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in the Assabet Watershed
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Blacknose Dace
Rhinichthys atratulus
Photo credit: Karsten Hartel
Life history and habitat requirements:
This native minnow prefers small headwater streams with moderate
to rapid water with a preference for swift water. The minnow
predominates in riffles, but also in shade pools along cut
banks with overhanging vegetation. The blacknose dace is most
frequently captured over substrates of gravel, sand rubble
and silt in clear and slightly turbid water. The minnows spawn
over gravel. (Sources: Fishes of Wisconsin, A Distribution
Atlas of Kentucky Fishes.)
Total length:
usually less than 3 inches (Hartel reports one 4-inch fish)
Pollution tolerance (US EPA): Tolerant
Classification:
Fluvial Specialist
Number of fish found during 1954 &
2001 Fish Surveys:*
| Location |
No. of Fish 1954 |
No. of Fish 2001 |
| Assabet River |
|
74 |
| Cold Harbor Brook |
|
37 |
| Great Brook |
|
2 |
| Hop Brook |
|
50 |
| Howard Brook |
77 |
|
| North Brook |
|
99 |
| Total |
77 |
262 |
*Sources:
Schlotterbeck, L.C. and W.A. Tompkins, 1954. "A
Fisheries Investigation of the Merrimack and Ipswich River Drainages."
Bureau of Wildlife Research and Management, Massachusetts Division
of Fisheries and Game.
DFW, 2001. Assabet Watershed Fish Survey. MA Department of
Fisheries and Wildlife, Westborough, MA.
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