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MARYLAND BIOLOGICAL STREAM SURVEY
Description:
The Maryland Biological Stream Survey (MBSS) is a multi-year probability-based sampling program designed to assess the status of biological resources in non-tidal streams of Maryland. The MBSS is quantifying the extent to which acidic deposition and other human activities have affected or may be affecting biological resources in Maryland?s streams. The MBSS will establish a benchmark for long-term monitoring of trends in biological resource condition and help target future local assessments and mitigation measures needed to restore degraded resources. The MBSS study area comprises eighteen drainage basins across the state of Maryland. Random sampling allows the estimation of parameters of interest for the entire state, within a particular basin, or for particular types of streams. For stream fish, the MBSS collects quantitative data to estimate populations of individual species and to evaluate fish community composition, individual fish health, or geographic distribution of species. The MBSS also collects data on benthic macroinvertebrates (using rapid bioassessment procedures), physical habitat, and water chemistry, and qualitative data on herpetofauna, freshwater mussels, and aquatic vegetation.