Karen Daniel Lee

Age and Growth, Food Habits, and Forage Value of the Alewife in Watauga Reservoir, Tennessee

In 1976, the alewife (Alosa pseudoharengus) was stocked in Watauga Reservoir, Tennessee, by the Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency (TWRA), in an attempt to strengthen the forage base. To assess ecological impacts of the introduction, both age and growth and food habits of alewives were evaluated along with food habits of adult game fishes. The alewife population was composed of 3 age classes (0+, 1+, and 2+). Average back-calculated lengths were 70 mm at annulus I and 103mm at annulus II. No significant differences between sexes were found with back-calculated lengths or with the length-...