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- Arkansas Game and Fish
Commission
- Duke Power Company
- Mississippi
Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit
- Missouri
Department of Conservation
- North
Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission
- Reservoir Aging Project
- Tennessee Valley Authority
- Tennessee Wildlife
Resources Agency
- University of Florida
- Arkansas Game and
Fish Commission
Contact: Mark Oliver (877) 425-7577, mloliver@agfc.state.ar.us
White River Border Lakes License: On March 1,
2001, Missouri and Arkansas implemented the White River Border Lakes
Permit, a reciprocal license agreement that allows residents of
Arkansas and Missouri to fish on the opposite side of the border
within Bull Shoals, Norfork, and Table Rock Lakes for $10. This
agreement opened up 59,000 acres of lake for Arkansas residents and
51,000 acres for Missouri residents at a savings of $20 to $25 per
person. As of July 19, Missouri has sold 12, 572 WRL's and Arkansas
has sold 7,529. The permit has been very popular with anglers.
Contacts: Mark Oliver, AGFC, (877) 425-7577; Bob
Legler, MDC, (417) 256-7161
Bull Shoals Macrophyte Introduction: In a
pilot effort to establish aquatic vegetation in Bull Shoals Lake, a
variety of aquatic macrophytes (including eelgrass, Canadian elodea,
pondweed, coontail) were planted under 76
plastic coated chicken-wire enclosures (4 feet high
and 8 feet across) in 4 areas of the lake. Three of the areas were in
the upper ends of creek arms with 10 feet or less visibility and
silt/gravel substrate. One site was on the main lake with 20-foot
visibility with gravel substrate. Enclosures were 9 to 12 feet deep in
the creeks and 10 to 15 feet deep in the main lake. There was a
considerable amount of AGFC staff and volunteer time involved on the
project with construction of the enclosures being the most
consumptive.
There were about 40 scuba diver days during this
phase. Plans are to visit the enclosures in August to check for growth
of the plants. Bull Shoals is a 45,500-acre hydropower and flood
control project (ACE) that fluctuates an average of 20 feet a year and
can fluctuate up to 30 feet in one year. Generally, there is no
aquatic vegetation in the reservoir.
Contacts: Chris Horton*, AGFC, (877) 776-0218 Mark
Oliver, AGFC, (877) 425-7577
Lake Greeson Macrophyte Introduction: Similar
project to the above on a more southern hydropower/flood control
reservoir. Average visibility is considerably lower in this lake than
in Bull Shoals and fluctuations are not as dramatic.
Contact: Chris Horton, AGFC, (877) 776-0218
*Note: Chris Horton was our reservoir biologist for
2 years. His focus as been officially shifted to black bass. He will
coordinate with bass tournaments to improve weigh-in techniques and to
expand the Arkansas Tournament Information Program, evaluate backlogs
of population data, develop programs to help managers assess black
bass populations, design and facilitate habitat improvement projects
such as the two macrophyte projects listed above, and coordinate with
reservoir managers on water level control.
Millwood Lake Florida Bass Introductions:
AGFC has stocked Florida largemouth bass in Millwood Lake for a number
of years and the lake is currently producing 13 to 14 pound bass.
Large fingerlings (4 to 6 in.) have been used for the stockings with
the best success but are expensive. Recently, small fingerlings
(2-in.) were distributed by boat to areas of good habitat (primarily
areas of dense macrophytes). Of 110 largemouth bass collected this
year, only were pure northern and the rest were Florida's or
intergrades. Small fingerlings stocked directly at access points in
several other lakes did not generate as high an occurrence of Florida
alleles. Although not proven scientifically, stocking the fingerling
bass into good cover appears to be the key or at least a prominent
factor to the recent high success in Millwood.
Contact: Drew Wilson, AGFC, (877) 777-5580.
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- Duke Power Company
Contact: Dave Coughlan (704) 875-5236, djcoughl@duke-energy.com
Hydroacoustics - We continue to use
hydroacoustics and purse seining to evaluate reservoir forage fish
populations. Forage fish densities are derived by echo integration.
Purse seine data provide species composition and length frequency
distributions for correlation with target strength values.
We are working cooperatively with North Carolina
State University (NCSU) and NC Wildlife Resources Commission (NCWRC)
on a bioenergetic comparison of two reservoir striped bass
populations. One population resides in a eutrophic reservoir with
abundant prey and frequent summer die-offs of stripers while the other
is in an oligotrophic cooling reservoir with less abundant forage and
infrequent summer die-offs. Calorimetric analyses of striped bass and
forage fish are being conducted in addition to population estimates of
forage fish. Jessica Thompson, a NCSU MS student, is working on this
project.
