Fish Fauna of the Hatchie River System

This thesis reports the findings of an ichthyofaunal survey of the Hatchie River system of northern Mississippi and southwestern Tennessee. This system represents the only drainage in that region which has not undergone large scale channelization, and it had previously been poorly collected. This survey was conducted mainly during August of 1972 with additional collections from other years also reported. Collections were made from the majority of streams in the entire drainage, and several methods were employed including seining, gill netting, trap nets, and the principal method, chemical application. A total of 108 collections is included, and the findings are presented in the annotated listing of species followed by a discussion of taxonomic and zoogeographical considerations. Of the 109 species speculated to occur in the system, 90 were substantiated by collection records. The results of this thesis revealed the presense of a rich Mississippi Valley fish fauna in the Hatchie River system which should remain as such if future channelization proposals and careless agricultural practices are suppressed.