When it rains so hard that floods occur, humans can be severely affected. Homes can be destroyed, leaving some with nowhere to live. Areas will require evacuation because of the danger that the flooding poses to human lives. What happens to fish when it floods?
Most fish just go with the flow, and can adjust to raging water flows quite easily.
According to Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission biologist Dick Snyder, a flood is a natural event and fish instinctually know how to react. Snyder said that high waters may alter aquatic habitat and place physical stress on fish, but these effects are short-term.
“To a fish, a flood feels like walking up an alley during a strong windstorm feels to us. And fish react in pretty much the same manner we do; just like we’ll duck into a doorway to get out of the wind, fish will seek out those areas where the force of the water isn’t as great,” Said Snyder.
Although some fish may be swept downstream and become permanently dislocated during a flood, most manage to take refuge. These areas of refuge can be as simple as a stream bottom where water moves more slowly. Rocks or logs also offer shelter. Calm eddies out of the torrent provide congregation points for fish to rest — even if the pools are located in areas where they wouldn’t be found, such as over a road or in a pasture.
As floodwaters recede, fish will find their way back to usual holding spots, though Snyder noted that some fish may get stranded in puddles and sinkholes if the waters recede quickly.
According to Snyder, adult fish fare better than juveniles. Some species are impacted more than others. The hardest hit will probably be streams with wild trout populations. Trout lay their eggs and spawn in the fall; many recently-hatched fry probably did perish. Other species, such as bass, will be less impacted because they will not spawn until spring.
While fisheries biologists may notice the loss of juvenile wild trout when surveying, the typical angler will probably not notice. Provided any other catastrophes take place, subsequent year classes of wild trout will fill any voids.
Anglers may notice some physical changes to trout streams and other bodies of water. “Many streams and rivers have been physically altered during the course of the flood,” Snyder pointed out.
“Gravel and rocks have been swept downstream. Stream banks have been washed away and silt has been redeposited in different locations. Some areas that have been prime fish habitat before now are now gone altogether. Other areas that weren’t ideal before may have been scoured and look just great.
“This is certainly going to rearrange things from what we are accustomed to. Ironically, the fish will probably adjust quicker than the anglers. We’ll just have to work a little harder to find new hotspots.”
Although it takes weeks or months for humans to rebuild from a flood, the fisheries’ damage is a little clearer. Things quickly go back to normalcy in the aquatic world. Snyder said, “short of reading about it somewhere, a few years from now it will be nearly impossible for us to tell there was a flood.”
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