Woody Debris Study - In 1999-2000, we
conducted a cooperative study with the NCWRC and the South Carolina
Department of Natural Resources (SCDNR) to determine fish utilization
of coarse woody debris (CWD), developed (DEV), and undeveloped (UND)
or natural habitats in Lakes James, Hickory, and Fishing Creek. Eight
100-m shoreline transects were electrofished in each habitat during
spring, summer, and fall. Taxa composition and largemouth bass Wr's
were similar in all habitats during all seasons for all lakes. Mean
numbers of fish were generally similar in CWD and DEV habitats during
most seasons in all lakes. However, mean fish biomass was generally
higher in CWD, intermediate in DEV, and lowest in UND habitats in the
spring in all lakes. Mean fish biomass was similar in CWD and DEV
habitats in summer and fall and both were generally higher than that
noted in UND habitat in all lakes. These results indicate that fish in
these lakes do not have a clear preference for CWD habitat over DEV
habitats, but do prefer CWD and DEV habitats over UND habitat. Contact
Hugh Barwick for more details (704) 875-5459.
Fish-Friendly Piers - Piers represent sources
of structure and cover for reservoir fish populations, the importance
of which appears to be increasing as some reservoirs experience rapid
residential shoreline development. We have formed a partnership with
NCWRC, NC Wildlife Habitat Foundation, Bass Pro Shops, Pure Fishing,
NC BASS Federation, NC State University, USGS, and B.A.S.S. Inc. to
evaluate the feasibility of enhancing shallow-water fish habitat by
creating fish-friendly piers. These are piers with added structure
(e.g., Berkley Fish Habs with and without brush) beneath the pier to
provide additional cover for fish. Bob Barwick, a NCSU MS student, is
currently evaluating fish use of these piers. Contact Hugh Barwick for
more details (704) 875-5459.
Blue Catfish Tracking - Duke Power and NCWRC
are working cooperatively with Virginia Tech to study the movements of
blue catfish in a large multi-use reservoir (Lake Norman, NC). Joe
Grist, an MS student, at VA Tech has released radio-tagged blue cats
and tracks them every two weeks to get an idea of diurnal and seasonal
movements. An understanding of blue catfish movement may give us a
better idea of the feasibility of a blue catfish population estimate
at some time in the future. The study began in the Spring of 2000 and
scheduled to last for one year.
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Shocking Research
Electrofishing is used universally by researchers and
managers to immobilize and collect freshwater fish. Research on
coldwater salmonids has shown that electrofishing can cause immediate or
delayed, fatal and nonfatal, internal injuries. Because fish captured
via electrofishing are normally released after relevant measurements are
recorded, it is critical that they survive after release, and that
injuries are minimized to avoid handicapping behavior, health, and
growth.
We researched two primary questions: (1) to what
extent electrofishing physically injures or causes death in warmwater
fish; and (2) are there methods for minimizing injuries and mortality
while maximizing electrofishing immobilization efficiency. This
research, funded by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service through AFS'
Fisheries Management Section, is aimed at determining the scope of the
electrofishing injury problem, and practicable solutions.
Direct current (DC) and pulsed DC are normally used to electrofish, but
they immobilize fish using different mechanisms. The steady current
provided by DC either inhibits or overexcites body cells and muscle
fibers, but does not affect the nerve fibers. In contrast, the
on-and-off current of pulsed DC produce powerful stimulations of nervous
fibers that lead to immobilization via cramping of muscles. Manipulating
the number and width of pulses (i.e., time on versus time off) can
generate various patterns of pulsed DC, and each pattern may have a
different effect on fish. In tank experiments, we treated several
species of warmwater fish (black crappie, bluegill, channel catfish,
largemouth bass, hybrid striped bass) to DC and several pulsed DC
patterns with voltages at or above the minimum needed for
immobilization. After treatment, and following an 18-hour holding
period, fish were radiographed and necropsied.
Over a period of about 1 year, nearly 1,500 fish of
the five species were studied. Rate of injury depended on fish size,
species, electrical setting, and interactions between all of the above.
