SEAFWA Journal Volume 5, March 2018

Watersnakes serve a variety of important roles in aquatic ecosystems with many species being of conservation interest. The northern water- snake (Nerodia sipedon) has some populations of concern, but is found in a wide variety of aquatic habitats throughout North America. Although previous studies have examined the diet of this typically piscivorous species, research has not addressed whether the northern watersnake is preferentially selecting particular fish as prey. In this study, we sampled snake stomach contents and used Chesson's alpha selection index (αi) to investigate whether...

In the 1970s and 1980s, blue catfish (Ictalurus furcatus) were introduced to the tidal rivers of Virginia. Current abundances and uncertainty about population characteristics of blue catfish generated concern for other economically important and imperiled species. We estimated natural mortality and size structure of blue catfish for four tidal river systems (i.e., James, Mattaponi, Pamunkey and Rappahannock). Using common empirical estimators with pooled data from the period 2002-2016, we calculated five estimates of natural mortality. Proportional size distributions were used to examine...

Population projection models are applied tools for considering the potential effects of land and population management alternatives. Incorporating spatially explicit processes and individual dynamics into these models can be important when assessing viability for relatively small populations in patchy habitats. We developed a spatially explicit, individual-based population simulation model (IBM) for gopher tortoises (Gopherus polyphemus) incorporating demographic rates from published studies throughout the range of the species. We then demonstrated this approach's utility for evaluating...

Management techniques to improve wildlife populations often can affect non-target species indirectly. Supplemental feeding for northern bobwhite (Colinus virginianus) has become a popular management technique to improve bobwhite recruitment and survival, but potential impacts on non-target species such as eastern wild turkey (Meleagris gallopavo silvestris) are unknown. We deployed 111 global positioning systems on wild turkeys on the South Carolina Department of Natural Resources Webb Wildlife Management Area Complex during 2014-2016 to evaluate if supplemental feeding for quail impacted...

Earthen hatchery pond sediments may provide additional nutrients to the water column and act as a sink for nutrients and excess fertilizer. In 2008 and again in 2013 soil nutrient concentrations and phosphorus (P) adsorption were examined in five earthen ponds at Minor Clark Fish Hatchery, Kentucky. These ponds are annually filled with oligotrophic water from an upstream reservoir, fertilized, and drained during normal hatchery operations. Over time, pond nitrogen (N) and P additions have not kept up with soil losses. Soil extractable P concentrations decreased about an order of magnitude...

Longleaf pine (LLP, Pinus palustris) has been reduced to 3-5% of its original range, but may be particularly resilient to conditions associated with climate change including drought, severe storms, and increased prevalence of pests. Despite the critical role of LLP in building climate resilient ecosystems, little is known about how landscape managers in the region have considered climate change in planning efforts. We gathered 83 publicly accessible natural resource management plans from the southeastern United States that included management of LLP ecosystems between 1999 and 2016. We...

Geographical range of a species can be limited by environmental conditions such as temperature. This is important to understand when trying to establish a new fish population on the fringe of their range. The Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation (ODWC) has been stocking tiger muskellunge (Esox masquinongy x E. lucius) in Lake Carl Etling in northwestern Oklahoma since 2014 with little success. This reservoir experiences a broad range of temperatures that could affect recruitment of tiger muskellunge, especially during times of the year when prey are not abundant. To explore the...

Stress is unavoidable in aquaculture and hence strains of fish that are resilient and adaptable to stress need to be developed. In teleosts, cortisol is considered the primary stress hormone and often increases in cortisol concentration correspond to a stress response. The objective of this study was to assess if cortisol responsiveness to stress in channel catfish (Ictalurus punctatus) influences susceptibility to Enteric Septicemia of Catfish (ESC) caused by Edwardsiella ictaluri under controlled conditions. Juvenile channel catfish were subjected to standardized hypoxia stress (1.8 mg L...

Eastern wild turkeys (Meleagris gallopavo silvestris; hereafter, turkeys) are widely recognized throughout the southeastern United States as a species of ecological, recreational, aesthetic, and economic importance. As a game species, male turkeys are most popularly hunted during spring, a timeframe coinciding with breeding and nesting activities. Given this period's biological importance, wildlife managers are challenged to avoid negative population effects from harvest while simultaneously providing quality hunting opportunities. Biological considerations associated with timing spring...

Saugeye are hatchery produced hybrids (female walleye [Sander vitreus] and male sauger [S. canadensis]) that have been introduced to aquatic systems throughout the United States. The Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation (ODWC) stocks reservoirs throughout Oklahoma with saugeye to control overcrowded, stunted white crappie (Pomoxis annularis) populations and to provide recreational fishing opportunities. Because sacrificing fish regularly to remove otoliths for age estimation is often unpopular with anglers, a non-lethal means of obtaining age estimates for saugeye to describe...