Chad Hallyburton's Fish Survey of Ellerbe Creek

In 2000, a year after the Ellerbe Creek Watershed Association was established, ECWA board member Chad Hallyburton, who was working at the time at the NC Museum of Life and Science, surveyed fish populations along the full length of Ellerbe Creek, from the headwaters in western Durham easterward to Falls Lake. It was a singular effort, as no surveys have been done since then, to my knowledge. He also invited residents along the creek to participate, giving us an opportunity to learn fish seining techniques, and get our feet wet, so to speak.

As the list below shows, he found a surprising diversity: 37 species, 29 of which are native to the area. It can also be found on page 122 of the Ellerbe Creek Watershed Plan that we put together in 2003.

I remember Chad being excited about discovering what he thought to be the remains of a nest built of stones by some species of chub. The location was just up Goose Creek from its confluence with Ellerbe Creek, several hundred feet upstream of the East Club Boulevard bridge. I also remember seeing bright red fish in spring, not in Ellerbe Creek but clustered at Fews Ford on the Eno River, north of the Ellerbe, which may have been chubs in mating season. A brilliant mating display like that can give a small glimpse into the abundance and beauty that must have been present in these piedmont streams at one time, and serves as inspiration for work to return Ellerbe Creek to a more healthy condition. Here's a link to info on nest-building chubs.

In the list, the tolerance rating refers to how tolerant each species is to pollution. Being polluted by urban runoff, Ellerbe Creek is populated only by tolerant or intermediately tolerant species. If and when fish species with less tolerance for pollution are found in Ellerbe Creek, that will mean the water is getting cleaner.

Chad's fish survey was a great contribution to knowledge about Ellerbe Creek.