Incidence of tissue hemorrhage ranged 0-50%, spinal damage 0-45%, and
mortality 0-86%. Large fish were most vulnerable to injury, but small
fish were most vulnerable to mortality. Black crappie and largemouth
bass typically exhibited the highest incidence of injury. High-frequency
pulsed-DC settings produced the greatest levels of hemorrhage;
short-pulse duration the greatest levels of spinal damage; low-frequency
pulsed DCs the greatest levels of mortality; DC produced the least
injury and mortality. Additionally, fish exposed to DC often exhibited
forced swimming towards the electrodes, a behavior that allows more
efficient collection of fish from cover, deep water, or turbid water.
Behavioral responses to shocking are often classified
into three succeeding stages, with only the last two stages producing
sufficient immobilization to allow collection: (1) fright -
characterized by sporadic swimming; (2) narcosis - muscles are relaxed,
fish still breathing; and (3) tetany - muscles are rigid, and there are
no breathing motions. We found that fish either narcotized or tetanized
by electrofishing, respectively, exhibited 1 and 8% hemorrhage, <1
and 3% spinal damage, and 3 and 13% mortality.
Information gathered by this research will serve as
the basis for recommendations on how to improve collection of fish by
electrofishing. Based on our preliminary observations, we suggest that
electrofishing be conducted preferably with DC, and that voltage output
be tempered to induce narcosis but avoid tetany. Control over such
behavior can be easily achieved by simple observation of fish in the
electrical field. This research is being expanded to assess effects on
small nongame species such as minnows and darters.
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- Missouri Department
of Conservation
Contact: Mike Colvin (573) 882-9880,
Colvim@mdc.state.mo.us
Channel Catfish Management in Small Impoundments.
Paul Michaletz, Missouri Department of Conservation, 1110 South
College Avenue, Columbia, Missouri 65201; phone: 573-882-9880, ext.
3254; email: michap@mail.conservation.state.mo.us
Channel catfish Ictalurus punctatus provide
important fisheries in many small impoundments in the midwestern and
southern U.S. Many state agencies including the Missouri Department of
Conservation expend considerable resources in stocking large channel
catfish fingerlings into these impoundments. Stocking is necessary to
maintain populations because largemouth bass Micropterus salmoides
and other predators virtually eliminate natural recruitment of channel
catfish in these waters. Despite the importance of these fisheries and
the effort expended to maintain them, little is known about channel
catfish populations in most small impoundments because they have been
difficult to effectively sample. One objective of this study was to
develop an effective sampling method for channel catfish in small
impoundments.
Sampling methods were developed during 1998 to 2001.
During 1998 and 1999, I compared the effectiveness of gill nets and
hoop nets in sampling channel catfish in small impoundments. Catches
of channel catfish were low in both gill nets and hoop nets set singly
for one day. Additionally, mortality of channel catfish and other
fishes captured by gill nets was high, especially in midsummer.
Neither method was adequate for sampling channel catfish in small
impoundments. However, some preliminary sampling in 1999 with tandem
hoop net sets (three nets tied in series) fished for three days
provided good catches of channel catfish with little mortality. In
2000, these tandem hoop net sets were further evaluated. Tandem hoop
net sets provided mean catch rates ranging from 13 to 152 channel
catfish per set among five lakes and three sampling periods. These
sets captured a wide size range of channel catfish and caused little
mortality. In 2001, size bias of this method was evaluated by sampling
a known population of channel catfish. Tandem hoop nets failed to
capture channel catfish < 250 mm total length in proportion to
their abundance but catches of larger sizes of fish closely reflected
those in the population. This method was also used during May and June
to sample channel catfish populations in 66 small impoundments across
the state. Mean catch rates of channel catfish ranged from 0.5 to 349
fish per set with a grand mean of 84.6 fish per set, providing
adequate numbers of channel catfish for population assessment in most
impoundments. However, capture and mortality of turtles were high in
some impoundments and this method may not be appropriate for sampling
impoundments containing large turtle populations. Also, dissolved
oxygen concentrations should be measured at the depths where nets are
set to ensure that adequate concentrations are available to provide
survival of captured fishes.
Smithville Lake Vegetation Project. Jake Allman, Fisheries
Management Biologist, Missouri Department of Conservation, 1 Victory
Dr., Suite 100, Liberty, MO 64068. Phone: 816-792-8662; email Allmaj@mail.conservation.state.mo.us
Smithville Lake is a 7,200-acre Corps of Engineers
(COE) reservoir near Kansas City, Missouri. The lake has lacked
aquatic vegetation for much of its existence. Eurasion milfoil was
present from 1988 to 1993, and while it can be a nuisance, it did not
reach nuisance levels in Smithville Lake.
