Non-indigenous Species in NE
A Catalog of the Introduced Species of Birds, Fish, and Plants of the Platte River Ecosystem

Results

Percentage of exotic species of birds, fish, and plants that occur in the Big Bend Region of the Platte River corridor in Nebraska.

Birds

     There are over 400 different birds in the state of Nebraska, only 7 (less than 2%) of which are non-indigenous. Most of the birds were introduced for hunting purposes, while the starling was introduced to the United States because it was mentioned in the work of Shakespeare (see table below). The house sparrow was originally introduced to provide insect control. Except for those birds introduced for hunting (pheasant, partridge, turkey), the non-indigenous birds found in the state were introduced into another part of the United States and spread to Nebraska through natural migration.

Fish

     There are 106 different species of fish found in the Platte River. Of these, 32 are non–indigenous and 4 represent hybrids between species. Wile some of the non-indigenous fish were introduced to our lakes and streams for sport fishing, others were introduced to provide a food source for other fish. The earliest recorded introduction of fish was as a result of an accident near the Elkhorn River in 1873.

“In the summer of 1873, the United States Fish Commission shipped a carload of 300,000 live fish from New Hampshire and Massachusetts to California. When the Union Pacific train came to the Elkhorn River east of Fremont, and in Four Mile Creek in Otoe County, the train was derailed. The fish that escaped into the river were the following: tautog, striped bass, American shad, brook trout, channel catfish, American eel, yellow perch, walleye, largemouth bass, minnows, lobsters, and oysters.” (Jones 1963).

The majority of introduced species were released for sport fishing or to provide forage for sport fish. Most carp species were introduced to provide biological control of other species, such as aquatic weeds. The goldfish was introduced for aesthetic reasons.

Plants

     The majority of documented exotic species in Nebraska are plants. About 16% of the total flora around the Platte River (76 of 402) are exotics. These plants were introduced for many reasons including for rangeland forage, human medicine, erosion control, for ornamental purposes, and by accident.

Abstract

Introduction

Materials & Methods

Results

Birds
Fish
Plants

Acknowledgments

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