Use of Drift Nets for Assessing Reproductive Output and Suggestions for Stocking Needs of Channel Catfish in Streams
We used larval drift nets to assess reproductive output of channel catfish (lctalurus punctatus) in order to determine stocking needs in the Kings, Mulberry, Illinois, and Buffalo rivers in Arkansas. In each river, drift nets were deployed at the head of riffles and fished on random dates from 15 June to 22 July 1991 to determine relative abundance of young-of-year (YOY) catfish. Abundance of YOY catfish, an index of reproductive output, varied significantly among rivers, although all rivers are similar in geomorphology and located in the same physiographic region of the state. The...