In 1998, we began a concerted effort to establish a
variety of native aquatic plants in Smithville Lake. A workshop was
conducted in March, with COE personnel from the Waterways Experiment
Station in Vicksburg, Mississippi providing technical expertise. The
theory behind these efforts was to plant rhizomes and young plants
early in the season with minimal protection from herbivores. This
approach did not work at Smithville Lake. Only a few pickerel weed
plants and some water willow survived past the first year. Later in
1998, the local bass club helped plant water willow in two sites, and
those plantings have done well.
In 1999 and 2000, we planted water willow
"burritos" at several sites around the lake. Burritos are
long tubes of plants confined bale wrap netting. The tubes were
anchored at the water line where they quickly rooted and formed a
solid band of vegetation. We were able to successfully plant sites as
late as September, and most water willow plantings have succeeded.
Only those in the highest energy areas did not.
In 2000, Dr. Michael Smart with the COE in
Lewisville, Texas, helped conducted a workshop on Smithville Lake and
helped us design and install a pilot project. We planted thirteen
species of native plants and have been able to determine those best
suited for Smithville Lake. Dr. Smart's philosophy is to grow plants
to adult-size in protected nurseries and transplant them to fenced
enclosures during the summer. Preliminary results of these efforts
suggest that we may need to plant emergent plants earlier than summer
for optimum survival.
After seeing the results of our pilot project with
Dr. Smart, we secured funding to hire three persons in 2001 to work
solely on aquatic plant work. This crew built fifteen new enclosures
scattered widely around the lake. Each enclosure had a 200-foot
perimeter and was planted with a variety of submersed and emergent
plants. While each enclosure is roughly the same area, some are
square, some are rectangular and perpendicular to the bank, others are
parallel to the bank.
To date, we are seeing water willow spread to sites
over two miles away from the nearest plantings, and American pondweed
is spreading in the lake as well. Our water star grass and eel grass
plantings are expanding outside the enclosures and do not appear to be
affected by herbivore activity. In addition, the Eurasion milfoil is
beginning to return in the lake.
We plan on repeating our 2001 activities in 2002
provided funds are available. Our work will be presented at the 2002
Missouri Natural Resources Conference in January.
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- North Carolina
Wildlife Resources Commission
Contact: Doug Besler, (828) 659-8684, beslerda@wnclink.com
Striped Bass Reservoir Bioenergetics
The North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission (NCWRC) is assisting
North Carolina State University on a striped bass bioenergetics project. The
project is examining the energetics of striped bass on two Piedmont
reservoirs: Lake Norman and Badin Lake. Lake Norman is the largest reservoir
in NC (14,000 ha) and is considered mesotrophic throughout much of the
reservoir. Badin Lake is a 1968 ha impoundment and is characterized as
eutrophic. Badin Lake appears to have less thermal habitat in the summer for
striped bass than Lake Norman, however, growth rates have typically been
higher in Badin Lake than those at Lake Norman. The goal of the project is
to determine how the interactions of thermal habitat and forage availability
affect striped bass energetics. We are about to conclude the second field
season on this project and anticipate another year of data collection before
a final report is generated.
Hydrilla
Hydrilla has become established on several Catawba River chain reservoirs.
The most rapidly expanding population at this time is in Mountain Island
Lake, a 1330 ha reservoir northwest of Charlotte. Hydrilla covers about 245
ha on this reservoir currently and Duke Power estimates there is an
additional 250 ha of potential habitat for Hydrilla in this impoundment. The
expansion of this vegetation is occurring in close proximity to water
intakes for the cities of Charlotte and Gastonia. Both municipalities rely
heavily on these intakes for drinking water and are concerned about the
potential for clogging of these structures. We are working with the
municipal governments and other agencies on this problem. The NCWRC has
authorized the introduction of 12,000 triploid grass carp and we will be
monitoring their efficacy in this reservoir. Hydrilla has also expanded into
two other Catawba River reservoirs, Lake Norman and Lake James. Lake Norman
(14,000 ha) has a relatively small infestation (<50 ha) which is spread
out over several coves in small patches. The hydrilla present on Lake Norman
does not appear to be expanding rapidly. In Lake James (2,634 ha), the
uppermost reservoir on the Catawba River system, a <3 ha patch of
hydrilla was discovered in 1999. Since that time the hydrilla has expanded
to over 142 ha of lake coverage. The portion of the Catawba River flowing
through South Carolina has several locations where hydrilla has become
established. As a result, the South Carolina Department of Natural Resources
in conjunction with Duke Power Company and the NCWRC are creating a
management plan to deal with hydrilla using a basin-wide approach. A
formalized response to hydrilla within the Catawba River system will likely
occur by spring 2002.
