White Crappie Natural Mortality, Exploitation, And Regulation Analysis and Lake Chicot, Arkansas

Carlson, J. M. and S. E. Lochmann, Department of Agriculture and Fisheries, University of Arkansas, Pine Bluff, AR 71602, USA

Estimation of fishing and natural mortality in fish populations is a prerequisite to sound management action in Lake Chicot (a 5,500-acre oxbow lake in Chicot County, southeast Arkansas). The manipulation of fish mortality is a common management tool used to affect stock size. Approximately 500 adult crappie (Pomoxis spp.) will be collected from Lake Chicot using trap nets. Captured fish will be weighed, measured, marked with anchor tags, and returned to the lake. A $5, $20, or $100
monetary reward will be offered to anglers for retaining tags and reporting areas of capture, length, and weight of tagged fish caught. Contact information for submittal of reports and reward claims will be listed on the tag. Adjustments in the number of tags returned will be made to account for angler apathy, tag mortality, and tag retention. A second collection of crappie will be made to calculate a catch curve. Data acquired will be used to estimate natural mortality and exploitation rates.  These data may be used to better manage the crappie fishery and assign the decline in catchability noted by fishermen to natural or fishing mortality. Once exploitation and natural mortality rates are known, they will be used as parameters in modeling the crappie population to determine the potential effects of manipulating regulations governing Lake Chicot.  Mortality estimates and population modeling could then aid in the design of a well-directed management plan to return crappie catches to historic levels and address angler concerns. Preliminary returns extrapolated to the entire year indicate an approximate exploitation rate of 16-24%. If accurate, future management should focus on natural mortality sources.

Copyright © 1999
Texas Chapter of the American Fisheries Society
Last modified: 03/03/04 04:15:38 PM