Iowa DNR
BioNet
River & Stream Biological Monitoring
Fish and Benthic Macroinvertebrate Surveys
Physical Habitat Assessments

Elk Creek Elk Creek Marsh SWMA - Kensett

Fish Session #1381

Sample Date
9/26/2012
Timeframe
1059-1140  
Reach Size
1106 ft
Method
Standard Wadeable
Sample Quality
Good
Last Update
5/13/2014 9:26:21 AM

Fish Health

# DELTs
0
# Non-DELTs
0

Equipment

Backpack Shockers
2
Blocknets
2
Property Access Notice

This site is on public land, such as a county park, state park, or state-managed wildlife area.

FIBI Score
10
Warm Water
Poor
Session Comments

Heavy duckweed at downstream third of reach. Little to no flow throughout the reach.

Collected Fish

Identity verification status for this species
Size Class: Typically only collected for sportfish
Taxa excluded from species count metrics.
Click on species name for more information about that species
Species Catch
Common Carp
Latin: Cyprinus carpio
Family: Cyprinidae
Tolerance: Tolerant
Trophic: Omnivore
Is Exotic: True
Is LithoSpawner: False
Is Hybrid: False
230
Common Shiner
Latin: Luxilus cornutus
Family: Leuciscidae
Tolerance: Intermediate
Trophic: Insectivore
Is Exotic: False
Is LithoSpawner: False
Is Hybrid: False
38
Fathead Minnow
Latin: Pimephales promelas
Family: Leuciscidae
Tolerance: Tolerant
Trophic: Omnivore
Is Exotic: False
Is LithoSpawner: False
Is Hybrid: False
17
Brassy Minnow
Latin: Hybognathus hankinsoni
Family: Leuciscidae
Tolerance: Intermediate
Trophic: Herbivore
Is Exotic: False
Is LithoSpawner: False
Is Hybrid: False
7
Creek Chub
Latin: Semotilus atromaculatus
Family: Leuciscidae
Tolerance: Tolerant
Trophic: Generalist
Is Exotic: False
Is LithoSpawner: False
Is Hybrid: False
4
Central Mudminnow
Latin: Umbra limi
Family: Esocidae
Tolerance: Tolerant
Trophic: Insectivore
Is Exotic: False
Is LithoSpawner: False
Is Hybrid: False
4
Green Sunfish
Latin: Lepomis cyanellus
Family: Centrarchidae
Tolerance: Tolerant
Trophic: Generalist
Is Exotic: False
Is LithoSpawner: False
Is Hybrid: False
3
Yellow Perch
Latin: Perca flavescens
Family: Percidae
Tolerance: Intermediate
Trophic: Insectivore
Is Exotic: False
Is LithoSpawner: False
Is Hybrid: False
3
Bluntnose Minnow
Latin: Pimephales notatus
Family: Leuciscidae
Tolerance: Tolerant
Trophic: Omnivore
Is Exotic: False
Is LithoSpawner: False
Is Hybrid: False
2
Spotfin Shiner
Latin: Cyprinella spiloptera
Family: Leuciscidae
Tolerance: Intermediate
Trophic: Insectivore
Is Exotic: False
Is LithoSpawner: False
Is Hybrid: False
1
Southern Redbelly Dace
Latin: Chrosomus erythrogaster
Family: Leuciscidae
Tolerance: Sensitive
Trophic: Herbivore
Is Exotic: False
Is LithoSpawner: False
Is Hybrid: False
1
Golden Shiner
Latin: Notemigonus crysoleucas
Family: Leuciscidae
Tolerance: Tolerant
Trophic: Omnivore
Is Exotic: False
Is LithoSpawner: False
Is Hybrid: False
1
White Sucker
Latin: Catostomus commersonii
Family: Catostomidae
Tolerance: Intermediate
Trophic: Omnivore
Is Exotic: False
Is LithoSpawner: False
Is Hybrid: False
1
Black Bullhead
Latin: Ameiurus melas
Family: Ictaluridae
Tolerance: Tolerant
Trophic: Generalist
Is Exotic: False
Is LithoSpawner: False
Is Hybrid: False
1

FIBI Calculation Factors

Factor Value
Drainage area (mi2) 40.7450
Log(DA) 1.6101
Total Fish 313
Fish per 500 ft 142
Total Species 14
# Excluded Taxa 0
# Exotic Species 1
# LMB-BG 0
Calculation Last Updated 2/7/2025 2:34:35 PM

Fish Index of Biotic Integrity

Metric Name Value Score
Native Species 13 4.84
Sucker Species 1 1.91
Sensitive Species 1 1.09
Benthic Invertivore Species 0 0
Top 3 Abundance Percentage 91.05 1.43
Benthic Invertivore Percentage 0 0
Omnivore Percentage 80.19 0
Top Carnivore Percentage 0 0
Lithophilous Spawner Percentage 0 0
Tolerance Index 9.17 1.32
Adjusted Catch per Unit Effort 4.61 0.46
DELT Percentage Adjustment 0 0

FIBI Score Explained

Sites that score between 0 - 25 are considered poor. Fish abundance is usually lower than normal or, if fish are abundant, the collection is dominated by a few tolerant species. The number of native fish species present is low. Sensitive species and habitat specialists are absent or extremely rare. The population is dominated by just a few ubiquitous species that are tolerant of wide-ranging water quality and habitat conditions. Pioneering, introduced and/or short-lived fish species are typically the most abundant types of fish. Fish collected at poor sites often have a higher than normal occurrence of external physical anomalies.

This location has been classified as a Candidate Reference Site. Further study is required to determine if this site represents natural stream qualities that are least disturbed by human activities within the watershed.

EcoRegion Comparison

Scores for a sampling session are compared against reference sites within the same ecoregion:

Des Moines Lobe

This site is in the Des Moines Lobe ecoregion.

Ecoregion Map
Max 85
75th Percentile 61
Median 51
25th Percentile 38
Min 13
This Session's Score 10
Total Reference Site Samples 129
Mean 49.84
Standard Deviation 16.13