COMPARATIVE STUDY OF FISH AND HABITATS IN THE TOYOHIRA AND SATSUNAI RIVERS

Abstract

The Toyohira River, which flows steeply through central Sapporo, is important not only as a space for recreation but also as a habitat for fish and birds. The river’s steep gradient makes the task of realizing harmony between river improvement works and the ecosystem a challenging one. To clarify the role and method of fish conservation in environmental management of an urban river, we studied the longitudinal distribution of fish to identify what environmental factors are important to fish habitation. We also made a comparative study with the Satsunai River to gain basic data for river environmental management.