Douglas A. Besler

Stream restoration projects in coldwater streams have become increasingly common in North Carolina. Many of these projects are undertaken to reduce streambank erosion; however, improving aquatic habitat for fish is often a secondary goal. In an effort to evaluate the impact of stream restoration work on trout, the North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission monitored trout abundance and biomass within two North Carolina streams. Trout were monitored one year prior to and for four years following restoration with backpack electrofishing gear. The data collected from each restoration reach...

Roving creel surveys were conducted on nine hatchery-supported trout streams in western North Carolina during 1998 and 1999. The objective of this study was to describe angler use patterns and trip characteristics for selected waters in the hatchery-supported trout program. A total of 5,452 angler interviews were conducted during the two-year survey. Overall, anglers caught trout >203 mm (considered stocked) at an average rate of 1.38 trout/h. This catch rate exceeded the North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission (NCWRC) programmatic goal of 1.00 trout/h. Hatchery-supported trout...

Fishery managers routinely collect scales from black basses (Micropterus spp.) for age determination; however, the validity of these ages is often unknown. The objectives of this study were to evaluate the accuracy and precision of scales and whole otoliths relative to sectioned otoliths for determining ages of largemouth bass (M. salmoides) in North Carolina. Scales and sagittal otoliths were collected from largemouth bass during spring and summer of 1997 from the Chowan river, Neuse River, B. E. Jordan Reservoir, W. Kerr Scott Reservoir, Hyco Reservoir, Tillery Reservoir, and Santeelah...

In October 1997, apparent spatial heterogeneity in the black crappie (Pomoxis nigromaculatus) age distribution was observed in B.E. Jordan Reservoir. The number of age groups for black crappie increased from downlake to uplake. The objective of this study was to verify this spatial heterogeneity. Trap nets were used to collect black crappie in 4 sections of the reservoir. Black crappie ages ranged from 1 to 17 years, and fish ≥10 years were found only in the upper 2 sections of the reservoir. Significant (P<0.05) differences in the black crappie age distribution were found between most...

The North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission initiated a fall crappie (Pomoxis spp.) trap net-based stock assessment program in 1986. Since 1986, declining catch rates have forced increased effort to meet sample size requirements. The objective of this study was to determine the effect of trap net design on crappie capture rates and size selectivity. In March and April 1998, 5 trap nets each of 3 mesh sizes (13, 19, and 25 mm bar measure) were set overnight (24 hours) for 4 consecutive nights on 3 piedmont North Carolina reservoirs. Catch rates of crappie approximately doubled with...