Survival, habitat use, and movement patterns of adult striped bass in Lake Blackshear, Georgia

Troy L. Baker*
Georgia Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit, D.B. Warnell School of Forest Resources, University of Georgia, Athens, Georgia 30602-2152; 706/542-5260; FAX 706/542-8356; tlb2121@owl.forestry.uga.edu

Cecil A. Jennings
U.S. Geological Survey, Biological Resources Division, Georgia Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit, D.B. Warnell School of Forest Resources, University of Georgia, Athens, Georgia 30602-2152; 706/542-4837; FAX 706/542-8356; jennings@smokey.forestry.uga.edu

In 1995 and 1996, fingerling striped bass were stocked in Lake Blackshear, GA to develop a self-sustaining sport fishery. To assess the long-term fate of the stocked fish, 27 adult Gulf-strain striped bass (>5 kg) were fitted with radio transmitters and released in Lake Blackshear. These fish were monitored to determine their survival, habitat use, and movement patterns. Tagged fish were monitored from time of release until water temperatures cooled to 15^oC in Fall 1999. Thirteen tagged fish died, and six of these transmitters were found or returned by anglers within two weeks of release. Ten of the remaining 14 fish were located in the lake for up to six months after being released, but were not found after June 24, 1999. In early June, the remaining four fish moved near two cool-water refuges in Lake Blackshear after water temperatures were >26^oC. Three of these four fish remained alive until the beginning of August. Some mortality may be related to handling stress, but drought conditions and intermittent spring flows in several refuges also may have affected striped bass survival. These results suggest that cool-water habitat in Lake Blackshear is insufficient to sustain a population of adult (>5 kg) striped bass.