Understanding Cause and Effect

There are dramatic cause and effect relationships between human actions in watersheds and changes to fish habitat – and ultimately – fish populations. Cramer Fish Sciences has pioneered the development of analytical tools that help our clients understand these relationships and their consequences.

Several of our scientists have dual training in watershed sciences and fish biology. We have decades of experience describing the relationships between watershed processes, human activities, riparian and aquatic habitat, and fish populations. We provide our clients unique understanding of potential outcomes of planned management activities. Our services include:

Watershed Assessments Federal watershed guidelines State analysis protocols Unit Characteric Method Limiting factors analyses Cumulative effects analyses	Watershed Characterizations Land use inventories Vegetation cover surveys Climate, geology, and soils GIS data compilation Remote sensing techniques
In-stream Habitat Surveys Compilation of existing surveys State & federal protocols Fish distribution/life history use Channel condition surveys Water quality/in-stream flow Macroinvertebrate/diatoms	Riparian Habitat Assessments Riparian condition surveys LWD recruitment potential Stream shading assessments Stream temperature effects Streambank stabilization Riparian microclimate
Hydrologic Change Effects Hydrology characterization Minimum flow assessments Peak flow flood/scour effects Pulse flow & fish migration Incremental change analyses	Stream Sediment Effects Mass wasting potential Hillslope and road erosion Sediment routing/storage Stream channel effects Effects on fish production