Life History
How and where a fish or macroinvertebrate species forages, ages, grows, and reproduces throughout its life. Habitat specialist likely have strong preferences for specific habitat features depend on life history stage. For example, some fish species prefer to nest over pebble sized substrates while other may lay eggs on the undersurfaces of large rocks or boulders.
Water Quality Management
A collection of management programs relevant to a water resource protection that includes problem identification, the need for and placement of best management practices, pollution abatement actions, and measuring the effectiveness of management actions.
Tiered Aquatic Life Uses (TALUs)
As defined: The structure of designated aquatic life uses that incorporates a hierarchy of use subclasses and stratification by natural divisions that pertain to geographical and waterbody class strata. TALUs are based on representative ecological attributes and these should be reflected in the narrative description of each TALU subcategory and be embodied in the measurements that extend to expressions of that narrative through numeric biocriteria and by extension to chemical and physical indicators and criteria.
As used: TALUs are assigned to water bodies based on the protection and restoration of ecological potential. This means that the assignment of a TALU subcategory to a specific waterbody is done with regard to reasonable restoration or protection expectations and attainability. Hence knowledge of the current condition of a waterbody and an accompanying and adequate assessment of stressors affecting that waterbody are needed to make these assignments.