Threadfin Shad Winter kills
The North Carolina winter of 2000-2001 was cold and resulted in a major
threadfin shad winter kill in reservoirs in the western third of the state.
No threadfin shad were found during spring gill net and electrofishing
surveys on the five reservoirs checked annually for winter kills. Summer
electrofishing surveys found threadfin shad in only one of the reservoirs
where threadfin shad were not found that spring. Due to concerns of
contamination by blueback herring and alewives, threadfin shad were not
reintroduced into any systems in 2001, which is normally the procedure after
winter kills are confirmed. Various options, including rearing threadfin
shad and finding uncontaminated source stocks, are currently being examined
by the NCWRC. As expected, large spawns of gizzard shad occurred in all of
the affected reservoirs. Fall 2001 gill net and trap net surveys are
scheduled for several western reservoirs and should provide data on the
effects of the threadfin shad winter kill on crappie, walleye, and white
bass populations.
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The reservoir aging project of the Reservoir Committee
is moving along well. Fred Heitman and John Taylor have done some
preliminary work using some TVA long term cove rotenone data sets. The
results so far indicate that there is potential for long term data sets
to be useful in assessing general changes in reservoir fish
productivity.
They presented their first results to the committee at
the mid summer meeting in Atlanta. Since that time they have received at
least two data sets from other committee members. They hope to present
some of their work at the mid-year meeting in Little Rock.
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TVA will commence reservoir monitoring of fish
communities on 22 Tennessee River mainstem and tributary reservoirs
September 24, 2001. Fall sampling will continue through November 16.
Monitoring will include electrofishing and experimental gill netting.
Reservoirs in Alabama include Pickwick, Wheeler, Bear Creek, Little Bear
Creek and Cedar Creek.
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Several habitat enhancement projects have been
underway on the state's reservoirs this year. Project ECHO is now
underway on Kentucky Lake which involves the shoreline seeding and
establishment of native macrophytes in several locations. The project is
being coordinated by Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency (TWRA) in
partnership with several federal agencies (TVA, Soil Conservation
Service, USFWS, etc.) and several local school districts who are
providing manpower and growing propagules in their greenhouses.
TWRA also participated in a Corps of Engineers project
to promote establishment of native aquatic plants in the Drakes Creek
embayment of Old Hickory Lake. This project involved Corps personnel
including folks from the Lewisville, TX aquatic lab. Evaluations of
caged propagules is currently underway.
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- University of Florida
Contact: Kim Tugend, (352)392-9617 ext.271, kit@gnv.ifas.ufl.edu
Effects of a habitat enhancement on littoral
plant and fish communities of Lake Kissimmee, Florida.
In the mid-1960's, a lock system was constructed on the Kissimmee
River, Florida, which reduced annual water fluctuations and resulted
in the degradation of fish habitat in the shallow littoral zone of
many lakes. Much of the littoral zone was transformed from hard, sandy
bottom habitat to areas dominated by dense mats of emergent vegetation
and detrital matter. In 1995-96, a habitat enhancement was performed
on Lake Kissimmee, which included an extreme drawdown and removal of
organic sediment and vegetation from approximately half of the lake
shoreline.
We studied the plant and fish communities in two
scraped (i.e., enhanced) areas each summer from 1998-2000. Both areas
contained quality fish habitat through 2000 and were characterized by
hard sandy bottom, high dissolved oxygen, and moderate coverage of
aquatic macrophytes. Plant biomass and abundance increased
significantly from 1998 to 2000 due to colonization of enhanced sites.
In addition to among-year differences, we detected significant
differences between sites for many of our plant variables. We used
satellite imagery and Geographic Information Systems (GIS) to
investigate the relationship between wind-induced wave action and the
re-establishment of plants in enhanced sites. As expected, the
probability of plants re-establishing in enhanced sites decreased with
increasing wave action.
Field sampling of fish communities also indicated
quality habitat was available in the enhanced study sites through
2000. We collected 36 fish species belonging to sixteen families.
These communities differed from those found in similar areas of Lake
Kissimmee prior to enhancement and for other densely-vegetated Florida
lakes. Although we did not detect significant differences in fish
density or biomass through time, fish diversity and richness were
generally highest in 1999, likely due to changes in fish habitat with
increased water level. Mean water depth and mean plant biomass were
generally positively related to fish variables in these sites during
the study period.
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