2004 UC Proceedings Abstract

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A GIS Tool for Fish Habitat Modeling
Track: Forestry, Wildlife, and Fisheries Management
Author(s): Venkatesh Merwade, David Maidment, Barney Austin, Tim Osting

An ArcGIS fish habitat modeling tool is developed to model the extent of fish habitat under different flow conditions. The study of the impact of change in flow on availability of fish habitat in river channels involves biological sampling, river surveying, and hydraulic modeling. Biological sampling seeks to associate various fish species with the habitat they utilize and the habitat conditions are defined in terms of depth and velocity of water only. The velocity and water depth for different flow rates are obtained by using a two-dimensional hydraulic model. The fish habitat modeling tool combines the results of the hydraulic model and the biological sampling statistics to determine the spatial extent of habitat for the different fish species at each of a number of different flow rates. The application of the habitat modeling tool is demonstrated by applying it to a short reach of the lower Brazos River in Texas.

Venkatesh Merwade
University of Texas at Austin
Center for Research in Water Resources
10100 Burnet Road, Bldg. ## 119
Austin , TX 78758
US
Phone: (512)471-0073
E-mail: vmmerwade@mail.utexas.edu

David Maidment
University of Texas at Austin
Center for Research in Water Resources
10100 Burnet Road, Bldg.## 119
Austin , TX 78758
US
Phone: (512)471-0065
E-mail: maidment@mail.utexas.edu

Barney Austin
Texas Water Development Board
1700 North Congress Avenue
P. O. Box 13231
Austin 78711
US
Phone: (512)463-8856
E-mail: barney.austin@twdb.state.tx.us

Tim Osting
Texas Water Development Board
1700 North Congress Avenue
P.O. Box 13231
Austin 78711
US
Phone: (512)936-0823
E-mail: tim.osting@twdb.state.tx.us