The River Below

There's no top of the food chain without a healthy bottom. (Mark River Peoples)

Mississippi Map Turtle Baby (watercolor John Ruskey)

The River Below

  Winter time on the Mississippi River can be deceiving to the naked eye. As an avid fishermen, it's important to know what's going on on the surface as well as below. Fast moving rivers, like the Mississippi, have very complex benthic, lotic, and microscopic aquatic ecosystems, which are the cornerstone for River health. These aquatic communities are the basis of the food chain.