capture fishes in three GSMNP basins: (1) Deep Creek, (2) Pigeon River, and (3) Little River. At each site where fishes are collected, the lower caudal fin lobe will be surgically removed from up to three targeted species: (1) Banded Sculpin (Cottus carolinae), (2) Mottled Sculpin (Cottus bairdi), and (3) Greenside Darter (Etheostoma blennoides). Tissue samples will be preserved in 1 ml microcenterfuge tubes containing DNA shield (a liquid designed to reduced DNA degradation during storage). Tissue samples will be transported to the research laboratory of Dr. Joshuah Perkin at Tennessee Technological University, digested, and DNA extracted before 96-well plates containing sampled are shipped for genotyping by sequencing at the Cornell University Institute of Biotechnology. Field methods will be employed to minimize mortality caused by electrofishing and tissue sample collection. Previous research has shown lower caudal fin lobe fin clips result in minimal mortality and fin ray regeneration will eventually proceed. All point data will be protected as sensitive data according to an existing data management plan between Dr. Joshuah Perkin and GSMNP staff (i.e., Matt Kulp and Kendra Straub).
distribution	[ { "@type": "dcat:Distribution", "title": "AbramsCreekFishTranslocation_TTU_FieldSiteMaster_2016-17.xlsx", "format": "xlsx", "mediaType": "application/vnd.openxmlformats-officedocument.spreadsheetml.sheet", "description": "Field site information", "downloadURL": "https://irma.nps.gov/DataStore/DownloadFile/602927?Reference=2254021" }, { "@type": "dcat:Distribution", "title": "AbramsCreekFishTranslocation_TTU_FishReintroductionSites_2017.xlsx", "format": "xlsx", "mediaType": "application/vnd.openxmlformats-officedocument.spreadsheetml.sheet", "description": "Fish reintroduction sites", "downloadURL": "https://irma.nps.gov/DataStore/DownloadFile/602929?Reference=2254021" }, { "@type": "dcat:Distribution", "title": "AbramsCreekFishTranslocation_TTU_DataFileExplanation.docx", "format": "docx", "mediaType": "application/vnd.openxmlformats-officedocument.wordprocessingml.document", "description": "Metadata file explaining each data set and how they relate to each other.", "downloadURL": "https://irma.nps.gov/DataStore/DownloadFile/603595?Reference=2254021" }, { "@type": "dcat:Distribution", "title": "Perkin_NPS_Report.xlsx", "format": "xlsx", "mediaType": "application/vnd.openxmlformats-officedocument.spreadsheetml.sheet", "description": "Summary data report", "downloadURL": "https://irma.nps.gov/DataStore/DownloadFile/602931?Reference=2254021" }, { "@type": "dcat:Distribution", "title": "AbramsCreekFishTranslocation_TTU_FinClipData_2016.xlsx", "format": "xlsx", "mediaType": "application/vnd.openxmlformats-officedocument.spreadsheetml.sheet", "description": "This file represents sites that we first visited to capture our target fishes and take a small cutting off of their caudal fin to be taken back to the lab and used for genetic analyses. The fishes themselves were released immediately after the fin clip was taken. No fish were released in Lower Abrams Creek until 2017 and this event was documented in the "AbramsCreekFishTranslocation_TTU_FishReintroductionSites_2017" file. We did not collect fin clips in 2017 so that's why this file is only for 2016. We revisited these same sites in 2017 to conduct snorkel surveys to verify populations were robust enough to be harvest to provide source stock for translocation (see file "AbramsCreekFishTranslocation_TTU_SnorkelSurveyData_2017").", "downloadURL": "https://irma.nps.gov/DataStore/DownloadFile/603594?Reference=2254021" }, { "@type": "dcat:Distribution", "title": "GBSFiles.zip", "format": "ZIP", "mediaType": "application/zip", "downloadURL": "https://irma.nps.gov/DataStore/DownloadFile/602932?Reference=2254021" } ]
identifier	http://datainventory.doi.gov/id/dataset/NPS_DataStore_2254021
issued	2018-07-17T00:00:00Z
keyword	[ "APHN", "Appalachian Highlands Network", "Cottus bairdii", "Cottus carolinae", "Ecological Framework: Biological Integrity \| Focal Species or Communities \| Fishes", "Ecological Framework: Biological Integrity \| Focal Species or Communities \| Freshwater Communities", "Etheostoma blennioides", "GRSM", "Great Smoky Mountains National Park", "Origin:External", "SER", "Southeast Region", "StudyID:GRSM-01282", "banded sculpin", "greenside darter", "mottled sculpin" ]
landingPage	https://irma.nps.gov/DataStore/Reference/Profile/2254021
modified	2018-07-17T00:00:00Z
programCode	[ "010:118", "010:119" ]
publisher	{ "name": "National Park Service", "@type": "org:Organization" }
spatial	-84.01389,35.4269066,-82.99805,35.8414
temporal	2016-07-01/2016-08-31
theme	[ "Generic Dataset" ]
title	Prioritizing Fish Reintroductions in Lower Abrams Creek, Great Smoky Mountains National Park Based on Ecological Benefit and Source Population Integrity.